Studying in Canada: The First Step

Find out what you need to do before you can apply for a student visa in Canada.

"How did you apply as an International Student in Canada?"

I get this question a lot, especially from interested applicants (my friends, colleagues, and Filipinos from #PinoyCanada Facebook group) who want to pursue further studies here in Canada. Given that the whole application process is complicated, and each application is unique, I always have a hard time trying to paint a picture for them because I couldn’t figure out a way to summarize the whole process and make it easier for them to understand. I know that the process can be overwhelming, so I tried to simplify it, and for you to get an idea or a big picture, and start planning for your journey to Canada.

So, what do you have to do to get your student visa? I divided the steps into 3 stages: Pre-application, Application, Post-application. The pre-application stage includes everything that has to do with what you are going to study and where. Your goal in this stage is to obtain your Letter of Acceptance from a Designated Learning Institution (DLI) in Canada. This is going to be your golden ticket to be able to apply for a study permit. The second stage is the application phase wherein we talk about the documents that you need to gather in order to apply for your visa as well as the fees that you have to pay. The last stage is the post-application phase wherein we talk about the remaining steps that you must take/do once you submit your application. For this first blog post, we are going to talk about the Pre-application stage.

Pre-application Stage:

There are 4 steps in the pre-application stage:

1. Choose a program and school - to start your journey as an international student; you need to find a program that is aligned with your career path and your career goals. You have to be very intentional and careful about choosing which program to take because you need to make a business case and defend in your Statement of Purpose (SOP) why you have to study that particular program. You also have to make sure that the school is a Designated Learning Institution (DLI). You can check it here. Your school must be a Designated Learning Institution because this is a requirement when applying for a student visa.

2. Check the school’s application requirements and deadlines - once you have chosen the program you’re interested in, check the criteria to be eligible for admission. Some competitive programs require a certain grade or GPA as well as the IELTS, while some programs don’t.

3. Decide when are you going to study - given the list of requirements and the time needed for you to obtain your study permit, decide when is the best time for you to start your studies. Canadian universities and colleges offer three intakes for admissions.

The three intakes are:

1. Fall intake

2. Winter intake

3. Summer intake

Fall intake is the most popular among international students and it starts in September. The Winter intake is a less popular intake and this is because of the extreme cold weather which makes it harder for international students to adapt. This intake starts in January and is usually for students who missed the Fall intake. The least popular intake is the Summer intake, which starts in April; limited courses are also available for applications during this term.

4. Gather the required documents and apply - submit all the requirements and wait for your Letter of Application (LOA). LOA is one of the documents that you need to submit to the Canadian embassy for your visa; treat this as your golden ticket in applying for your student visa.

And that’s it for the pre-application stage! For the next blog, I'm going to elaborate more on the second stage--the application stage. I'll be sharing with you where you can apply, the required forms and the required documents for your student visa application, the fees that you need to pay, as well as the two different student visa application processes.