{"id":37,"date":"2026-07-06T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/pathlance\/blog\/study-in-canada-from-pakistan\/"},"modified":"2026-07-06T10:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T08:00:00","slug":"study-in-canada-from-pakistan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pathlance.com\/blog\/study-in-canada-from-pakistan\/","title":{"rendered":"Study in Canada from Pakistan 2026: Study Permit, PGWP, PAL &amp; Costs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Canada is one of the most popular study destinations for Pakistani students \u2014 thanks to quality education, generous post-study work rights and a clear path to permanent residence. But the rules changed a lot in 2024\u20132025, so here&#8217;s an up-to-date 2026 guide to studying in Canada from Pakistan.<\/p>\n<h2>Why study in Canada?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP)<\/strong> \u2014 work for up to three years after eligible programmes.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Clear PR pathway<\/strong> \u2014 Canadian study + work experience feeds Express Entry and provincial programs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Co-op programmes<\/strong> \u2014 many degrees include paid work placements.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What changed recently (important)<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>You now need a <strong>Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL)<\/strong> from your province for most study permit applications.<\/li>\n<li>The <strong>Student Direct Stream (SDS) has ended<\/strong> \u2014 everyone applies through the regular study permit stream.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Proof of funds increased<\/strong> \u2014 you must show living costs of around <strong>CAD 20,635 per year<\/strong> (plus tuition and travel).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Off-campus work<\/strong> is allowed up to 24 hours per week during study terms.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Cost of studying in Canada<\/h2>\n<p>International tuition is typically <strong>CAD 20,000\u201340,000 per year<\/strong> depending on the programme, plus living costs that are highest in Toronto and Vancouver. Many students use a <strong>GIC (Guaranteed Investment Certificate)<\/strong> to show funds.<\/p>\n<h2>Study permit steps from Pakistan<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Get an offer (a Letter of Acceptance) from a Designated Learning Institution.<\/li>\n<li>Obtain your <strong>Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Show proof of funds (GIC + tuition), and meet language requirements.<\/li>\n<li>Apply for the study permit online and give biometrics at VFS in Pakistan.<\/li>\n<li>Receive your decision and travel.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<h3>Is SDS still available for Pakistan?<\/h3>\n<p>No \u2014 the Student Direct Stream ended in November 2024. Apply through the regular study permit stream.<\/p>\n<h3>How much money is needed for a Canada study permit?<\/h3>\n<p>Around CAD 20,635 for living costs (revised for 2024), plus your first year&#8217;s tuition and travel.<\/p>\n<p>See our full <a href=\"\/pathlance\/destinations\/canada\">Study in Canada<\/a> guide for universities and details.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-cta\" style=\"margin:2.5rem 0;padding:1.75rem;border:1px solid #e6e9f0;border-radius:1rem;background:#f8fafc\">\n<h3 style=\"margin-top:0\">Not sure which country fits you?<\/h3>\n<p>Get a free profile assessment \u2014 we&#8217;ll map a realistic country, course and budget for your goals, honestly.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom:0\"><a class=\"btn btn--gold\" href=\"\/pathlance\/book\">Book a consultation<\/a> &nbsp; <a class=\"btn\" href=\"\/pathlance\/destinations\">All destinations<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An up-to-date 2026 guide to studying in Canada from Pakistan \u2014 the study permit, the new PAL requirement, end of SDS, proof of funds, PGWP and the PR pathway.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":61,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[77,14],"tags":[79,80,82,81,83,78],"class_list":["post-37","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-canada","category-study-abroad-guides","tag-canada-study-permit","tag-pgwp","tag-proof-of-funds-canada","tag-provincial-attestation-letter","tag-sds-ended","tag-study-in-canada-from-pakistan"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pathlance.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pathlance.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pathlance.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pathlance.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pathlance.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pathlance.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pathlance.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pathlance.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pathlance.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pathlance.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}