Students

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A foreign student is a temporary resident who has been approved by an immigration officer to study in Canada.

An application to come to Canada as a foreign student is normally approved at a visa office outside Canada, although in some cases, applicants may apply at a port of entry if they have a letter of acceptance from a Canadian educational institution.

Foreign students must meet certain requirements when applying for study permits. Officers look at many factors before deciding whether an applicant qualifies for a study permit. People wishing to study in Canada must:
• present a letter of acceptance from the educational institution where they intend to study;
• be able to pay the tuition fees for the course or program of studies that they intend to pursue;
• be able to financially support themselves and any family members who are with them during their period of study;
• be able to cover the transportation cost for themselves and any family members to and from Canada;
• have passed the Citizenship and Immigration Canada medical examination, if required; and
• have received a Certificat d'acceptation du Québec (Quebec certificate of acceptance, or CAQ) if they intend to study in Quebec.

Foreign students are allowed to work in Canada if they meet one of the following requirements:
• the work is on campus at the institution at which they are registered as full-time students in a degree-granting course of study (no work permit is required);
• the work is an essential part of the program of study;
• the student attended a publicly funded post-secondary school on a full-time basis and is working in a study-related job for up to one year after graduation;
• the work is graduate assistant work; or
• ifan existing source of funding is temporarily cut off through no fault of the student.

Study permits can be renewed, but the application for renewal must be made before the study permit expires. In order for a renewal to be granted, students must have met all of the conditions of their permit and have complied with the provisions of the IRPA. Students who have previously worked or studied in Canada without proper authorization can be denied study permits.

Change of status

Once entry has been granted, temporary residents generally may not change their status. For example, a person admitted as a foreign student may not generally take a job or become a permanent resident. Similarly, temporary workers cannot change jobs, and some international students cannot change institutions or their course of study without first applying to have the authorization amended.

Temporary residents may apply for extensions or amendments in a variety of ways. All temporary residents who stay in Canada after their authorized period of stay has expired are in violation of IRPA and are subject to removal.

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