A member asked for a rough timeline of the study permit process from start to finish. Members shared their own experience:
- Start early — about 6 months in advance. One member's overall process, from beginning school research to getting the final visa, took about 6 months.
- Finding a school and getting accepted takes roughly 2 months. This is the first phase: researching programs, applying, and receiving your letter of acceptance from the school.
- Apply through IRCC using a GCKey account. Sign up for a GCKey account, start your application online, and it will show you exactly which documents you need to upload for your file.
- Upload documents, then pay the application fee online. Once everything required is uploaded, you pay online and then wait for a decision.
Processing times themselves vary by year and applicant's country, so treat the ~6 month total as one member's experience rather than a guarantee — always check current IRCC processing time estimates for your specific application.