Canada study permit from Pakistan in 2026: rules, funds and steps

To get a Canada study permit from Pakistan in 2026, you need a letter of acceptance from a designated learning institution (DLI), in most cases a provincial attestation letter (PAL), and proof of CAD 23,448 for a year of living costs on top of tuition and travel. You apply online, then give biometrics at a visa application centre in Pakistan. Here is each step as of October 2026.

What do you need for a Canada study permit from Pakistan?

You must be enrolled at a DLI, show enough money, have no criminal record, be in good health, and satisfy an officer that you will leave Canada when your permit ends. Applications from Pakistan follow IRCC's general checklist plus the Islamabad visa office additional checklist (IMM 5829, revised February 2026). Together they ask for:

Anything not in English or French needs a certified translation. IRCC's country list also marks Pakistan as a country where an immigration medical exam is required, so if you have lived in Pakistan for 6 months in a row in the year before you arrive and will stay longer than 6 months, expect to need one.

Do you need a PAL in 2026, and who is exempt?

A provincial or territorial attestation letter (PAL or TAL) shows that your place counts within your province's share of the national cap. Your DLI arranges it, usually after you accept the offer and pay some or all of your tuition.

You do not need one if you are starting a degree granting master's or doctoral programme at a public DLI from 1 January 2026, a primary or secondary school student, an exchange student who pays no tuition to the DLI, or covered by another narrow IRCC exemption.

A postgraduate certificate or diploma at a college is not a degree, and a master's at a private institution is not at a public DLI, so on IRCC's list both still need a PAL. Bachelor's degrees and college diplomas need one too. If you apply without a PAL, you must show proof that you are exempt.

A 2026 PAL is valid until 31 December 2026. It must be valid on the day you apply, and you cannot reuse a PAL after an approval or a refusal.

The 2026 study permit cap

IRCC published its 2026 numbers on 25 November 2025. It expects to issue up to 408,000 study permits in 2026, including 155,000 for newly arriving students, and will accept up to 309,670 applications from students who need a PAL. Provinces divide these spaces among their institutions, so each school has a limited number of PALs. Ask early how and when yours will be issued.

How much money do you need? Canada proof of funds for 2026

For applications made on or after 1 September 2026, outside Quebec, IRCC asks for these living cost amounts:

These amounts do not include tuition or travel, so a single student shows first year tuition plus CAD 23,448 plus airfare. Applications from 1 January 2025 to 31 August 2026 used CAD 22,895, so any page still quoting that figure is out of date. The Islamabad checklist still mentions an older figure of CAD 10,000; plan with IRCC's current amount. Quebec sets its own amounts through the CAQ.

Accepted evidence includes tuition already paid, a bank loan or scholarship, a GIC, bank statements, a sponsor letter, and pension or rental income documents. The source of funds matters as much as the balance, so keep the salary slips, business records or property papers that explain how the money was built up. If you use a joint or business account, make clear who controls it and that everyone named on it knows it is for your studies. IRCC also says that if your country has foreign exchange controls, you must prove you can take the money out, so ask your bank early how it will send funds abroad.

What is a GIC, and is it compulsory?

A guaranteed investment certificate (GIC) is a deposit with a Canadian financial institution. It is often linked with the old Student Direct Stream (SDS), the faster route that residents of Pakistan could use until IRCC closed it at 2 pm Eastern time on 8 November 2024. Every application since then is a regular study permit application, and IRCC lists a GIC as just one example of proof of funds. It makes money easy to verify, but it is optional.

How to apply for a Canada study permit from Pakistan

1. Get your letter of acceptance and accept the offer.
2. Get your PAL, unless you are exempt.
3. Prepare documents using IRCC's online checklist and the Islamabad checklist, with certified translations of anything in Urdu.
4. Apply online through your IRCC secure account and pay the CAD 150 permit fee and CAD 85 biometrics fee together. A visa, if needed, comes with the permit at no extra cost.
5. Give biometrics within 30 days of your instruction letter. IRCC lists visa application centres run by VFS Global in Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore, by appointment only. Most people aged 14 to 79 give biometrics once every 10 years.
6. Do your medical exam with a panel physician, if required.
7. Wait for the decision. If approved, you send your passport and receive a port of entry letter of introduction. The border officer issues your actual study permit when you land, so travel with the passport you applied with.

How long does a Canada study permit take from Pakistan?

When we checked IRCC's processing times tool on 14 October 2026, it showed 7 weeks for study permit applications from Pakistan, using data updated on 7 October 2026. IRCC updates it weekly and calls it an estimate, not a guarantee. The clock starts only when the application is complete, so apply soon after your PAL arrives and book biometrics straight away.

Why are Canada study permits refused?

IRCC says the common reasons are that the applicant did not have a valid letter of acceptance, did not show enough money, did not pass a required medical exam, or did not convince the officer that their main purpose is to study and that they will leave Canada when their studies end. That last test comes from section 216(1)(b) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations. In practice, most refusals come down to purpose of visit, finances and ties.

Since 29 July 2025, IRCC has included the officer's decision notes with most refusal letters for study permits. They show exactly what the officer was not satisfied with.

There is no formal appeal for temporary residence decisions. IRCC advises reapplying only if your situation has changed or you have new information that answers the refusal, and you will need a new PAL. If you believe the decision was legally wrong, the route is judicial review at the Federal Court of Canada, for which you should get advice from a Canadian lawyer.

Can you work during and after your studies?

Eligible students can work up to 24 hours a week off campus during term and unlimited hours in scheduled breaks. For post graduation work permit (PGWP) applications made from 1 November 2024:

• Field of study: no requirement for bachelor's, master's or doctoral graduates. Other programmes must be in an eligible field if the study permit application was made on or after 1 November 2024.
• Language: CLB 7 in all four skills for university graduates, CLB 5 for college graduates.
• Length: the programme must be at least 8 months long.

Study alone does not give permanent residence, but Canadian work experience can later count under Express Entry; see our guide on immigrating to Canada from Pakistan through Express Entry and our Canada PR service.

Who can advise you on a Canadian study permit?

This article is general information, not advice on your case. Only licensed professionals, such as Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants (RCICs) and Canadian lawyers, can give paid Canadian immigration advice. Via Nova gives personalised Canadian immigration advice only through its licensed RCIC partner, a regulated Canadian immigration consultant. Our counsellors help with programmes, documents and English scores through our study in Canada service, or call +92 316 4448062.