A study permit for minors in Canada is generally required when a foreign child plans to study in Canada for more than six months and is applying from outside the country. However, the rules for minor children are different from those for university students, particularly around custodianship, school admission, PAL/TAL exemptions and parental status.
For Indian parents, the study permit for minors in Canada should be planned around the child's age, province of study, whether a parent will accompany the child, the school level and the family's financial arrangements. IRCC's official guidance on studying in Canada as a minor should therefore be checked before submitting an application.
Families comparing schools, study permits and broader education options can also use WorkAbroad's Study in Canada for Indian Students guide for country-level planning.
Canada Minor Study Permit: 2026 Quick Overview
Requirement | 2026 Position |
|---|---|
Study permit fee | CAD 150 |
Program of 6 months or less | Study permit generally not required |
Applying from outside Canada for 6+ months | Study permit generally required |
K-12 PAL/TAL | Exempt |
Under 17 travelling without parent/legal guardian | Custodian required |
Age 17 to provincial age of majority | Custodian may be requested |
Outside Quebec living-fund requirement | CAD 23,448 for 1 person for applications from Sept. 1, 2026 |
Quebec financial requirement | Separate Quebec rules apply |
Primary-school permit validity | Generally 1 year, renewable |
Secondary-school permit validity | Can cover intended studies, maximum 4 years |
Standard K-12 off-campus work right | No automatic standard off-campus work right |
The federal study-permit fee remains CAD 150, while biometrics cost CAD 85 per individual when required, subject to the family maximum rules.
Who Is Considered a Minor Student in Canada?
Canada does not use one nationwide age of majority. The child's status depends on the province or territory where they will live and study.
Age of Majority | Provinces / Territories |
|---|---|
18 | Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan |
19 | British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Yukon |
This distinction is important because a 17- or 18-year-old may still legally be a minor in one province while being considered an adult in another. IRCC specifically uses the provincial or territorial age of majority when applying its minor-child rules.
Who Needs a Study Permit for Minors in Canada?
For a child applying from India to attend primary or secondary school in Canada for more than six months, a permit should normally be obtained before travelling.
IRCC specifically says minor children who want to study in Canada for six months or more must generally apply before entering Canada. A course lasting six months or less can normally be completed without one, provided the child can finish it within the authorized period of stay.
The rules become different when the child is already in Canada. Certain minors may study without a permit when, for example, they are attending preschool, primary or secondary school while accompanied by a parent authorized to work or study in Canada, or fall within another IRCC exemption.
Even where an exemption applies, IRCC notes that having a valid permit can be useful for continuity after reaching the age of majority and for certain school-based opportunities.
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What Are the Eligibility Requirements?
For a study permit for minors in Canada, parents should build the application around four practical areas: genuine school admission, sufficient finances, proper care arrangements and the child's admissibility to Canada.
A typical application may need:
Document / Evidence | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
Valid passport | Establishes identity and travel eligibility |
Letter of Acceptance | Confirms school admission where required |
Birth certificate | Helps establish parent-child relationship |
Proof of funds | Shows the family can finance study and living costs |
Custodianship evidence | Required in applicable unaccompanied-minor cases |
Parental consent/custody documents | Relevant where one or both parents are not travelling |
Quebec documents | Required separately where the child will study in Quebec |
Medical examination | Required in applicable circumstances |
Biometrics | Required where IRCC rules apply |
Additional visa-office documents | May vary by applicant and country |
Generally, an acceptance letter is required. There is, however, an important exception when minor children apply from outside Canada together with parents who are also applying for Canadian work or study permits; IRCC states that an LOA is not required for the child's study-permit application in that particular situation.
Indian families still deciding between institutions and destinations can use WorkAbroad's Study Abroad Services for broader education planning.
Proof of Funds for a Minor Student in 2026
This section has changed recently and should not be copied from older articles.
For applications submitted on or after September 1, 2026, IRCC's current proof of financial support requirements for provinces and territories outside Quebec start at:
Accompanying Family Size | Required Living Expenses for 1 Year |
|---|---|
1 person | CAD 23,448 |
2 people | CAD 29,192 |
3 people | CAD 35,888 |
4 people | CAD 43,572 |
5 people | CAD 49,419 |
6 people | CAD 55,736 |
7 people | CAD 62,054 |
Each additional person | CAD 6,318 |
These amounts cover living expenses only. Tuition fees and transportation to and from Canada must be funded separately. IRCC also expects applicants in programs longer than one year to explain how the remaining years will be financed.
This is a particularly important September 2026 update because the previous single-applicant amount of CAD 22,895 no longer applies to new applications filed from September 1, 2026 onward.
Custodianship Rules for Minor Students
Custodianship is one of the most important parts of a study permit for minors in Canada when a child will travel without a parent or legal guardian.
IRCC's rules are:
Child's Situation | Custodianship Position |
|---|---|
Under 17 with parent/legal guardian | Separate custodian normally not required |
Under 17 without parent/legal guardian | Custodian required |
Age 17 to provincial age of majority | May be requested at officer's discretion |
At or above provincial age of majority | Minor-child custodianship rule no longer applies |
The custodian must be a responsible adult in Canada who is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and agrees to care for and support the child.
How the Custodianship Declaration Works
There are two parts to the declaration. The custodian signs the first part and has it notarized in Canada. The parents or legal guardians sign the second part and have it notarized in their home country.
For an Indian family, this means the parent-side declaration is normally completed and notarized in India, while the Canadian custodian completes the Canadian side.
Parents should ensure the child's name, parents' names, school details and custodian information are consistent across every document.
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Do K-12 Students Need a PAL or TAL in 2026?
No. Preschool, primary-school and secondary-school applicants up to Grade 12 are currently exempt from the Provincial Attestation Letter or Territorial Attestation Letter requirement.
IRCC's current PAL/TAL requirements specifically list these school levels among the exemptions.
This is also important in the context of Canada's 2026 international-student limits. IRCC expects to issue up to 408,000 study permits in 2026, including an expected 115,000 permits for primary and secondary school students, who belong to a PAL/TAL-exempt cohort.
That does not mean approval is automatic. The child's individual application must still satisfy the applicable immigration requirements.
Special Rules for Minor Students in Quebec
Quebec has an additional provincial immigration process. A foreign student planning to study there may need a Québec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) in addition to the federal study permit.
Quebec also applies its own financial-capacity calculation. According to the Quebec government, someone applying from January 1, 2026 must demonstrate at least CAD 24,617 for one person for one year of basic needs, in addition to relevant tuition and transportation costs.
Parents considering Montreal or another Quebec destination should check the official costs related to studying in Quebec because Quebec figures differ from the federal outside-Quebec financial table.
How to Apply From India: Step-by-Step Process
When applying for a study permit for minors in Canada from India, the safest sequence is to establish the school admission and care arrangement before preparing the final visa file.
Choose the province and school. Confirm the child's grade, tuition, international-student admission rules and whether accommodation or boarding is available. Canada advises families to begin primary or secondary school applications well in advance.
Obtain the Letter of Acceptance where required. Make sure the child's identity details exactly match the passport.
Determine whether custodianship applies. If the child is under 17 and travelling without a parent or legal guardian, arrange an eligible Canadian custodian.
Check PAL/TAL and Quebec requirements. K-12 applicants are PAL/TAL-exempt, but Quebec has its own CAQ rules.
Prepare finances. Include tuition funding, current living-expense requirements and transportation costs, with evidence showing where the funds came from.
Collect family and consent documents. Birth certificates and custody/consent evidence should clearly explain who is responsible for the child.
Complete the online study permit application. IRCC's official study permit application page provides the current filing route.
Pay the government fees and complete biometrics if requested.
Respond promptly to additional IRCC requests, including medical or document requests where applicable.
Wait for the official decision before finalizing irreversible travel plans.
Parents whose older children are preparing for future university admission can also review WorkAbroad's Exams to Study Abroad guide for post-secondary planning.
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How Much Does a Minor Canada Study Permit Cost?
The federal immigration costs are different from school tuition and living costs.
Cost | Current Government Amount |
|---|---|
Study permit | CAD 150 |
Biometrics, if required | CAD 85 per individual |
Eligible family biometrics maximum | CAD 170 |
Tuition | Set by the school/school board |
Living funds | Based on current federal or Quebec requirements |
Health insurance | Depends on province/school/coverage |
Custodianship or homestay | Depends on provider and arrangement |
The Government of Canada does not set one national K-12 tuition fee for international students. Parents should therefore obtain current fees directly from the selected school board or private school rather than relying on a broad internet average.
How Long Is the Permit Valid?
For primary-school students, IRCC generally issues the permit for one year, after which it can be renewed.
For secondary-school students, the permit can cover the intended period of secondary study, up to a maximum of four years.
Parents should not wait until the last month to renew. IRCC specifically says a minor's new permit should be requested at least 90 days before the current permit expires.
For more detail on maintaining status and renewal procedures, see WorkAbroad's Study Permit Extension Canada 2026 guide.
What Happens When the Child Turns 18 or 19?
The relevant age is the age of majority in the student's province or territory.
A particularly important distinction applies to children who were studying without a study permit under an exemption. IRCC says that when they reach the applicable age of majority, they must apply for a study permit if they want to continue studying.
If the student already holds a valid permit, parents should check its expiry date and conditions rather than assuming the student's birthday alone automatically cancels the document.
The transition to college or university can also trigger different admission, PAL/TAL, DLI and work-right rules, so post-secondary planning should be treated separately from the original K-12 application.
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Can Minor Students Work in Canada?
Parents should not assume a K-12 study permit comes with standard student work rights.
Canada's ordinary on-campus and off-campus work provisions principally apply to eligible students in qualifying post-secondary programs, with some separate rules for Quebec secondary vocational training.
Therefore, a child attending an ordinary Canadian primary or secondary school should not plan the family budget around part-time employment.
Certain structured school work placements or co-op arrangements can have separate rules, so the school and IRCC requirements should be checked if such a component is part of the student's program.
Common Reasons Applications Can Be Refused
IRCC does not publish a special ranked list of refusal reasons only for children, so claims such as “the top five minor-study-visa rejection reasons” should be treated carefully.
For study permits generally, IRCC says an application may be refused if the applicant does not have a valid acceptance letter, cannot demonstrate sufficient money, fails a required medical examination, does not convince the officer that the main purpose of coming to Canada is study, or does not satisfy the officer about leaving Canada at the end of the authorized study period.
For minor cases, practical file-quality issues can additionally include inconsistent parent-child information, incomplete custody documentation, unclear care arrangements or incorrect custodianship evidence. These should be treated as application risks rather than guaranteed refusal reasons.
Parent Checklist Before Submission
Before filing, check the child's passport validity, school acceptance, correct province and age-of-majority rule, custodianship requirement, parental consent and custody documents, current financial threshold, tuition funding, PAL/TAL exemption, Quebec CAQ where applicable, biometrics requirement and consistency of names and dates.
The objective is not to upload as many documents as possible. It is to provide a coherent file showing who the child is, where they will study, who will care for them, how the stay will be financed and why the proposed education plan makes sense.
Families comparing Canada with other long-term education and settlement destinations may also find WorkAbroad's Best Countries for Indians to Settle Abroad in 2026 useful.
Estimate your overseas salary potential
Compare the likely earning range for your target country before shortlisting roles or visa pathways.
Conclusion
A study permit for minors in Canada requires more than simply obtaining admission to a Canadian school. Indian parents must check the child's provincial age of majority, determine whether custodianship applies, prepare credible financial evidence, meet provincial requirements and submit the correct family and immigration documents.
The two most important 2026 points are that K-12 students remain exempt from PAL/TAL requirements and that the federal living-expense requirement outside Quebec increased to CAD 23,448 for one person for applications filed from September 1, 2026, excluding tuition and transportation.
Parents should always recheck IRCC and the relevant province immediately before filing because financial thresholds, processing procedures and immigration requirements can change.
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Frequently Asked Questions
No. A child studying for six months or less generally does not need one, and certain minors already in Canada may qualify for an exemption. A child coming from India for more than six months of primary or secondary education will generally need to apply before travelling.
There is no single Canadian age. The age of majority is 18 in Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Saskatchewan, and 19 in British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut and Yukon.
If the child is under 17 and will be in Canada without a parent or legal guardian, IRCC requires a custodian. If a parent or legal guardian accompanies the child, a separate custodian is normally not required.
Yes. For students aged 17 up to the applicable provincial age of majority, a custodian is optional in general but an immigration officer can request one based on the circumstances.
For an application filed on or after September 1, 2026 outside Quebec, the federal living-expense amount begins at CAD 23,448 for one person for one year. Tuition and transportation are additional. Accompanying family members increase the required amount.
Preschool, primary-school and secondary-school applicants up to Grade 12 are exempt from the PAL/TAL requirement under the current rules.
Quebec has a separate provincial process, and foreign students may need a Québec Acceptance Certificate in addition to the federal study permit. Parents should confirm the child's exact Quebec requirements before applying.
The federal study-permit application fee is CAD 150. Biometrics cost CAD 85 per individual when required, while eligible family applications submitted together can be subject to a CAD 170 family maximum.
An ordinary K-12 permit does not automatically give the student the standard on-campus or off-campus work rights available to eligible post-secondary students. Any school work-placement arrangement needs to meet the applicable immigration rules.
IRCC says parents should apply for the new permit at least 90 days before the current permit expires. Primary-school permits are generally issued for one year, while secondary-school permits can cover the intended period of study up to four years.
