1. You must have a letter of acceptance from your Canadian school or university (The Canadian Embassy can not assist you with your university search, we can only answer some frequently asked questions).

2. If you wish to study in Quebec you will also have to obtain a 'Certificat d'acceptation du Québec' (CAQ) from the 'Ministère des Relations avec les citoyens et de l'Immigration' (MRCI).

3. If you are over 18 years old and plan to study in Canada for longer than six months, you will need a police certificate (original) for each country in which you have lived for more than six months since reaching 18 years of age. It must be obtained for yourself and for your spouse/partner accompanying you to Canada.

4. Citizens of certain countries will receive a temporary resident visa in addition to the study permit. Those citizens will therefore have to send their original passports when applying.

5. If you intend to work on campus during your studies in Canada, please note the requirements for employment on campus.

Once you have assembled the above documents, you can start the application procedure for a study permit with the Immigration section of the Canadian Embassy in Berlin.
For detailed and most up to date information on study permits please refer to the website of the Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

In the following cases, no study permit is required:
(However, citizens of certain countries do still need a temporary resident visa even if they fall into the categories below:)

courses of six months' duration or less.
Foreign students doing research. We can only issue study permits to students who will be enrolled/registered as students at a Canadian academic institution. If you are doing research work at a Canadian academic institution without being enrolled as a student, you might need a work permit or you might be permitted to work without a permit as a self-funded researcher
Foreign students in the health field doing a clinical clerkship in Canada.
Foreign law students who want to observe legal practices in Canada during an unpaid practicum do not require a work or study permit if the following conditions are met: There is no "production component" in the practicum, it is simply hands-on training, there are no wages earned and the activities do not compete with activities of Canadians or permanent residents in the Canadian labour market. These persons can be admitted as temporary residents/visitors to Canada.

Last Updated:
2004-02-12

Top of Page

Important Notices