You, the student
Choose the program, apply to the college, complete and sign your own study permit application, and answer IRCC.
You are not required to hire a representative. Hiring one is your choice.
Applicant
In this guide: study permit services by Visa Master Canada, a licensed RCIC firm
Canada study permit: who does what
What a student, a college, IRCC and a licensed RCIC each do for a study permit, and what to check. We handle your college application; the permit is handled by a licensed RCIC.
Two firms, one journey
Study Master Canada counsels you on the program. Visa Master Canada is a separate licensed RCIC firm that you retain directly for the permit. IRCC decides.
Study Master Canada
Education counselling, free of charge. We help you choose a program, connect you with the college, then prepare and submit your college applications with your approval. We do not give immigration advice or apply for your permit.
Book free counselling
Visa Master Canada
Visa Master Canada (VMC Immigration Services) is a licensed Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) firm, separate from Study Master Canada. We introduce you; you retain them directly and agree their terms and fees with them. Our education counselling is free. Visa Master Canada's consultations are paid; they set their own fees.
Study permit with Visa Master Canada (opens Visa Master Canada's website in a new tab)Book a paid consultation with Visa Master Canada (opens Visa Master Canada's website in a new tab)Meet their licensed consultants (opens Visa Master Canada's website in a new tab)Check a licence on the CICC public register (opens the regulator's website in a new tab)
You choose a program
Study Master Canada counselling
The college decides admission
The designated learning institution
You retain Visa Master Canada for the permit
A separate licensed RCIC firm
IRCC decides the permit
The federal department
- Independent counselling
- Free first consultation
- Walk-in office, Brampton ON
IRCC decides your study permit. Nobody else can, and nobody can promise the result.
The rules, forms and fees live on the IRCC page for your country. We do not print amounts here. Official source: IRCC study permit page, last checked October 2026.
Open the IRCC page (opens in a new tab)Five people, five different jobs
Most confusion about the study permit is confusion about who does what. Here is the split.
Five people, five different jobs
Most confusion about the study permit is confusion about who does what. Here is the split.
For costs and admissions, read cost planning and admissions.
Visa Master Canada is a licensed RCIC firm, separate from us. You retain them directly and agree their terms and fees with them. About Visa Master Canada (opens Visa Master Canada's website in a new tab).
The college
Reviews your application, decides on admission, issues the letter of acceptance and tells you which other letters apply to your offer. It does not decide your study permit.
Designated learning institution
IRCC
Sets the rules, publishes current forms and decides every application. It will not choose a program for you or confirm a result in advance.
The federal department
A licensed RCIC
Gives immigration advice and can represent you if you retain them directly. Visa Master Canada is a separate, licensed RCIC firm.
Visa Master Canada study permit services (opens Visa Master Canada's website in a new tab)
Regulated professional
Study Master Canada
We help you choose a program, then prepare and submit your college application with your approval. The college decides admission.
We do not give immigration advice, prepare or submit study permit applications, or decide eligibility, funding or permit outcomes. We are not a licensed RCIC.
Education counselling
Choose first, apply later
Pick the program and college with us before any application starts.
What IRCC usually asks for
This is a general list so you know what to gather. IRCC's page for your country is the only list that counts.
What IRCC usually asks for
This is a general list so you know what to gather. IRCC's page for your country is the only list that counts.
Gather and check
Put each item in one folder, with the same spelling of your name on every page.
- A valid passport
- The letter of acceptance from a designated learning institution
- Any provincial or territorial letter the college says applies to your offer
- Proof of funds, in the form IRCC describes today
- Biometrics and a medical exam, only if IRCC asks for them
- Anything else listed on IRCC's page for your country
Check these official pages
Documents, fees, biometrics, medical exams and processing times differ by country and change over time.
Pages last checked October 2026
Alongside the IRCC pages above, you can read Visa Master Canada's study permit checklist (opens Visa Master Canada's website in a new tab); IRCC's list for your country is the one that counts.
Why applications are refused
IRCC lists its reasons in the refusal letter. These are themes people ask us about. They are not a checklist for success.
Why applications are refused
IRCC lists its reasons in the refusal letter. These are themes people ask us about. They are not a checklist for success.
Proof of funds
IRCC wants clear, believable evidence of how you will pay. Names, dates and amounts should match across your documents.
What to check
- Who pays, in writing
- Dates on statements
- Same name as the passport
Study plan and program fit
Your program choice should make sense next to what you have studied or done before. Be ready to explain a change of direction in plain words.
What to check
- Why this program
- Why this college
Documents that do not match
Spelling of your name, dates and translations should agree with your passport and across every document you submit.
What to check
- Passport spelling
- Translations
Missing letters or forms
If the college says an extra letter applies to your offer, a file without it can be returned or refused.
What to check
- Ask the college in writing
- Read IRCC's list for your country
What you can prepare
- A program that fits your background
- Documents that agree with each other
- Written answers from the college about extra letters
- A habit of checking IRCC, not social media
What only IRCC decides
- Whether a permit is granted
- How it weighs your documents
- Whether it asks for more information
- How long the decision takes
If you are refused
A refusal is stressful. Take these in order, and do not pay anyone who promises to reverse it.
If you are refused
A refusal is stressful. Take these in order, and do not pay anyone who promises to reverse it.
Read the letter fully
Keep it and any notes IRCC gave. Read every reason it lists.
Check IRCC's guidance
IRCC explains what applicants can do next. Start on its study permit page.
Decide whether to speak with a licensed RCIC
They can advise on your options and act for you if you retain them. Check the licence on the regulator's register before you hire anyone.
Talk to the college
Ask what it needs from you if your start date or offer is affected. We can help you plan a program choice.
If you want a licensed RCIC to review a refusal, Visa Master Canada handles refusals; you retain them directly. See Visa Master Canada's refusals page (opens Visa Master Canada's website in a new tab).
Check the current rule
The regulator for RCICs. Use it to check that anyone offering immigration advice is licensed.
Official source: College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (page last checked October 2026).
Mistakes to avoid before you apply
None of these are rare, and all of them are easy to avoid.
Mistakes to avoid before you apply
None of these are rare, and all of them are easy to avoid.
Paying a deposit before asking about letters
Ask the college in writing which letters apply to your offer, before you pay anything non-refundable.
Relying on a video or a forum post
Rules change. The IRCC page for your country and intake is the one to read.
Check, then decide
Waiting to book biometrics
When IRCC sends the instruction, act on it. Do not leave it until your start date is close.
Names that differ between documents
Match the passport spelling everywhere, from test results to bank letters.
Ask the college in writing
- Does a provincial letter apply to my offer, and how do I get it?
- Is this campus and program eligible for a study permit?
- What is the refund rule on my deposit?
- Which documents will you issue, and when?
How the pieces fit together
Your route from first conversation to your college application and permit. You approve each step.
How the pieces fit together
Your route from first conversation to your college application and permit. You approve each step.
Words you will see
Plain meanings for the terms that come up most.
Words you will see
Plain meanings for the terms that come up most.
- Letter of acceptance
- The college's written offer. IRCC asks for it with a study permit application.
- Designated learning institution
- A school approved by its province or territory to host international students. Ask the college to confirm.
- Provincial attestation letter
- A letter from a province or territory that some new applicants need. The college tells you whether it applies.
- Biometrics
- Fingerprints and a photo, given at a collection point after IRCC asks for them.
- Medical exam
- An exam with an approved doctor, only if IRCC's instructions say you need one.
- Refusal letter
- IRCC's written explanation if a permit is not granted. Keep it and read it fully.
Immigration questions go to IRCC or a licensed professional
Visa Master Canada is a separate licensed RCIC firm you can retain directly. We do not give immigration advice.
Study permit questions
Plain answers. For anything about your own case, ask IRCC or a licensed RCIC.
Independent advice
Study Master Canada provides education counselling and, with your approval, prepares and submits your college applications. We do not give immigration advice or prepare immigration applications. Regulated immigration work, including study permit applications, appeals, spouse work permits and PR pathways, is handled only by a licensed RCIC partner, Visa Master Canada, when you retain them directly. We are not affiliated with any government.
Talk to a counsellor before you decide
A free first conversation about programs, costs and next steps. No obligation, and you make every application yourself.
Book free counselling
Mon–Fri, 9:30am–6:30pm ET. Walk-in office: Unit 1805, 83 Kennedy Road South, Brampton, ON L6W 3N7.