About Canada:

Education System: are popular choices if you want to pursue a full time
The school systems in Canada are
different from each other, depending
on the province or territory. Education
is available in both English and in French in most
places, provided there are enough students in that
area speaking the secondary language. High school
is typically till grades nine to 12. In Qubec, high
school ends in grade eleven and is followed by a
program that prepares the student for university or a
technical field called CEGEP.
Beyond this, students can attend either vocational
schools or enter a university. At a university they will
first earn a Bachelor's degree, and can continue
studies to receive a Master's or a Doctorate degree.
Vocational students will earn certificates and
diplomas that will help improve their skills in the
various trades.
Popular student destinations:
Popular choices for pursuing a full time academic
degree are.
McGill University,
The University of British Columbia,
University of Alberta,
Simon Fraser University,
academic degree. Most of the best colleges in the
country are situated in cities like Toronto, British
Columbia and Montreal. The number of Canadian
student visas issued to Indian students jumped to
more than 12,000 in 2010 from 3,152 in 2008.
Canada is the preferred destination for vocational
studies rather than degree courses as these result in
better employment opportunities. Canada is a
good choice for immigration as the country offers
immense scope for working owing to its low
population density.
The most popular degree courses in Canada would
be postgraduate diploma in areas like Business
Management, Media, Engineering, Computer
Science and Hospitality.
Safety in Canada: Canada is one
of the safest countries, with one of the
highest standards of living in the world.
Canada is a free country where people
are, by and large, judged on their actions and
character, rather than their appearance or country
of origin.

Weather: Weather in Canada varies widely depending on where you are. Canada stretches
from the Pacific to Atlantic Ocean, covering five time zones.
Montreal Weather Toronto Weather Vancouver Weather
The weather in winter is cold and The weather in winter is milder The weather remains wet, yet mild
snowy. The cold in Montreal can than most Canadian cities, yet throughout the year. Summer in
be especially biting because of cold and snowy. Summer Vancouver is pleasantly warm
the wind-chill factor. Snowfall temperatures range from 15C to with an average temperature of
usually begins in November and 25C. During winter months, the 22C. Winters are wet, but snow is
continues through March. During daytime temperatures are rare. Average daily temperatures
winter months, the daytime between 12C to -10C. in winters range from 3C to 7C.
temperatures are between -6C to
-15C. Summer temperatures
range from 15C to 25C.

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 Lifestyle tips: Canadians are
open-minded and proud of their
multicultural and diverse population.
Like any other country, Canadians have certain
expectations of appropriate behaviour. Here are a
few tips:
Be on time for both professional and social
occasions
Be respectful in conversation and behaviour
Canadians believe in equality between
genders, so show respect to the opposite sex
Don't crack jokes or make comments that are
insulting to people's race, religion, gender,
disability, sexual orientation or appearance
Avoid personal questions about things like
age, salary, marital status, relationships, and the
cost of personal items until you are
well-acquainted with people.
Language problems: Living in a society where
you have to use English or occasionally French on
a daily basis can be challenging at first. Some
language problems you may intially encounter
there are:
You may not understand the local accent right
away. Regional accents vary greatly in Canada.
Give yourself time to get used to the local
accent.
Canadians might not understand you right
away. You will also have your own accent.
Speak slowly and don't be shy about asking
others to speak slowly if you are having a hard
time understanding them.
Canadians use a lot of slang in their speech
and it might take you some time before you
understand all of it.
Humour is an integral part of Canadian English.
This should be interpreted as a sign of
friendliness, not disrespect.
Canadians use lots of abbreviation in their
speech (for example, TA for Teachers Assistant
or Poli Sci for Political Science). If you don't
understand something, simply ask the
meaning of it.
Participation: It is necessary to participate in all
activities during your classes. You may be asked to
participate in class discussions, group work or other
activities. It is very important to participate outside
of the classroom as well. This will provide you with
many opportunities to practice your English skills in
many different settings.
Making friends: Try not to be shy. Remember that
making friends is important to everyone in their first
year of university. Saying "please" and "thank you"
are important Canadian customs, and your
relationships will improve if you express your
gratitude and appreciation to those around you.
Indians living in Canada: Most Indians choose to
live at larger urban centres like Toronto, and
Vancouver, where more than 70% of Indians live.
Smaller communities are also growing in Calgary,
Edmonton, and Montreal. Indians in Vancouver are
from different parts of India. A place called Little
India exists in Vancouver and a section of Gerrard
Street in Toronto. Indians in Vancouver mainly live in
the suburb of Surrey, or nearby Abbotsford and also
in other parts of Vancouver.
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 Student life
Accommodation: Firstly, you need to
decide whether you want to live in
university managed accommodation, or with a
private landlord. Choosing university managed
accommodation can also give you a catered or
self-catered option. Catered accommodation offers
the benefits of your meals being cooked for you and
a degree of certainty with meal costs.
If you have an idea about what you prefer, the
accommodation office at your university will be able
to tell you what accommodation they have
available - so thats the place to start. If you are
thinking of renting from a private landlord or if your
chosen university cant offer you anything in its own
residential facility, the accommodation office should
be able to provide you with a list of private
properties and landlords in the area.
Wherever you choose to live, you should make sure
that you know your contractual rights and
responsibilities. In most cases you will be asked to
enter into a tenancy agreement, which you should
read thoroughly before you sign it.
Orientation: Orientation week is mandatory for
international students so you want to be sure and
arrive before it starts. This is the time where you will
be introduced to the university and its services, as
well as enroll in your classes. It is essential that you
read your guidebook, which is provided by the
college. The guide explains each part of the
admission process.
Activities: Along with sports, colleges offer
extra-curricular activities that provide students a
wide range of experiences. Music, drama, science
and literary societies offer opportunities for outdoor
education and other leisure activities. Visits to
theatres and concerts, to places relevant to the
courses of study such as art galleries and museums,
religious centres or historical sites, scientific
companies and projects are all part of college life.
04
 Admission process
Requirements: These vary between study programs and levels. For each course, Indian students
will need to meet a minimum English language requirement. Along with that a minimum
academic record of 65% and above for humanities stream in class XIIth, and 70 - 80% and above for Science/
Commerce stream in class XII will also be required. Foundations and Diploma programs are available for
students who have secured below 60%. The student should have completed 18 years of age before joining a
degree program.

It is important to note that these numbers are just for reference purpose, the actual numbers may differ from
university to university.

The following documents also need to be submitted -

Attested copies of mark sheets of Standard X, XII, and the Bachelors degree (if applicable)
At least, two academic reference letters from professors who have taught you most recently
If you have work experience then two letters of recommendation from the employer/manager who
knows you well and can comment on your professional abilities
Statement of Purpose (SOP)
Resume
Photocopies of score reports of GMAT / IELTS / TOEFL
Portfolio (in case of Students applying for art and design courses & architecture programs)
Others (certificates / achievements at the state and national level and extracurricular activities)
Proof of funds
Medical Tests
Timeline: Most Canadian colleges accept online Steps: The common steps to applying for
applications. You will have to visit each college's admission are as follows:
website to apply. In most cases, you will have to
Search for colleges and courses
make an account on the college website to provide
Contact schools and visit websites for
your basic information, submit the scanned version
information
of your documents and pay application fees. You
Narrow down your list of schools
will be informed about the application process and
Take the entrance exams like SAT, GMAT, GRE,
stages through this account.
TOEFL, IELTS
Please refer to the website of the colleges of your Write SOPs and ask for LORs
choice to know the process of applying as it may Apply to the colleges which fit your interests
differ from institute to institute. Appear for video interviews of the colleges
that shortlisted you
Application fee: All colleges require that you pay
If accepted, apply for student visa
an application fee while applying. The fee amount
will differ depending upon the college and course
being applied to, so check with individual colleges
about their application fee.

05
Admission process
SOP: A Statement of Purpose (SOP) is your
introduction to the college and admission officers. It
is always written in first person and describes the
reason for applying to a particular college. It needs
to highlight why you are a perfect fit for the college
and why the college should accept you. The style of
writing could differ from formal to casual, but it is
important to remember that it should reflect your
personality as well.
Essay: Essays are also required to be submitted by a
prospective student. Essays are an important part of
the university admissions process. Students may be
required to write one or two essays, along with a
few optional essays. Common topics include
career aspirations, strengths and weaknesses,
skills, experiences, and reasons for considering a
particular school.
LOR: A letter of recommendation (LOR) is a
reference letter written by a third party describing
the qualities, characteristics, and capabilities of the
prospective student to recommend him to the
college in terms of that individuals ability to
perform a particular task or function. The third party
could be a professor, direct manager etc.
Intake seasons: The session starts mainly in
September and January but some institutions have
intakes in May, July and October as well. The Major
intake season for the top courses in Canada is
September, while the minor intake season is
January, which is meant for a fairly small number
of courses.
You should start your admission process around six
months before the application deadline. Typically,
most universities have three deadlines, from
October to January. It is up to the convenience of
the students, which deadline to aim for. You should
be done with your language and aptitude tests
three months before the deadline. The last three
months should be dedicated to filling out the
application form properly.
It is essential to ensure that the complete
application procedure along with appearing for
interviews and visa application procedure should be
complete by June or July for the September intake.
The main intake season for top colleges and courses
is the fall season i.e. September. It depends on what
course you are looking to pursue, because many
courses dont have the January intakes.
If you are looking to get admission into vocational
courses, then some courses may have admissions
open in January and perhaps even May or July.
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 Exams
Language exams: International
English Language Testing System
(IELTS), Test of English as Foreign
Language (TOEFL) and Pearson Test of English (PTE)
are all standardized language tests, which are
required to be taken for the purpose of getting
admission to colleges. These both follow different
formats, structure and result bands. These tests are
all different in various ways but many colleges ask
for any one of the results. So it's up to the student to
decide which exam to appear for.
Repetition of exams: IELTS can be taken unlimited
number of times. TOEFL can be retaken as many
times as wished, but cannot be taken more than
once in a 12-day period. Same with PTE, it can
be taken as many times as wished. You must wait
to receive your scores before you can book your
next test.
Fee: The fee for these exams is Rs. 9,300 for IELTS,
Rs. 10,000 for TOEFL and Rs. 9,350 for PTE.
Time to apply: Ideally, if you are aiming at the
September intake you should appear for these
exams by November, so that you can apply before
the 1st deadline. The universities you will be
applying to will mention which exam results they
will accept. But if they give a choice to go for either
of these, then the choice depends on you. The time
required to prepare for IELTS/TOEFL/PTE would
depend on the existing English language
proficiency. You may require 2 to 4 months of
prep before the exam date.
General exams
GMAT - GMAT is used to measure the abilities of
the potential MBA aspirant to undertake higher
education in the field of business or management.
It measures mathematical, english, reasoning skills
of the student.
GRE - GRE is another test required to be taken by
students applying to graduate schools to pursue
MA or MS. Increasingly many business schools
are also accepting GRE scores for the purpose of
granting admission for MBA.
Repetition and Fee: You can give GMAT any
number of times, subject to 5 time a year and a gap
of 30 days between two tests. You can take these
tests with a gap of 30 days from the first time. The
cost of GMAT is Rs. 16,000 and GRE is Rs. 12,000.
Ideally, if you are aiming at the September intake
you should appear for these exams by November,
so that you can apply before the 1st deadline.
The preparatory duration generally ranges from
4 to 6 months.
Average Scores: The average GMAT score
accepted across universities is 520. Average GRE
score is 145 for Verbal, 160 for Quantitative and 4.0
for Writing.
It is important to note that these numbers are just
for reference purpose, the actual numbers may
differ from university to university.
07
 Cost of living
The cost of living
depends heavily on
what part of Canada
will you be living in along with
how much you will socialise.
Some of the basic elements for
living as an international student
in Canada are:
Accommodation rent
( on campus or off campus )
Groceries and food
Utilities like power,
water, gas, internet
Phone bills
Text and reference books
Airfare for traveling back to
India
Other elements which may differ
from person to person would be:
Dinning out
Travel and Vacation
Car rent and Car insurance
Cable TV connection
School expenses: The tuition fee
varies according to different
universities, courses and the city.
The tuition expenses in Canada
might be up to CDN
$10,000-$30,000 per year for an
under graduate course. And if you
are thinking of applying for a post
graduate course, the cost would
be $15,000-$55,000 per year.
Living expenses: On an average,
a student spends approximately
CDN $10,000$12,000 per year.
But the expenses also depend on
the place where a student stays. If
a student stays in metropolitan
city like Toronto or Vancouver the
expenses could go up to CDN
$15,000 in comparison to a
student studying in the suburbs
where the expenses would be
around CDN $8,000-$10,000
each year.
Health insurance: Insurance
Policy for international students is
mandatory, as students have to
stay abroad for a long period of
time. Before getting an insurance
make sure that it covers medical
expenses, personal accident,
dental treatment, study
interruption, passport loss etc.
Insurance is basically cashless so
a student does not need to pay
money at the time of
hospitalisation.
Scholarships: Merit and need
based fee waivers are awarded to
international students. Candidate
with strong academics, good
performance in standardised
exams and extracurricular
achievements would be eligible
for scholarship awards and
financial assistance. To benefit
from these opportunities, one has
to make sure to send all the
required documents by particular
deadlines. In addition to this, the
presentation of the application is
also important because one is
judged by the image one projects.
Documents required: The
documents usually needed for
a scholarship application are
as follows, although the
requirements may dier:
Academic records and
photocopies
A recent CV
A letter of intent, which acts
as a cover page
Certificate of language
Proficiency
(TOEFL or IELTS scores)
Letters of reference
08
 Loans
Student eligibility criteria: The first
thing is to be aware whether you are
eligible to apply for the loan or not. The general
eligibility criteria that are followed by all the
banks are
You should be an Indian national
You must have a strong academic record
You must be seeking admission to a
professional, technical or other course of
studies. Most banks maintain that the selected
course should be job oriented
You must have secured admission to foreign
university institutions
You must be above the age of 18 years or else
your parents can avail the loan
Eligibility of course: You may not get a loan on
every course. Here are the kinds of courses that
qualify for the education loan.
For Graduation: Job oriented
professional or technical courses offered by
reputed universities
For Post Graduation: MCA, MBA, MS or even
diplomas
These courses could be from foreign
universities or institutes approved by the state
and central government.
Loan amount: If your total fee is Rs 10 lakh, the
bank may offer to give a loan of 80% of the amount
and you will have to put in the balance 20%. This is
called the margin amount. The maximum loan
amount offered by banks for studies abroad is
generally around Rs 20 lakh by the bank. If your
tuition fee is Rs 30 lakh, youll have to manage the
rest of the funds by yourself. Some banks charge a
processing fee, while others dont; it may be a fixed
amount or a percentage of the total loan amount.
So if the bank charges you a 1% processing fee, that
will be an additional cost youll have to cover.
Documentation required: You will have to provide
the acceptance letter sent by the university
reflecting that you have been selected for the
course and the schedule of fees. You will also need
to show the mark sheet of the last qualifying
examination to show your academic record.
All banks have dierent requirement for
documentation, so you need to confirm with
the bank first.
Repayment: : Repayment starts only after the
course period. If the student got employed within
one year after completion of the course, the
repayment should start immediately after the expiry
of one month from the date of employment.
If you do not secure a job within a year of
completing the course, then repayment starts
irrespective of whether or not you are employed.
The loan is generally to be repaid in 5-7 years after
commencement of repayment. If the student is not
able to complete the course within the scheduled
time, extension for completion of course, may be
permitted for a maximum period of two years.
Generally, you will get up to a maximum number
of 10 years to repay the loan.
09
 Visa
Conditions: You should apply for
the student visa after you get the
college acceptance letter. You should begin with
the visa process around June, if aiming at the
September intake. Following are the documents
needed to apply.
Proof of acceptance: If you plan to attend any
school (primary or secondary), college,
university or other educational institution in
Canada, the school must complete and
send you a letter of acceptance. You must
include the original letter with your study
permit application.
Proof of financial support: You must prove
that you can support yourself and the family
members who accompany you while you are
in Canada.
Note: Additional documentation may be required.
During the personal interview, additional
documents may be requested by the interviewer.
These may be documents to prove evidence of
academic or financial status:
Transcripts, diplomas, degrees, or certificates
from schools you attended
Scores from tests, such as the TOEFL, SAT, GRE,
or GMAT
Your intent to depart from Canada upon
completion of the course of study
How you will pay all educational, living and
travel costs
Process: There are several steps to apply for a visa.
Check the processing times: The visa application
cycle might take anywhere from 3-4 weeks. It is
advisable to go through the Canadian consulate
website to know the approximate time taken to
process the student visa. Please note that the time
shown is not a guarantee and is just an estimate.
Determine how you will apply: There are two ways
to apply:
Apply online: To apply online you must have
access to a scanner or camera to create electronic
copies of your documents for uploading and have a
valid credit card for payment. You will still be
required to provide a finger scan at the regional Visa
Application Centre (VAC).
Apply in person: Download the application kit and
read the instruction guide. The instruction guide
contains important information about study
permits and instructions to help you complete your
application. Read the guide carefully and use the
document checklist.
Pay the processing fee: Refer to the fee schedule
for the cost to apply for a study permit and how to
pay. The processing fee is non-refundable in all
cases. For biometrics, there will be more than 130
VACs in over 90 countries and all VACs will be
equipped to collect biometric information
(fingerprints and photograph). Indian students need
to contact the local VFS office to apply for the visa.
If your spouse/common-law partner and/or
children are accompanying you and you are
applying for temporary resident visas, work permits
or study permits for them, then you will need to pay
the appropriate processing fees for them.
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Visa
Submit your application and supporting
documents: Since you need to give your
biometrics, you cant mail in your application. Youll
either have to apply online or submit your
application in person at a VFS office. In either case,
you will need to go to a VAC to give your biometrics.
Medical Exam: The visa application process to
Canada requires a compulsory medical test for
Indian applicants. Your own doctor cannot perform
the medical exam. You must see a doctor on the list
of panel physicians, which is provided on the official
Canada immigration website http://www.cic.gc.ca/.
Once your exam has been completed, the physician
will send the results to CIC. You can choose to get
the test done either before or after submitting the
visa application
Work permit: The eligibility criteria to get a Post
Study Work permit are as follows:
You should have pursued a full-time course in
Canada.
The length of your course should have been
more than 8 months.
You must have graduated from either a public
post-secondary institution or a private
post-secondary institution or
You should apply for work permit within three
months (90 days) after receiving official letter
saying that you have successfully completed
your education from the institute.
You will be given the work permit only if you
have a student visa.
You cannot get a work permit longer than your
course duration. If your course duration was eight
months, then you will receive work permit for eight
months. If your course duration was more than
two years, then you may receive work permit for
three years.
Visa for spouse: Spouses can accompany full time
students on a Dependent visa. You only need to
show that adequate funds are available for their
support. Spouses can also work full time if his/her
stay is for a year or more.
Things to check after submitting application
Pre-departure list
Book airline tickets
Buy travel and health insurance
Arrange accommodation in Canada
Arrange transportation to/from the airport to
home in Canada
Arrange your banking consider buying
travelers cheques
Check baggage and customs limitations
Clear all paperwork with your home
educational institution
Get your documents in order and make
photocopies to store in your baggage and keep at
home, including:
Passport
Airline tickets
Travel insurance certificate
Letter of Acceptance by the educational
institution;
Key addresses and phone numbers
A bank statement showing proof of funds
Prescriptions for any medication you are
carrying
Travelers chequesif applicable
Medical and immunization records
Academic history and university transcripts
11
 Once you land
Homesickness: Homesickness is a
predictable problem faced by most
students at one point or another. It may occur at the
beginning or even well into your first year.
Homesickness will pass. Be patient. Give it at least
two weeks. If you are feeling sad, share your feelings
with friends. Do not hide in your room; if you do, the
homesickness will only worsen. Find your counselor
on staff with whom you can talk about
homesickness or other problems. Homesickness
might be made worse by frequent, long telephone
calls home. Most homesick students feel more
homesick after a call home than they did before
they picked up the phone. Try to limit yourself to
one call home every week. The sooner you integrate
into the university experience, the sooner your
homesickness will pass.
Your first few weeks in Canada: The first weeks of
the first semester are a busy time for every new
international (and Canadian) student during which
everyone is learning about the campus and classes
while making new friends. You should take time to
get to know your University:
Explore campus to familiarize yourself with
where you need to go when registering for
your program, attending classes, getting your
meals and visiting new friends
Join the International Student Club
Find out what learning resources and
workshops are available for international
students
Get your student identification card: it will be
your passport around the campus. (if
applicable)
Take advantage of the student services on
offer: use the fitness facilities at the recreation
centre, find the student bookstore and browse
in the library
Learning basic cooking: Cooking for yourself will
save you money. Indian food is expensive in Canada.
Making it on your own will satisfy your urge to eat
your food during moments of homesickness.Indian
spices are not commonly available in smaller cities,
but you may find shops on campus where you can
get ingredients used in most Indian cuisine.
12
 Post Studies options
Placements: Indian students are
used to the concept of Campus
placements and on-campus recruitment for getting
jobs. There is no concept of placements Canada.
Most Canadian University have a cell called a Career
Services Center, which helps you get jobs and help
you prepare for interviews. The on-campus
recruitment is always driven by student interest.
Companies that recruit through the university do
not offer a job directly. What they offer is an
internship or co-op. Companies like to see your
work for few months before they hire you full time.
canada
Welcome to
Co-Op Education Program: In a Cooperative
program, period of study alternates with work. The
Student Co-Op Program is a formally structured
program where the intent is to recruit students,
while still in school, to fill permanent positions upon
graduation. Co-op programs are generally
undertaken at colleges and universities. Indian
students who wish to participate in a co-op or
internship program must apply for a work permit as
well as a study permit.
Eligibility criteria: To be eligible for a work permit,
you must meet the following conditions:
You must have a valid study visa
Your intended employment must be related to your
program of study in Canada.
Your employment must be part of your academic
program, certified by a letter from a responsible
academic official of the institution.
To explore more study options in Canada,
click the following links.
MBA in Canada B.E./B.Tech in Canada MS in Canada
Did you find this guide useful?
We would love to hear from you. Write to us at
studyabroad@shiksha.com
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