Canadian student visas are typically valid for one year. After one year, you must apply for an extension at the local immigration office. Generally, if you successfully complete your first year of studies, you may apply to extend the validity of your visa until the end of your study program. If you return home for holidays, you should apply for a re-entry visa from the immigration office in advance; otherwise, you will not be permitted to re-enter Canada. Currently, student visa extension applications require a processing time of two months.
All new students applying for a Canadian BC student visa extension now require the following documents:
1、Letter of Acceptance (the admission letter issued by your school)
2、Transcript of Academic Record (transcripts for two semesters)
3、Proof of bank deposits (no less than 7,000 CAD, preferably over 10,000 CAD)
4、Photocopies of your Passport and Student visa, as well as photocopies of the pages in your passport showing your exit and entry stamps.
5、A completed Application to Change terms and conditions or to Extend my stay in Canada application form.
6、A receipt from Citizenship & Immigration Canada (the immigration office); this receipt serves as proof that you have paid the visa fee to the immigration office at the bank.
If you need to travel in and out of the country, for example, to return home for summer vacation, you must also extend your "re-entry visa"; otherwise, you may face the predicament of being unable to re-enter Canada.
The documents required for the visa extension application are as follows:
1、A completed and signed visa extension application form.
2、Document checklist.
3、Payment receipt.
4、Photocopies of the passport page containing your photo, as well as every page stamped by customs upon your most recent entry into Canada.
5、A photocopy of your most recent large-format student permit (the light brown document).
6、The letter of acceptance issued by your school.
7、Proof of bank deposits and a letter from your guarantor confirming their willingness to cover your expenses.
Canadian immigration regulations require that you submit your visa extension application at least one month before your original visa expires; otherwise, you may not receive your new student permit before the expiration date, which would result in an illegal status of overstaying. Therefore, you should mail your visa extension application as early as possible.