On the surface, the process of getting a Canadian student visa might seem very easy, but it can sometimes prove to be a challenge. Although a good number of students think that obtaining a letter of acceptance is the most challenging part of the pre-study visa process, note that it can be even more daunting to get a student visa approved.
Note that you can start your student visa application as soon as you have accepted an offer of admission from a Canadian University and obtained your letter of acceptance. It will take time to gather the necessary documents for the application, so you need to extensively review your application checklist(s) to ensure everything is accounted for.
IRCC’s processing times can be uncertain, therefore, it’s a good idea to start your application as soon as possible. Your application for a Canadian student visa will automatically include an application for either a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) or an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA), depending on the country that issued your passport.
Waiting is without doubt the hardest part of applying for a Canadian student visa. Since the process can be quite complicating, many reasons could cause delays. Processing times for a Canada student visa can vary depending on your home country and the political and social situation at the time of application.
However, once you have submitted your application/passport at the Canada Visa Application Centre, you can track the status of your application via the following means.
How to Check your Canadian Student Visa Status
Via the IRCC Website
Yes, you can easily check your Canada student visa status or study permit status, immigration application status, eTA application status, etc. online via the IRCC’s website. Below are the necessary steps to take:
- Log into the IRCC account you created when submitting your application online to check your Canada Visa status.
- Open the Check Status page of IRCC from anywhere in the world.
- Select ‘Canada Study Permit’ from the dropdown list
- Click on the section named “check status and messages.” This section can be found under the main heading name “View my submitted applications or profiles.”
- You will have the visa approval, disapproval, or processing information right in front of you.
It can be quite challenging to check your visa status using this method if you submitted your application by mail. However, using the same link for checking your visa status, you can connect your paper application to an online account. This will ensure that you can check your Canadian student visa status online and receive regular updates. You only have to provide the necessary information about the application and verification to connect your profile.
Using Your Passport Number
Also, note that you can check your Canadian student visa online using your passport number. With this method, there won’t be any need to create an online account. Instead, you will only have to follow the steps noted below:
- On the Canadian website for the consulate, i.e., https://www.canada.ca, search the option to track the visa application status. You will find a link redirecting to the tracking system on the site. With this tracking system, you can retrieve information about your Visa application.
- Provide or input a passport acknowledgment number and your date of birth.
- Fill and submit the captcha to validate that you are a human user. This will ensure you avoid certain bot traffic and restrictions.
- Then click submit and wait for the method to process.
However, ensure you do not mix up the online Visa status tracking option and the option to track your passport’s delivery. On the Canadian website for the consulate, you may find links to track your passport’s delivery during the postal delivery process as well.
Those links work only if you are waiting to check your Canada Visa status after receiving your passport in person! By leveraging those links, you can track your passport’s position just like any other courier.
Check Your Canada Visa Status Physically
This is genuinely the easiest way to check your visa status and find out if your application has been approved and if you are to wait for your passport to arrive. Most often, depending on the country of residence, you have two main methods to check and retrieve your passport:
- Request the passport in person at the Canada Visa Application Center in your country. Most often, authorized personnel will provide your passport upon request.
- Passports can be delivered through the postal system. You have a specific pin code when you complete the application for the Canadian Visa. Don’t forget to mention the code on the system when requesting postal passport retrieval services.
Have in mind that the second option comes with an extra courier fee that you will be expected to pay to retrieve your passport. While you will need an invoice receipt and a government-issued identification to collect the Passport in person, you won’t need any documents as verification if you intend to receive your passport by post.
However, if no one is present at your address to receive it, the passport will be sent back to the center immediately due to the document’s sensitivity. In both circumstances, you can check your Canadian student visa status by just opening the passport and seeing if the Visa stamp is present.
A piece of paper with all your details will be printed and also attached to the passport, confirming your application’s success and permitting you to enter Canada within the noted period. Note that Canadian Immigration Department allows student visa applicants to check the status of their application.
Aside from doing so physically at your local visa office, you can visit their official website to check the status of your visa application using a unique tracking ID or your passport number. However, it usually takes 3-4 weeks to process your application for a Canadian Student Visa.