How far in advance does the student visa start?

[MrScarface]

Hi guys,

I'm looking to apply for a college program which starts in January 2016.
Does anybody know when the student visa normally starts?
I mean, does the visa start the day my program starts?
Or is it a week in advance? Or maybe even a month?

Because my plan is to go to Canada already in September since i'm going to marry there in October and after that we want to travel the country before I start the program.
Of course I would have to enter the country with a tourist visa but I guess it shouldnt be a problem being there as a tourist for 3-4 months and then once the student visa starts I just enter the US and go back, right?

 

[Wolfpmd3]

You student visa is valid since the moment it is issued and you get your passport with it... That depends on how early you apply for it the sooner you apply the sooner you will get it of course...

People of ten get in y Canada even some month's before their program begins....

I really think you are not taking something in count.... How do you plan to travel to Canada with a visitor visa while your student visa is been processed.... I mean you visitors visa will be in you passport and your passport will be required to be sent to the embassy to get your study visa (if approved) printed in it...

You should probably rethink your plans

 

[MrScarface]

You student visa is valid since the moment it is issued and you get your passport with it... That depends on how early you apply for it the sooner you apply the sooner you will get it of course...

People of ten get in y Canada even some month's before their program begins....

I really think you are not taking something in count.... How do you plan to travel to Canada with a visitor visa while your student visa is been processed.... I mean you visitors visa will be in you passport and your passport will be required to be sent to the embassy to get your study visa (if approved) printed in it...

You should probably rethink your plans

What? I need to send my passport there?
Can you please give me a information where i can look that up or can somebody else confirm this?

I thought it would be going down just like with the working holiday visa, you get approved for it and its in the computer, as soon as you enter the country they will issue you the visa and put it in your passport!

 

[MrScarface]

I was looking at the cic website again and didn't find any information backing your statement.

Could it be possible, since you are from Colombia, that you had to apply for a Temporary Resident Visa too and had to send in the passport because of that?

 

[Pures Toro]

Dear Friend,

Firstly, A study permit once issued will start from the date it was approved and Printed.
Secondly, There is a difference between the VISA (TRV) and Study permit.
A Study permit would be issued to you once you land in Canada, In your situation you can apply for a Tourist visa and enter the country or you can apply for the S1 TRV (Student Visa) to enter. Student visa is advised, it will make your life very easy.
If you apply your study permit once you are in Canada, the process remains the same: $10000 GIC, 2 Semester Tuition fees. The process of sending your passport to CIC is simple and not as complicated as it sounds.

 

[MrScarface]

Dear Friend,

Firstly, A study permit once issued will start from the date it was approved and Printed.
Secondly, There is a difference between the VISA (TRV) and Study permit.
A Study permit would be issued to you once you land in Canada, In your situation you can apply for a Tourist visa and enter the country or you can apply for the S1 TRV (Student Visa) to enter. Student visa is advised, it will make your life very easy.
If you apply your study permit once you are in Canada, the process remains the same: $10000 GIC, 2 Semester Tuition fees. The process of sending your passport to CIC is simple and not as complicated as it sounds.

Okay, so even though i would not need a TRV, i still have to send my passport to CIC at one point?

Because the plan is to go to Canada in September, but right now I cant apply for the study permit yet because I don't have been accepted at the college yet. In fact, I haven't even applied yet since I have to do the english proficiency test first.
So with that test coming up next week and it taking one to two weeks to get the results, I probably will be applying at the college in the end of the month.
Now depending how long they take to accept me, time might be running very short since my visa office in Vienna has a 4 week processing time according to the cic website.
So even if the college would accept me in one or two weeks and its mid of July, should I risk it and apply even though there are only 6 weeks left until my flight leaves and I need to have my passport by that time?

And when you said that the study permit starts as soon as it was issued, does that really mean that if they issue me the visa in August i can already go over there and enter with the student visa even though my course doesnt start until January 2016?
or are they going to put the application on a hold and process it later on to avoid that?

 

[Pures Toro]

Okay, so even though i would not need a TRV, i still have to send my passport to CIC at one point?

Because the plan is to go to Canada in September, but right now I cant apply for the study permit yet because I don't have been accepted at the college yet. In fact, I haven't even applied yet since I have to do the english proficiency test first.
So with that test coming up next week and it taking one to two weeks to get the results, I probably will be applying at the college in the end of the month.
Now depending how long they take to accept me, time might be running very short since my visa office in Vienna has a 4 week processing time according to the cic website.
So even if the college would accept me in one or two weeks and its mid of July, should I risk it and apply even though there are only 6 weeks left until my flight leaves and I need to have my passport by that time?

And when you said that the study permit starts as soon as it was issued, does that really mean that if they issue me the visa in August i can already go over there and enter with the student visa even though my course doesnt start until January 2016?
or are they going to put the application on a hold and process it later on to avoid that?

Dear Friend,

TRV : Yes, your are going to send your passport to the Canadian embassy in Vienna for both the cases either a S1(Student Visa) or Tourist visa.

English proficiency test is a mandate, there is no escaping that. Unless you want to spend $6000 for a ESL course in Canada.

Study permit and Visa: Again they are 2 different documents. A study permit is issued when you land in Canada on a S1 study visa. In short If you come to Canada even before your semester starts they will issue you a study permit on arrival and the expatriation will depend on the Course completion date mentioned on the LOA (Letter of acceptance). Please note the duration of the permit depends on the discretion of the Immigration officer you meet at Canadian border.

They will ask you the purpose of you coming in early. You will have to specify your plans. Please note there are back checks, just make sure you have a believable story.

Hope this answers your questions.

 

[MrScarface]

Dear Friend,

TRV : Yes, your are going to send your passport to the Canadian embassy in Vienna for both the cases either a S1(Student Visa) or Tourist visa.

English proficiency test is a mandate, there is no escaping that. Unless you want to spend $6000 for a ESL course in Canada.

Study permit and Visa: Again they are 2 different documents. A study permit is issued when you land in Canada on a S1 study visa. In short If you come to Canada even before your semester starts they will issue you a study permit on arrival and the expatriation will depend on the Course completion date mentioned on the LOA (Letter of acceptance). Please note the duration of the permit depends on the discretion of the Immigration officer you meet at Canadian border.

They will ask you the purpose of you coming in early. You will have to specify your plans. Please note there are back checks, just make sure you have a believable story.

Hope this answers your questions.

Thank you for your answers but I still have this one question open since you only answered about the TRV:

I do not need a TRV since I'm from an visa-exempt country.
So when applying online for the study permit, is CIC going to ask me some when during the processing to send in my passport?
Or do they accept everything and I never need to send in my passport?


And second regarding the difference between study visa and study permit.
I thought that when i have a study permit, im automatically going to be in the country on a study visa.
Is that correct?
Or is it technically only a tourist visa with an additional study permit?
So if in canada by the time my study permit gets accepted, i wouldnt have to go across the border and back to activate it?

 

[Pures Toro]

Thank you for your answers but I still have this one question open since you only answered about the TRV:

I do not need a TRV since I'm from an visa-exempt country.
So when applying online for the study permit, is CIC going to ask me some when during the processing to send in my passport?
Or do they accept everything and I never need to send in my passport?


And second regarding the difference between study visa and study permit.
I thought that when i have a study permit, im automatically going to be in the country on a study visa.
Is that correct?
Or is it technically only a tourist visa with an additional study permit?
So if in canada by the time my study permit gets accepted, i wouldnt have to go across the border and back to activate it?

Dear Friend,

In Case of Visa exempted Countries, you can enter in Canada with out a Visa stamp on your passport. Its called Visa on Arrival but instead of a stamp they give you a permit to reside in Canada.

If you are applying for a study permit online. They would not ask you to send your passport. They will issue you a letter asking you to provide it to the immigration officer on the border or they will send the permit to you through mail. Depends on CIC.

In Any case, if you are in Canada at the time of study permit approval, you do not have to leave the country and come back.

I would suggest that you enter the county with a study permit and not as a tourist. To avoid confusions at the border.

 

[MrScarface]

Dear Friend,

In Case of Visa exempted Countries, you can enter in Canada with out a Visa stamp on your passport. Its called Visa on Arrival but instead of a stamp they give you a permit to reside in Canada.

If you are applying for a study permit online. They would not ask you to send your passport. They will issue you a letter asking you to provide it to the immigration officer on the border or they will send the permit to you through mail. Depends on CIC.

In Any case, if you are in Canada at the time of study permit approval, you do not have to leave the country and come back.

I would suggest that you enter the county with a study permit and not as a tourist. To avoid confusions at the border.

Okay perfect, that was the answer I needed, thank you!

And yes, I hope the study permit is already going to be approved by the time I enter the country so it makes it easier for me at the border!

 

[Wolfpmd3]

If your country is visa exempted... That means that you can get there by only using your passport to get there without any visa stamped on it... But to remain in Canada legally younger to have previously received your study permit through CIC which we'll be given to you once you get there at the port of entry.. so no, you won't be asked to submit your passport..

 

[jitendra.kumar]

Hi,

My course starts in Fall and I have got my TRV. Does it mean that I can come to Canada as early as the day my Visa is stamped on passport, since my course start date is still 4.5 months away.

Regards,
Jitendra

 

[scylla]

Hi,

My course starts in Fall and I have got my TRV. Does it mean that I can come to Canada as early as the day my Visa is stamped on passport, since my course start date is still 4.5 months away.

Regards,
Jitendra

Sure - technically you can come as early as you want. If you arrive early, make sure you can demonstrate that you have sufficient additional funds to support yourself before school starts. You cannot start working until after your classes begin. The CBSA officer may ask you to show proof of these funds when you're entering Canada.

 

[talluncle]

Hi guys,

I'm looking to apply for a college program which starts in January 2016.
Does anybody know when the student visa normally starts?
I mean, does the visa start the day my program starts?
Or is it a week in advance? Or maybe even a month?

Because my plan is to go to Canada already in September since i'm going to marry there in October and after that we want to travel the country before I start the program.
Of course I would have to enter the country with a tourist visa but I guess it shouldnt be a problem being there as a tourist for 3-4 months and then once the student visa starts I just enter the US and go back, right?

Hi could you please your experience with me ?
I have a tourist visa, and applied for a study permit. I want to do the same as you wanted, travel to Canada as a tourist, and as soon as my permit is approved, will go to USA and reenter Canada as a tourist. I wonder whether my Visitor Visa V1 TRV is okay to enter the country as a student

 

[bongoman]

Make sire you check the requiremnts for your country, some things mentioned in here might not apply to you, not everyone needs GIC and not everyone needs language tests.
Also if you havent even applied for admission until now its likely you wont get admission for January but it depends on the school.