Do you qualify?
- Can you show IRCC's living cost amount for your family size (23,448 Canadian dollars for one person from 1 September 2026)?
- Have you added your first-year tuition on top of that amount?
- Have you added return travel for you and each family member?
- Do your bank statements cover the past 6 months and show where the money came from?
- Do you have a 2026 attestation letter, or proof that you are exempt?
Answer the questions to see where you stand.
A first check against the rules in this guide. The consulate checks your own case.
Key facts
- Living costs, 1 person
- 23,448 Canadian dollars a year from 1 September 2026 1
- Each family member beyond 7
- 6,318 Canadian dollars 1
- On top of living costs
- First-year tuition and return travel 1
- Bank statements
- Last 6 months, showing where the money comes from 1
- Attestation letter
- Required for most students outside Quebec; master's and doctoral students at public institutions exempt since 1 January 2026 2
- Study permit fee
- 150 Canadian dollars 5
- Biometrics fee
- 85 Canadian dollars, at most 170 for a family applying together 6
The 2026 amounts by family size
IRCC sets a yearly living cost amount that depends on how many people come with you, including yourself 1. The amounts are updated every year; the current ones apply to applications made on or after 1 September 2026 1.
| People, including you | Applications from 1 September 2026 | Applications from 1 January 2025 to 31 August 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23,448 CAD | 22,895 CAD |
| 2 | 29,192 CAD | 28,502 CAD |
| 3 | 35,888 CAD | 35,040 CAD |
| 4 | 43,572 CAD | 42,543 CAD |
| 5 | 49,419 CAD | 48,252 CAD |
| 6 | 55,736 CAD | 54,420 CAD |
| 7 | 62,054 CAD | 60,589 CAD |
| Each extra person | 6,318 CAD | 6,170 CAD |
All figures come from IRCC 1. They do not include tuition or travel. You add the tuition fees for your program and the cost of return travel for you and each family member who comes with you 1.
Quebec has its own rules: you need a Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) and you show the amounts set by Quebec's immigration ministry 1 2.
Example with made-up figures. Amaka, from Abuja, starts a two year college diploma in Ontario with first-year tuition of 18,000 dollars. She travels alone and applies in October 2026, so she shows 23,448 + 18,000 = 41,448 dollars, plus her return flight. Because the diploma lasts two years, she also explains how she will pay for the second year 1.
What counts as proof of funds
IRCC lists several kinds of proof; you can combine them 1:
- A guaranteed investment certificate (GIC) from a participating Canadian financial institution.
- Bank statements for the past 6 months, including the month you apply or the month before, that show where the money comes from.
- A student or education loan from a bank.
- Proof of a scholarship or of a Canadian government funded program.
- Recent pay slips.
- A letter from the person or school giving you money, with their job, their relationship to you, the number of people they support and the amount.
- A Canadian bank account in your name, if you have transferred money to Canada.
- Pension or rental income.
If your country uses foreign exchange controls, you must also prove that you will be able to take the money out of the country 1.
The attestation letter and the 2026 cap
Most study permit applicants outside Quebec must send a provincial or territorial attestation letter (PAL/TAL), issued through the school 2. A 2026 letter is valid if issued between 1 January and 31 December 2026, and you cannot reuse a letter from an earlier cap year 2.
You do not need one if, among other cases 2:
- you study a master's or doctoral program at a public designated learning institution, from 1 January 2026;
- you study from kindergarten to grade 12;
- you are an exchange student who pays no tuition to the Canadian school;
- you are already in Canada and extending at the same school and level of study.
If you are exempt, you send proof of the exemption with your application 2.
For 2026, IRCC expects to issue up to 408,000 study permits: 155,000 to new students and 253,000 extensions 3. For students who need a PAL/TAL, IRCC expects 180,000 permits and accepts at most 309,670 applications, because some are refused 3.
What changed for Nigeria, India, Ghana and Kenya
The Student Direct Stream and Nigeria Student Express closed at 14:00 Eastern Time on 8 November 2024 4. Applications received after that are processed as regular study permits, with the same requirements for every country 4. A GIC is still accepted as proof of funds in the regular stream 1.
For applicants from these four countries this means:
- The full IRCC amount applies. The living cost figure for your family size, plus tuition and travel, is the reference for everyone 1.
- Six months of statements. IRCC asks for statements covering the past 6 months that show where the money comes from, so keep the documents behind any large deposit 1.
- One letter per person. Each family member who applies for a study permit sends a PAL/TAL, unless exempt 2.
The fees are 150 Canadian dollars for the study permit 5 and 85 dollars for biometrics, with a maximum of 170 dollars for a family applying together 6.
Step by step
- Step 1 of 5Get your letter of acceptance
Your designated learning institution issues it, and the PAL/TAL if you need one 2.
- Step 2 of 5Add up the money
IRCC living cost amount for your family size, plus first-year tuition, plus return travel 1.
- Step 3 of 5Collect the proof
Six months of bank statements, a GIC, a loan letter or a sponsor letter 1.
- Step 5 of 5Give biometrics
Book an appointment after you apply 6.
Documents you will need 7 documents
- Valid passport
- Letter of acceptance from a designated learning institution
- Provincial or territorial attestation letteror proof of exemption
- Bank statements for the past 6 monthsor a GIC certificate
- Proof of tuition paid or due for the first year
- Letter from a sponsorwith their job, relationship to you and the amount
- Loan or scholarship letterif you have one
Questions
Is the proof of funds for one year or the whole program?
Which amount applies if I applied in August 2026?
Applications made from 1 January 2025 to 31 August 2026 use the earlier table: 22,895 dollars for one person 1.
Do I still need a GIC after the end of the Student Direct Stream?
A GIC is one accepted proof among several; you can also use bank statements, loans, scholarships or a sponsor letter 1.
Do master's students need a PAL in 2026?
Does the amount include my spouse and children?
Yes. The table counts every family member who comes with you, including yourself 1.
Before you rely on this
- IRCC updates the living cost amounts every year; check the table on the day you apply 1.
- Quebec sets its own amounts and needs a CAQ; this guide does not cover them 1.
- The list of public institutions whose master's and doctoral students are exempt from the PAL/TAL was announced for later publication; check that your school is on it 3.
- Meeting the minimum amount does not guarantee approval. Questions for a regulated Canadian immigration consultant or lawyer: is my sponsor's income documented well enough, and how should I explain recent deposits?
- This guide does not cover study permits for minors, work permits for spouses or the post-graduation work permit.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change: confirm with the consulate or a lawyer before you apply.
Sources6 sources, 6 official
- Study permit: get the right documents, proof of financial supportofficialImmigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
- Provincial or territorial attestation letterofficialImmigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
- 2026 provincial and territorial allocations under the international student cap (25 November 2025)officialImmigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
- End of the Student Direct Stream and Nigeria Student ExpressofficialImmigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
- Study permitofficialImmigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
- Biometrics: factsofficialImmigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
