The Canadian government has set the grounds for minor students from around the world to study in Canadian schools hassle-free. Minor students, much like adult students, need a study permit in order to study in Canada.
Eligibility criteria for a study permit as a minor
In order to become eligible for a study permit as a minor, you need to meet the following criteria:
- Admission from a Canadian public or private school (elementary school, middle school, or high school)
- Maximum age of 18
- Have a guardian or a custodian accompanying you
- Proof of means of financial support
- Being healthy
- Proving that you will leave Canada after the completion of your studies
Required documents for a study permit for a minor student
Required documents of the minor for a study permit application
- Digital scan of passport
- Digital scan of government-issued ID (if applicable)
- Digital photo (3.5 ×5)
- Digital scan of the student’s transcript for the past 3 years
- Acceptance letter
- Digital scan of the parent’s consent (if applicable)
- Adoption certificate (if applicable)
- Notarized letter of custodianship (if applicable)
- Proof of school residence or homestay registration (if applicable)
- Study plan
- Required forms
- Biometrics (for children between 14 and 18)
Required financial documents of the minor’s parents for a study permit application
Since children under 18 are not financially qualified to cover their expenses while in Canada, one of their parents must be their sponsor (supporter). The required documents a minor’s sponsor (supporter) needs to present are:
- Bank statement for the past 4 months
- Detailed transaction records for the past 4 months
- Tie documents, like:
- Title deeds for real estate properties
- Company registration documents (if applicable)
- Vehicle ownership documents
- Proof of employment
- Paycheck for the past few months
- Employment History
- Notarized sponsorship letter
- Digital scan of passport
- Digital scan of government-issued ID
- Tuition fees payment receipt
Keep in mind that all documents must be in English or French and as a PDF file. The size of the documents must not exceed 4MBs.
Proof of financial support for a study permit for a minor student
Proof of financial support is one of the key documents for a study permit application. A minor’s sponsor (supporter) must prove to the IRCC that:
- They have enough financial resources to cover the living and educational expenses of the student for at least one year
- They are financially stable
- If they are going to accompany the student, they can cover their living expenses as well
Keep in mind that provided documents must convince the IRCC officer that after entering Canada, you and your child will not have any financial problems. If you have any queries about the amount of money needed as proof of financial support or need more information, refer to the Proof of means of financial support for the Canadian study permit application article.
Process of a study permit application for a minor
After preparing every document it is time to submit an application for a study permit. To do this, you need to:
- Navigate to the IRCC official website.
- Select the “Study” option.
- Select the “Get a study permit” option.
- Select the “How to Apply” tab.
- Answer the questions in the “Apply online” section.
- Select the “Create an account or sign in” button and provide the requested information.
- Answer the questions according to the student’s application.
- Upload the required documents.
- Pay the application fee and submit the application.
- A few days after submitting the application you will receive the Biometrics Instruction Letter (BIL).
- Book a VAC appointment in your home country (or at the nearest location).
- Take the student to the appointment on the selected day with the BIL, appointment receipt, and passport and give their biometric information.
- Congratulations! Your application has been accepted.
- Provide the embassy with the original passport of the student for their visa to be issued.
Keep in mind that if the student is younger than 14 or they have given their biometric information to the Canadian government in the past 10 years, they are not required to provide their biometric information and you can skip the related steps.
Accompanying family members of a minor student
According to IRCC laws and regulations, the parent of a minor student may accompany them to Canada and for this purpose, they will need a visa. The eligibility criteria for this type of visa and its required documents are a common concern among the parents. Here we answer all of your questions.
Eligibility criteria for an accompanying family member of a minor student
As a parent who wants to accompany their minor student to Canada, you must meet the following eligibility criteria:
- Have proof of financial support for the duration of your stay in Canada (normally for one year).
- If you are the student’s sponsor (supporter), you must have proof of financial support for their tuition and living costs.
- Prove to the IRCC officer that you will leave Canada upon expiration of your visa
- Have a clean penal record
- Being healthy
Required documents for the visa application of an accompanying family member of a minor student
As a parent who wants to accompany their minor student to Canada, you will need to prepare the following documents prior to submitting an application. Keep in mind that some of these documents are identification documents and others are financial documents and both are equally important.
- Digital photo (3.5 ×5)
- Digital scan of passport
- Digital scan of a government-issued ID (if applicable)
- Police clearance certificate
- Digital scan of marriage certificate
- Military service certificate (if applicable)
- Required forms
- Biometrics
- Language proficiency certificate (optional – recommended)
- Academic certifications and transcripts (optional – recommended)
Permanent residency for accompanying family member of a minor student
Is it possible to apply for permanent residency in Canada as a guardian of your minor student? The answer is yes. When you decide to accompany your minor child to Canada, if approved, you will be entering Canada on a visitor visa. You may apply for a study permit or a work permit while in Canada, although you need to be eligible for it.
For example, in order to get a Canadian study permit, you need to be accepted into one of the designated learning institutes.
After getting your study permit or work permit, you may apply for permanent residency status after completion of your studies or after one year of full-time work in Canada.
Another benefit of getting a study permit or work permit while you are in Canada as your minor child’s guardian on a visitor visa is that your child can now study free of charge in Canada.
Processing time of a study permit application for a minor student
The answer to this question depends on a variety of factors. That being said, the processing time of a study permit application for a minor student usually is 1 to 6 months. Everything depends on the workload of IRCC and your application. Keep in mind that the processing of a study permit application starts after the submission of biometric information.
Cost of a study permit application for a minor student
| Application | Cost (CA$) |
| Study permit application for a minor student | 150 |
| Visitor visa application for the accompanying family member | 100 |
| Biometrics fee (per person) | 85 |
Studying in Canada as a minor
School life in Canada begins at 5 and ends at 18 and it is categorized as elementary school, middle school, and high school. Although in some schools, middle school and high school are combined and offer education for 6th to 12th graders.
In high school, students need to pass specific courses in each grade. For example, a student who has recently finished the 10th grade in his home country, while applying to a school in Canada, might realize that he has been admitted to the 10th grade again. The reason for this is that there are courses in Canadian 10th grade that he did not have in the 10th grade curricular schedule in his home country. Therefore, he needs to go through 10th grade again in Canada.
The success rate of a study permit application for a minor
Every year, the Canadian government issues several study permits for international minor students. Although this number is far less than adult study permits, it has its place in the IRCC yearly plan.
In the year 2017, the number of issued study permits for minor students was 62,105. In the following year, this number increased to 64,115, and in 2019, it reached its all-time high with 69,480 issued study permits. However, we witnessed a drastic drop in the number of study permits issued for minors in 2020 due to the covid pandemic with it decreasing to 45,130 study permits. After recovering from covid and adapting to the situation, IRCC managed to get back on its feet and in 2021 it issued 63,905 study permits for minor students, almost reaching its 2018 record.
