Canada study permit documents checklist for Indian students (2026), with proof of funds

Many Canadian study permit refusals we see come down to the file, not the student: a bank statement with no source of funds, a sponsor letter that leaves out the parent’s income, consolidated mark sheets, a gap nobody explained. This checklist covers every document an Indian student applying from India needs for 2026, what IRCC says about each one, and how much money you must show.

Each requirement links to IRCC’s own page or to the New Delhi visa office instructions, checked on 7 October 2026. IRCC changes its study permit pages often (the main documents page was updated on 6 October), so check your personalised checklist in your online account before you submit. Rupee figures use C$1 ≈ ₹68.

What documents do you need for a Canada study permit from India?

A letter of acceptance, a provincial attestation letter in most cases, your passport, proof of funds and the application forms, plus a medical exam for Indian applicants and the New Delhi visa office’s questionnaire. For the first seven rows, the labels in the second column are IRCC’s own, from its study permit documents page:

The New Delhi visa office instructions (IMM 5957) sit on top of IRCC’s general document checklist (IMM 5483), so an Indian application needs both. When you apply online, IRCC generates a personalised checklist; that is the final word for your file.

How much money do you need to show for a Canada study permit?

Your first year’s tuition, travel to and from Canada, and C$23,448 (about ₹15.9 lakh) for living costs, for a single student applying on or after 1 September 2026 outside Quebec. IRCC says these living-cost amounts do not include tuition and transportation costs, and that for programmes longer than a year you must also explain how you will pay for the rest.

Quebec sets its own figure: C$24,617 for a single student applying from 1 January 2026. Our Canada cost guide shows tuition and full budgets in rupees.

Which documents does IRCC accept as proof of funds?

IRCC gives examples, not a fixed list, and you do not need all of them; you need enough to cover every cost. The examples on its proof of funds page that matter most for Indian families:

• Paid tuition and housing receipts for the first year, from your institution. You will still need other proof for living costs and travel.
• An education loan from a bank. IRCC asks for “proof of a student or education loan from a bank”; a sanction letter showing the amount, the student’s name and the course is what we advise including. The New Delhi instructions say the loan must be provided by a bank governed by the Reserve Bank of India, so check before you borrow from a non-bank lender.
• A GIC from a Canadian financial institution.
• Bank statements for the past 6 months, including the month you apply or the month before, with documents showing where the money came from.
• A sponsor’s letter and proof of relationship, if your parents or another person are paying.
• Scholarship letters, pay stubs, pension documents or proof of rental income, where they apply.

IRCC’s instructions to officers say the source of funds should be clear, for example that parents are employed. A GIC is no longer compulsory: the Student Direct Stream, which required one, closed on 8 November 2024. In our experience a GIC is still the clearest evidence of living funds, while a loan sanction letter suits families borrowing in rupees. Our proof of funds guide explains how to document a sale of land, a matured deposit or a gift.

What should a sponsor letter from parents include?

Four things, by IRCC’s own list: the sponsor’s employment or occupation, their relationship to you, how many dependants they have, and how much they will give you. Attach proof of the relationship (such as your birth certificate, for a parent) and a copy of their photo ID or business registration. For income, IRCC gives an employer letter or pay stubs as examples. We also add income tax returns, because the New Delhi questionnaire asks for each parent’s net income for the previous year, in rupees and Canadian dollars.

Do Indian students need a medical exam for a Canada study permit?

Yes, if you will stay more than six months, which covers almost every degree and diploma. IRCC requires a medical exam for long stays by people who have lived in a listed country for six months or more in the year before, and India is on that list. What to know:

• Do it before you apply. IRCC says you should get your medical exam before you apply, an “upfront” exam, and include the proof (the information sheet the doctor gives you) with your application.
• Only a panel physician can do it. Your own doctor cannot. On 7 October 2026, IRCC’s panel physician search listed six doctors in Chennai, all at Apollo’s health check block opposite the main hospital on Greams Road, and others in cities including Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi.
• It lasts 12 months. The exam is valid for 12 months from the day you get it and must still be valid on the day you enter Canada, so do not take it too early.
• Fees are not refunded if your application is refused.

Do you need a police certificate for a Canada study permit?

Not usually. IRCC lists it as “Check if needed” and says in some cases, we may ask you for a police certificate. Its India page says you will be asked for one if you declared a criminal record on your study permit application. If you are asked, get a Police Clearance Certificate through the passport office or your local police; IRCC says character certificates are not accepted.

Do documents need to be translated?

Only documents that are not in English or French. IRCC’s study permit guide asks for the English or French translation and an affidavit from the translator, unless they are a Canadian certified translator (a member of a Canadian provincial or territorial translators’ body). Otherwise the translator can be someone fluent in both languages who swears the affidavit before a notary. It cannot be you or a member of your family. The New Delhi instructions go further and ask for a certified translation, so use a certified translator where you can. In our experience, most Indian degree certificates, mark sheets and bank statements are already in English; property papers, some birth certificates and land records in Tamil are the usual exceptions.

What does the New Delhi visa office ask for?

A completed Study Permit Questionnaire, and more detail than the general checklist. The New Delhi instructions say:

• The questionnaire is mandatory and asks for your education and work since age 18, with “DO NOT leave any gaps”.
• You must name any agent or representative who helped with your admission or application.
• Mark sheets for the entire programme are strongly recommended, and consolidated mark sheets are not acceptable.
• Receipts for any fees paid to your institution are strongly recommended.
• Applications received after 1 April for May entry, after 1 August for September entry and after 1 December for January entry “will not normally be processed in time”.

When should you gather each document?

Start about six months before your intake. This is our planning timeline; the New Delhi cut-off dates are IRCC’s.

How do you apply and give biometrics from India?

Online, then at a visa application centre. IRCC says you must apply online unless a disability prevents it or you hold a refugee or stateless travel document. After you pay, you get a biometric instruction letter and 30 days to give your biometrics. Appointments are free to book. VFS Global runs Canada visa application centres in ten Indian cities, including Chennai. Biometrics last 10 years, so if you gave them recently for a Canadian application you may not need to again.

Doctoral students (not master’s) now have a two-week processing target once the institution verifies the letter of acceptance, if the file is complete and biometrics are given within two weeks.

What happens after approval?

IRCC sends a passport request letter, and you submit your original passport through the visa application centre so the visa can be placed in it. You also get a port of entry letter of introduction, which is not your study permit; the officer at the airport issues the permit. Carry these in your hand luggage. IRCC’s arrival checklist lists:

• your passport with the visa;
• the port of entry letter of introduction;
• a copy of your letter of acceptance;
• proof of funds for your stay;
• valid medical exam results, if you needed one;
• any letters of reference or other documents the visa office told you to bring.

Which document mistakes cause the most problems?

In our experience, these are the ones that come up again and again in Indian files:

• Bank statements with large recent deposits and nothing showing where the money came from.
• A sponsor letter that leaves out the parent’s occupation, dependants or the amount.
• Consolidated mark sheets instead of semester-wise ones.
• Gaps in the questionnaire, or dates that do not match the letter of explanation.
• Extra documents uploaded in the letter of acceptance space, which IRCC treats as consent to share them with your school.
• A medical exam that will expire before the travel date.
• Translations done by a family member.
• An agent left off the forms.

Our Canada study plan guide covers the letter of explanation in detail, and if you have already been refused, our refusal guide explains what to change.

What should you check before you submit?

Run through these twelve items against your personalised checklist; if any is missing or inconsistent, fix it before you pay.

• Letter of acceptance, checked for programme, dates and DLI number.
• PAL or TAL, or proof you are exempt; CAQ for Quebec.
• Passport information page, valid for your whole course if possible, and a photo if your online checklist asks.
• Proof of funds covering first-year tuition, travel and C$23,448, with six months of statements and their source.
• Sponsor letter, relationship proof, photo ID and income proof.
• Upfront medical exam information sheet.
• IMM 1294, IMM 5707, IMM 5476 if you have an authorized representative, IMM 5646 if under 17.
• New Delhi Study Permit Questionnaire with no gaps.
• Semester-wise mark sheets and latest degree or diploma certificate.
• Letter of explanation, about one page.
• Translations with affidavits where needed.
• Fee receipt for C$150 and C$85.

If you would like the file checked before it goes in, our student visa team will go through every document with you in Egmore, Chennai.