For anyone trying to time an application to a specific intake (this thread was about a Masters program at University of Regina), members laid out a rough end-to-end timeline.
What group members advised:- Apply 8–10 months before your target intake. Members pointed out that by the time an intake is a few months away, offer letters for it are already largely filed and later intakes may already be waitlisted.
- Getting the offer letter itself takes about 2–3 months after submitting your program application.
- The study permit (visa) process adds another 2–3 months on top of that once you have the offer letter.
The practical takeaway: work backward from your target start date — allow roughly 4–6 months combined for offer + visa processing, and start your program application 8–10 months ahead to avoid intakes filling up or waitlisting before you apply.