Canada Student Visa Application Fee & Proof of Funds Guide
Guide for Nepali students: where to check the Canada study permit fee, a proof-of-funds table by family size, and city living costs.
How much is the Canada student visa application fee?
We are not going to print a number here that we cannot stand behind. The study permit application fee is set by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and it changes, so check the current amount directly on the official Government of Canada immigration website before you pay anything to an agent or counsellor. What we can tell you with certainty, because it is published and verifiable, is the bigger number that actually decides whether your file gets approved: proof of funds.
Most refusals that get blamed on "the visa fee" are actually about something else — the officer wasn't convinced you have enough money to live in Canada, not that you underpaid an application charge. That is the number worth spending your time on.
Proof of funds: what Canada actually checks before issuing a study permit
IRCC wants to see that you can support yourself, not just pay tuition. The funds requirement scales with how many family members are counted on your application:
| Family size | Funds required (CAD) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 23,448 |
| 2 | 29,192 |
| 3 | 35,888 |
| 4 | 43,572 |
| 5 | 49,419 |
| 6 | 55,736 |
| 7 | 62,054 |
| Each additional member | 6,318 |
The catch: this is the figure for your own support, declared separately from tuition. Visa officers check whether the amount in your bank statement, GIC, or sponsor's account is consistent with the family size on your application and the city you are moving to — a thin balance next to a Toronto offer letter gets questioned more than the same balance next to a Winnipeg one.
If family members are travelling with you
Some funding calculations use a multiplier against a base figure instead of the flat family-size table above. For reference:
| Family size | Multiplier |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1 |
| 2 | 1.55 |
| 3 | 1.85 |
| 4 | 2.15 |
Which table applies to your case depends on the specific programme or lender you're dealing with — confirm with your institution or the official IRCC page rather than assuming.
City-by-city living costs
Proof of funds is a national minimum, but what you'll actually spend depends on the city. Use this to sanity-check whether your declared funds match where you're headed:
| City | Monthly cost (CAD) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Toronto | 3,500 | Highest demand; 1-BR ~$2,300+ |
| Vancouver | 3,500 | Most expensive rent in Canada |
| Burnaby | 3,200 | SFU/BCIT — slightly below Vancouver |
| Ottawa | 2,900 | Capital; uOttawa/Algonquin |
| Waterloo | 2,700 | Tech town; student-heavy |
| Calgary | 2,700 | No provincial sales tax |
| Halifax | 2,500 | Atlantic; AIP region |
| Montreal | 2,400 | Cheapest big city; Quebec rules differ |
| Edmonton | 2,400 | Affordable Alberta |
| Winnipeg | 2,200 | Lowest cost; UManitoba |
| Saskatoon | 2,200 | USask; affordable Prairies |
| Regina | 2,200 | Affordable |
| Fredericton | 2,200 | UNB; low cost |
| Other (small city) | 2,100 | Smaller centres trend cheaper |
Don't pick a city based on tuition alone and then discover the rent eats your proof-of-funds buffer in four months. Check both numbers side by side before you commit to an offer letter.
Tuition at a sample of Canadian institutions
Tuition is separate from the visa process but it's the number that decides how tight your budget will be once you land. A sample across price points:
| Institution | City | Annual fee (as published) |
|---|---|---|
| University of Toronto | Toronto | ~$60k–70k/yr (Eng $70,060) |
| University of Waterloo | Waterloo | ~$73k/yr (CS/Eng) |
| McGill University | Montreal | ~$66k/yr (B.Eng); varies by programme |
| University of British Columbia | Vancouver | ~$51k/yr (CS) |
| University of Alberta | Edmonton | ~$30k–40k/yr |
| University of Manitoba | Winnipeg | ~$22,000–30,000/yr |
| SAIT | Calgary | ~$13,400–20,000/yr |
| Conestoga College | Kitchener | ~$15,000–17,000/yr |
| Humber Polytechnic | Toronto | ~$16,000–18,500/yr |
| Algonquin College | Ottawa | ~$16,000–18,000/yr |
Fee ranges vary by programme within the same institution — verify the exact figure for your specific course on the institution's own admissions page before you budget around it.
What this means for your application
Put the three numbers next to each other before you accept an offer: the proof-of-funds table for your family size, the monthly living cost of the city you're moving to, and the institution's published tuition. A visa officer is looking for consistency between those three, not just whether you cleared the minimum on one of them. If your declared funds barely clear the family-size threshold and you've picked Toronto or Vancouver with a $60k+ tuition offer, expect more scrutiny than a file for Winnipeg or Saskatoon at a lower tuition band.
Use the free Master Reckoner tool to match a course, its published cost, and the English-test score it asks for in one place, rather than piecing it together from five different college websites. For a country-level overview of routes into Canada, start at the Canada hub, and browse other destination guides on the blog before you shortlist.
Official sources
- University of Toronto — https://future.utoronto.ca
- University of British Columbia — https://you.ubc.ca
- McGill University — https://www.mcgill.ca/undergraduate-admissions/
- University of Waterloo — https://uwaterloo.ca/future-students/
- University of Alberta — https://www.ualberta.ca/admissions/
- University of Manitoba — https://umanitoba.ca/admissions/
- SAIT — https://www.sait.ca/admissions/international-students
- Algonquin College — https://www.algonquincollege.com/international/
Common questions
How much is the Canada student visa application fee?
We haven't quoted a figure here because fees change and we only publish numbers we can verify. Check the current amount directly on the official Government of Canada immigration page before paying through an agent.
How much money do I need to show for a Canada study permit?
It depends on your family size. The published funds requirement runs from CAD 23,448 for one person up to CAD 62,054 for seven, with CAD 6,318 added for each additional family member beyond that.
Does tuition count towards my proof of funds?
Tuition and living-cost funds are assessed as separate requirements — a high tuition payment on its own doesn't substitute for the living-fund amount an officer expects to see for your family size and chosen city.
Which Canadian city is cheapest for a student budget?
Based on published monthly living costs, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Regina and Fredericton sit at the lower end at CAD 2,200 a month, against CAD 3,500 a month in Toronto or Vancouver. Tuition still varies separately by institution, so check both before deciding.