Canada Student Visa Fee Calculator (Study Permit 2026)
Short answer. A Canada study permit costs CAD 150 plus CAD 85 for biometrics, about ₹15,000 together. The bigger number is the money you must show: CAD 23,448 for living costs for applications from 1 September 2026, on top of first year tuition and travel. A spouse can work only in some programmes.
Uses the IRCC fee list and the IRCC proof of funds table for study permit applications made on or after 1 September 2026, checked in October 2026, for an Indian applicant applying from outside Canada to study outside Quebec. Tuition, travel, the visa application centre charge and the medical exam are extra.
What a Canada study permit costs
Canada calls it a study permit, not a student visa, and the government fees are small. Each person applying pays a processing fee, and most also pay for biometrics.
| Fee | CAD | Roughly in INR, at ₹64 |
|---|---|---|
| Study permit, per person | 150 | ₹9,600 |
| Biometrics, per person | 85 | ₹5,440 |
| Biometrics, family applying together (maximum) | 170 | ₹10,880 |
| Spouse’s open work permit, including the open work permit holder fee | 255 | ₹16,320 |
| Visitor visa, per person | 100 | ₹6,400 |
Two costs sit outside the IRCC list. The visa application centre charges its own service fee when you give biometrics, and the immigration medical exam is paid to the panel physician, not to IRCC. Neither is in the calculator because both are set by the provider, not by IRCC.
IRCC keeps the study permit processing fee once it has started processing, even if the permit is refused. The one fee it refunds on a refusal is the CAD 100 open work permit holder fee, and it does that automatically.
The money you must show changed on 1 September 2026
The fee is the small number. The large one is proof of funds: you must show you can pay first year tuition, travel, and a fixed amount for living costs. IRCC updates the living cost amount every year, and the figure depends on when you apply.
| People in the family, including you | Applications 1 Jan 2025 to 31 Aug 2026 | Applications from 1 Sep 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CAD 22,895 | CAD 23,448 |
| 2 | CAD 28,502 | CAD 29,192 |
| 3 | CAD 35,040 | CAD 35,888 |
| 4 | CAD 42,543 | CAD 43,572 |
| 5 | CAD 48,252 | CAD 49,419 |
For a single student that is about ₹15 lakh at ₹64 to the dollar, before tuition. A guaranteed investment certificate (GIC) is one way to show it, but since the Student Direct Stream closed in November 2024 it is one option among several, alongside a loan sanction, six months of bank statements with the source of the money, or a scholarship. Our GIC guide covers how the deposit works, and the proof of funds calculator adds your tuition and travel to the total.
When your spouse can work
Since 21 January 2025, a spouse or common law partner can get an open work permit through a student only if the student is in one of these:
- a master’s degree programme of 16 months or longer
- a doctoral degree programme
- a listed professional degree at a university, such as a Bachelor of Engineering, a nursing degree, a Bachelor of Education, law, medicine or pharmacy
- a small number of named provincial and pilot programmes
IRCC also lists a condition that you are not in the last term of your programme when your spouse applies. A college diploma, a postgraduate certificate, a general bachelor’s degree and a master’s shorter than 16 months do not qualify, whatever the field.
Faz's ruleCheck the programme length on your letter of acceptance before you pay the deposit.
Two versions of the same master’s can sit a few months apart, one at 12 months and one at 16. On paper the fees look similar. In practice the 16 month one lets your spouse work full time for the whole course, and the shorter one does not let them work at all. If you are married, that one line on the letter decides more of your budget than the tuition does.
The full rules for families are on our Canada spouse work permit guide, and the family rules country by country compare Canada with the other main destinations. The application itself is in our Canada student visa guide, and the full budget in cost of studying in Canada.
Questions people ask
What is the Canada student visa fee in Indian rupees?
The study permit is CAD 150 and biometrics CAD 85, so CAD 235 in total, about ₹15,000 at ₹64 to the Canadian dollar. The visa application centre’s service charge and the medical exam are paid separately.
How much money do I need to show for a Canada study permit in 2026?
For applications made on or after 1 September 2026, CAD 23,448 a year for living costs for a single student outside Quebec, plus first year tuition and travel. Each family member coming with you raises the amount.
Is a GIC mandatory for a Canada study permit?
No. A GIC was required under the Student Direct Stream, which closed in November 2024. It is now one accepted proof of funds, alongside bank statements, a loan or a scholarship.
Can my wife or husband work in Canada while I study?
Only if you are in a master’s of 16 months or longer, a doctoral degree or a listed professional degree, and not in the last term of your programme. Spouses of diploma and shorter master’s students cannot get an open work permit through you.
Will I get the fee back if my study permit is refused?
No. IRCC does not refund the processing fee once it has started processing, whatever the decision. Only some fees, such as the CAD 100 open work permit holder fee, are refunded on a refusal.
Where these rules come from
- IRCC, fee list
- IRCC, proof of financial support for a study permit
- IRCC, help your spouse or common law partner work in Canada
- IRCC, changes to open work permits for family members, effective 21 January 2025
- IRCC, biometrics fees and exemptions
- IRCC Help Centre, refund of the open work permit holder fee
Checked in October 2026. IRCC updates the proof of funds amounts every year; the amount in force on the day you apply is the one that counts.