Just over half of Canadian study permit applications are refused. That number frightens people, and it is the wrong thing to be frightened of, because a large share of the refusals trace back to a decision made months earlier: which programme, at which college, in which province.
Get that right and the national rate stops describing you.
The one thing that matters most
The Post-Graduation Work Permit is why most people go to Canada. Up to three years of open work afterwards, no employer required. It is the longest post-study work permit of the five countries we work in.
But since the field-of-study rules came in, the PGWP only follows certain programmes. Two colleges can advertise diplomas with almost the same name and only one of them leads to a work permit.
This is the most expensive mistake Nepali students are currently making in Canada. It is made at the point of accepting an offer, it is invisible for two years, and it is not fixable afterwards.
Check the eligible field-of-study list before you accept an offer. Not after the fee is paid. Before.
The money, which went up on 1 September 2026
Proof of funds is now CAD 23,448 for a single applicant outside Quebec, up from CAD 22,895.
The part people get wrong: that figure is living expenses only. Your first year of tuition and your travel costs sit on top of it. Showing 23,448 and nothing else does not satisfy the requirement.
A GIC is a clean way to evidence the living-cost half, and it has not been compulsory since the Student Direct Stream closed in November 2024. Bank statements, a paid tuition receipt, an education loan or documented sponsor support are all accepted. What matters is that the money is genuinely yours, genuinely reachable, and has a history.
The study permit application is CAD 150, biometrics CAD 85. The full ledger is here.
The cap, and why a good application can still fail
Provincial attestation letters are rationed. The number of permits is fixed nationally and divided between provinces.
That means you can be a strong candidate and be refused because a province has run out. It is not a comment on your file. It is an argument for two things: applying early in the cycle, and looking outside Ontario and British Columbia, where both the competition and the rent are worst.
What working actually pays
24 hours a week off campus during term, dropping back to 20 from September 2026, and full time in scheduled breaks.
Ontario's minimum wage is CAD 17.60, and minimum wage is provincial, so Alberta and BC differ. Twenty-four hours at Ontario minimum is roughly CAD 1,830 a month before tax.
A shared room in Toronto or Vancouver runs CAD 700 to 1,100, and a room to yourself is closer to 1,200 to 1,600. Do that arithmetic and you can see why the students who make Canada work financially are usually the ones who chose a college in Brampton, Surrey or Winnipeg rather than downtown Toronto.
First jobs are Tim Hortons and fast food, warehouse and Amazon fulfilment, retail and grocery, security once the provincial licence comes through, and personal support work if the programme is in health. Warehouse nights pay best.
Staying
Express Entry, or a Provincial Nominee Program if a province wants your occupation.
It is the best-mapped route of the five and it rewards planning. General draws sit around 480 to 520 CRS points, which a fresh graduate reaches with strong English, a year or two of Canadian work experience and usually a provincial nomination. Category-based draws for healthcare, STEM and the trades come in lower.
So the field you study in moves this more than anything else you control. People do this every year. Almost nobody does it by accident.
Two practical things
Winter is a real cost. Boots, a proper coat and gloves are two hundred dollars you did not budget, in your first November, before your first pay.
The community is small but recent. Around 29,500 Nepalis, mostly Toronto and Brampton, then Calgary, Surrey and Winnipeg. Almost all arrived in the last few years, which cuts both ways: plenty of people who understand exactly what you are going through, very few who are settled enough to give you a job.
See how Canada ranks for you, or read what life there costs.