Canada Student Visa From Nepal: Study Permit Guide
How to get a Canada student visa from Nepal: proof-of-funds table by family size, city living costs, and which diplomas keep your PGWP alive.
Student visa for Canada from Nepal: the direct answer
Canada does not call it a "student visa" on the application form — it is a study permit, issued after you have an acceptance letter from a designated learning institution (DLI) and can show you have enough money to cover yourself. For a single applicant, the published proof-of-funds figure is CAD 23,448. The rest of this guide covers the numbers an AECC counsellor actually checks before submitting: funds by family size, real city living costs, and which diploma keeps your post-graduation work permit (PGWP) open.
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How much money you need to show
IRCC's proof-of-funds requirement rises with family size, because it assumes dependents travel with the applicant or need to be supported. These are the figures you report against, not a number you estimate:
| Family size | Proof of funds required (CAD) |
|---|---|
| 1 (you alone) | 23,448 |
| 2 | 29,192 |
| 3 | 35,888 |
| 4 | 43,572 |
| 5 | 49,419 |
| 6 | 55,736 |
| 7 | 62,054 |
| Each additional member beyond 7 | 6,318 |
The catch most Nepali applicants miss: this is a floor, not a target. Officers look at how long the money has been in the account, where it came from, and whether it matches your family's documented income — not just whether the closing balance on the day of application clears the bar. A bank balance that appeared two weeks before submission, with no paper trail, is one of the most common reasons a strong academic file still gets refused.
If family members are travelling with you
Some provincial and institutional worksheets use a multiplier against the base single-applicant figure instead of the flat family-size table above. If your AECC counsellor gives you this scale, it looks like this:
| Family members | Multiplier applied to base figure |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1.00 |
| 2 | 1.55 |
| 3 | 1.85 |
| 4 | 2.15 |
Use whichever table your counsellor or the application form asks for — don't mix the two. Apply the multiplier to the single-applicant figure yourself rather than relying on a pre-calculated total you've seen elsewhere.
Cost of living depends entirely on the city, not just the course
The proof-of-funds table above is a national minimum. What you actually spend depends on where you study. These are monthly cost figures by city:
| City | Monthly cost (CAD) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Vancouver | 3,500 | Most expensive rent in Canada |
| Toronto | 3,500 | Highest demand; 1-BR CAD 2,300+ |
| 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 |
A Vancouver or Toronto budget and a Winnipeg or Saskatoon budget are not the same application. If your proof-of-funds figure is built around a Prairie city's cost of living but your acceptance letter is from a Toronto college, an officer reviewing the file may question whether you've actually budgeted for where you're going. Match the city to the number you declare.
Choosing a programme that keeps the PGWP route open
This is not a visa requirement, but it decides what your study permit is actually worth after graduation. IRCC assesses PGWP eligibility by the programme's official CIP code, not its marketing name. Some of the most commonly chosen diplomas among Nepali students fail this check:
| Programme | PGWP-eligible? | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Software Development / Computer Programming diploma | Yes | On IRCC's STEM list; one of the most PGWP-secure diploma types at colleges |
| Computer Systems Technology diploma | Yes | BCIT-style CST programmes qualify cleanly |
| Supply Chain Management diploma / grad cert | Yes | On the Transport/Logistics list — an exception to the general rule that business diplomas don't qualify (George Brown College) |
| Health Care Assistant diploma | Yes | Clean eligibility under Healthcare; high demand in BC and Alberta |
| Practical Nursing diploma | Yes | Leads to LPN/RPN licensing; eligible in all provinces |
| Business Administration diploma | No | Not on IRCC's list in any category — though a four-year bachelor's degree is exempt from this rule entirely |
| Global Business Management grad cert | No | The single most popular programme among Nepali applicants, and not PGWP-eligible |
| Accounting diploma / grad cert | No | Not on the list; a true hybrid Accounting-and-Computer-Science programme is the exception |
| Hospitality Management diploma / grad cert | No | Culinary Arts is the exception under the Trade category |
| Project Management grad cert | Conditional | Depends entirely on the CIP code: IT Project Management qualifies, general Project Management does not |
Before you accept an offer, ask the institution for the programme's CIP code and check it against this list — not the programme's English-language title. Two colleges can call a programme "Business Management" and have completely different PGWP outcomes.
Where to go from here
Build your shortlist against your actual budget and English score using the Master Reckoner, and compare your options on the Canada destination hub. For wider country comparisons and application timelines, browse the full guide library.
Common questions
Is a study permit the same thing as a student visa for Canada?
In practice, yes — IRCC's formal document is called a study permit, and it's what Nepali applicants mean when they say "Canada student visa." You get it by first securing an offer from a designated learning institution, then applying with proof of funds and the required supporting documents.
How much money do I need in my bank account for a Canada study permit from Nepal?
For a single applicant, the published figure is CAD 23,448. It rises with family size — CAD 29,192 for two people, up to CAD 62,054 for seven, with CAD 6,318 added for each person beyond that. These are minimums checked against the source and history of the funds, not just the closing balance.
Which courses do Nepali students pick that don't lead to a post-graduation work permit?
Business Administration diplomas, Global Business Management grad certificates, Accounting diplomas, Hospitality Management, and general Project Management grad certs are commonly chosen but not on IRCC's PGWP-eligible list. Supply Chain Management and IT-specific Project Management are the notable exceptions inside the business category — the CIP code decides, not the course title.
Does it matter which city I plan to study in?
Yes. Monthly living costs run from CAD 2,100 in a small city to CAD 3,500 in Toronto or Vancouver. Your proof-of-funds documentation should reflect the actual cost of the city your institution is in, not a national average.
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 Alber