Canadian Study Permits, US Student Visas and Cross Border Education.

It’s that time of year again, and college acceptance letters are beginning to arrive for nervous students who have applied to their institution of choice. Sometimes,that institution is in another country, and Americans and Canadians are more often than not choosing to study right across the border.

Canadian Study Permits for Americans

A new study by the Canadian Embassy shows that 10,000 Americans came to study at 80 universities and colleges in Canada during the current academic year. In a few cases, Canadian educational institutions offer cheaper tuition and more diversity in their course offerings for international students. The Embassy also specified that the average processing time to obtain a Canadian Study Permit is approximately one month.

US Student Visas for Canadians: The I-20 form

Canadian students hoping to study in the United States require a Certificate of Eligibility, and this form should be issued by the school in the United States that the Canadian student intends to study at. This form is typically sent directly to the student themselves. This Certificate of Eligibility form (or form I-20) must also be presented every time they enter the United States.

Canadian students intending to study in the United States must show they have the means to pay for their travel, tuition and expenses while within the United States, and this can come in the form of bank statements that are notarized or letters from parents or guardians.

All students can benefit by ensuring their Canadian or US study permit applications are prepared properly and submitted to the correct Visa office.  Study Permits are temporary visas and as such student must be able to demonstrate temporary intent in addition to other criteria for a successful application. Of course many students stay long after their studies are completed for work but legally doing so requires careful immigration management.

For your education to be compromised over an easy mistake on a study permit application is completely unnecessary and avoidable.

While traveling between the United States and Canada is easier than entering other countries, competition is fierce and an error on your application or accidentally not including all of the necessary information may result in a rejection letter. Canadian Study Permits and US Student Visas are your passes to cross border education. Make sure you have your passes!