Study Visa for Canada: Funds, Programs & PGWP Guide
Proof-of-funds figures by family size, city-by-city living costs, and which diplomas keep PGWP eligibility — a plain guide for Nepali applicants.
Study visa for Canada: the short answer
A Canada study permit needs three things proven on paper: an offer from a designated learning institution, enough money to cover your stay, and a program choice that doesn't quietly cost you your post-study work rights. Most refusals and most post-graduation disappointments trace back to one of these three, not to anything exotic. This guide covers what the numbers actually say, program by program and city by city, using published figures only — check the institution's own admissions page before you commit, since fees and conditions change (see official sources).
For the wider process and course-matching, see the Canada hub and the free Master Reckoner tool, which matches your course, budget, entry grades and English score in one pass.
Proof of funds: how much you need to show
This is the figure that trips up the most families, because it scales with how many people are coming with you — not just the student.
| Family size | Funds required |
|---|---|
| 1 | $23,448 |
| 2 | $29,192 |
| 3 | $35,888 |
| 4 | $43,572 |
| 5 | $49,419 |
| 6 | $55,736 |
| 7 | $62,054 |
| Each additional person | $6,318 |
The number against your family size is what gets checked against your bank history — not the single-applicant figure, if you're bringing a spouse or child. Don't quote the "1" row to a counsellor or bank if you're applying as a family of three; quote the "3" row.
Cost of living: it depends entirely on the city
Tuition gets most of the attention, but monthly living costs vary more than people expect between cities, and this is where budgets quietly fail. These are monthly figures — don't multiply them into a yearly total yourself; use them to compare cities side by side.
| City | Monthly cost | 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 |
If your proof-of-funds figure is tight against your family size, a Winnipeg or Saskatoon budget stretches further every month than a Toronto or Vancouver one. That's a genuine trade-off against the program and job market you want — not a reason to avoid the big cities, but worth putting next to your funds table before you apply.
Choosing a program that keeps your PGWP eligible
This is the catch that costs the most Nepali graduates, after the visa itself is approved. A diploma can be a perfectly good qualification and still leave you without post-graduation work permit (PGWP) eligibility, because IRCC checks the exact CIP code the college has registered the program under — not the program's name.
| Program | PGWP eligible? | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Software Development / Computer Programming diploma | Yes | STEM |
| Computer Systems Technology diploma | Yes | STEM |
| Data Analytics diploma / grad cert | Yes | STEM |
| Cybersecurity diploma / grad cert | Yes | STEM |
| Digital Marketing diploma / grad cert | Yes | STEM |
| Supply Chain Management diploma / grad cert | Yes | Transportation/Logistics |
| Health Care Assistant diploma | Yes | Healthcare |
| Practical Nursing diploma | Yes | Healthcare |
| Social Service Worker diploma | Yes | Healthcare/Social Services |
| Early Childhood Education diploma | Yes (for study permits applied for from Dec 2024 onward) | Education |
| Construction Engineering Technology diploma | Yes | Trades/STEM |
| Business Administration diploma | No | Excluded |
| Global Business Management grad cert | No | Excluded |
| Human Resources Management grad cert | No | Excluded |
| Accounting diploma / grad cert | No | Excluded |
| Hospitality Management diploma / grad cert | No | Excluded |
| Project Management grad cert | Split — depends on exact CIP code | Conditional |
Global Business Management is the most popular program among Nepali applicants and it is not PGWP-eligible as a diploma or grad certificate, because the CIP code it runs under (international business/trade or general business admin) isn't on IRCC's list. The one reliable exception for business-track students: a full four-year bachelor's degree is exempt from the field-of-study requirement entirely, regardless of what it's in.
Project Management is a genuine trap — a general Project Management grad cert and an IT Project Management grad cert can look identical on a brochure and have opposite PGWP outcomes, because they sit under different CIP codes. Ask the registrar for the CIP code in writing before you accept an offer, not after.
Run your shortlist through the Master Reckoner to cross-check course, cost, entry requirement and English score together before you pay a deposit.
What graduates in these fields earn
Wage bands below are national figures by occupation (low / median / high, in thousands), useful for weighing a diploma against the PGWP-eligible occupation it leads to.
| Occupation | TEER | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software developer | TEER 1 | $55k | $85k | $120k |
| Computer programmer | TEER 2 | $50k | $78k | $105k |
| Cybersecurity analyst | TEER 1 | $60k | $90k | $125k |
| Data analyst | TEER 1 | $55k | $82k | $110k |
| Accountant | TEER 1 | $50k | $72k | $100k |
| HR professional | TEER 1 | $50k | $72k | $98k |
| Registered nurse | TEER 1 | $62k | $85k | $105k |
| Licensed practical nurse | TEER 2 | $48k | $62k | $78k |
| Nurse aide / HCA | TEER 3 | $38k | $48k | $60k |
Note that Accountant and HR professional pay reasonably well — but the diplomas that would normally lead into them (Accounting, HR Management grad certs) are the ones flagged as not PGWP-eligible above. That mismatch is worth sitting with before you choose a program purely by salary table.
Official sources
Check the institution's own international admissions page for current fees and intake dates — none are quoted here because none were supplied.
- 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/
- Simon Fraser University: https://www.sfu.ca/students/admission.html
- University of Calgary: https://www.ucalgary.ca/future-students/
- University of Ottawa: https://www.uottawa.ca/study/
- George Brown College: https://www.georgebrown.ca/international
- Bow Valley College: https://bowvalleycollege.ca/programs-and-courses/international
Common questions
How much money do I need to show for a Canada study visa from Nepal?
It depends on how many family members are included in your application, not just you as the student. A single applicant needs $23,448; a family of three needs $35,888; each additional person beyond the listed sizes adds $6,318. Use the row that matches your actual travelling family, not the single-applicant figure, when you prepare bank documents.
Which Canada diploma is safest for post-study work rights?
STEM diplomas such as Software Development, Computer Systems Technology, Data Analytics and Cybersecurity are confirmed PGWP-eligible with no conditions, as are healthcare diplomas like Health Care Assistant, Practical Nursing and Social Service Worker. Business-track diplomas and grad certificates — Business Administration, Global Business Management, HR Management, Accounting, Hospitality Management — are generally not eligible, even though they're widely marketed to Nepali students. Always ask the college for the program's exact CIP code before applying, since that's what IRCC checks, not the program title.
Is it cheaper to study in Toronto or a smaller city?
Toronto and Vancouver both run at $3,500 a month in living costs, the highest in the country. Cities like Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Regina and Fredericton sit at $2,200 a month, and smaller centres generally come in around $2,100. The gap matters when you're planning your funds against your family size — compare your city choice against the proof-of-funds table before committing to an offer.
Is a business diploma worth it if I want to stay and work after graduating?
Most college-level business diplomas and grad certificates — including the popular Global Business Management and HR Management certificates — are not PGWP-eligible under current IRCC program lists. The reliable workaround is a full four-year bachelor's degree, which is exempt from the field-of-study requirement regardless of subject. If a diploma is your only option budget-wise, look at Supply Chain Management or Digital Marketing, both of which are explicitly PGWP-eligible exceptions within the business space. For more on matching program choice to outcome, see the guides on /blog.