FAQs

Study in Canada from Bangladesh - Frequently Asked Questions

Studying abroad is not an easy decision and moving to a new country is not easy as well. The tuition fees, accommodation, living expenses, lifestyle, food, cloths, weather, transportation – everything is different from Bangladesh. As a prospective student, you might have a lot of questions in your mind, here are the answers of the few common questions that you may need to know.

Frequently Asked Questions

“Cut your coat according to your cloth” – bearing this in mind, students from Bangladesh who desire to study in Canada from Bangladesh should consider few important factors which are – annual Tuition fees including incidental fees, health insurance, books, travel, food and accommodation expenses, etc.

  • Tuition Fee – Kindly browse the FAQs for estimated annual tuition fees.
  • Living Expenses – kindly visit Living Cost in Canada to know more about estimated living and other expenses in Canada.

Simply, you have to have a good academic results, good IELTS score, proof of sufficient funds, no criminal records and medically fit (especially no TB and Hepatitis B) to study in Canada from Bangladesh.

In order to get admitted in a Canadian education institution there are certain requirements students will have to meet, whether it is an undergraduate or a postgraduate program. Depending on the field of studies, programs and other relevant factors the requirements may vary. The two essential criteria are however, high school grades/performance as well as language skills in English.

As Canada is divided into individually governed provinces the tuition fees for an academic year of tertiary education vary.

Tuition fee is the most important factor a student from Bangladesh should consider first. It depends on the type of qualification, programs, institution, etc. It varies institution to institution. Usually course like humanities, education and arts are a bit cheaper, while course such as medicine and engineering are likely to be more expensive. Surprisingly, business programs in Canada are also bit expensive. If you wish to study at a postgraduate level, the tuition fee is typically higher and the costs vary depending on the program. As with most other countries, MBA programs are often the most expensive. However, approximate per year tuition of Canadian institution are given below for your understanding:

S.No. Program Type Annual Tuition Fee (Approx.)
1. Diploma/Adv. Diploma $15,000 to $16,500 PY
2. Undergraduate program $16,000 to $65,000 Per Year
3. Postgraduate program* $5,000 to $70,000 PY or FC
4. Doctoral degree $7,000 to $15,000 per year
5. MBA $40,000 to $100,000 PY or FC

* There are two types of Post Graduate programs in Canada – one is Research Based (RB) and other one is Course Based (CB). For RB program usually tuition fee is very low and student may also get full or partial scholarship. For CB programs there is no scholarship and may partial discount or waiver.

Scholarship depends on the program you are applying for. In the case of undergraduate programs, full scholarship is very rare to obtain. Usually, if you have good academic results (85%+ in the core subjects of your 12th Grade), you may obtain 10% to 25% Entrance scholarship. If you have good extracurricular activities coupled with good academic results, you may obtain up to 50% +/- Scholarships. For scholarship, you must visit institution’s website for scholarship requirements, application procedures, amount of scholarship, etc.

In the case of Graduate programs, there are two types of graduate programs – one is Research Based (RB) which require excellent GCPA, publications, research proposal, good IELTS score, etc. In most cases, you must have to contact with the respective department’s supervisor before applying for RB programs. Usually, if a student is accepted for RB program, he or she is entitled for full or partial scholarship. For Course Based program, you can apply directly following the admission requirement and in this case pre-approval from supervisor is not required. For CB program, usually there is no scholarship. For few program, having good CGPA, good IELTS/TOEFL score and GMAT/GRE (if required), you may get partial scholarship or discount.

It depends on the type of program, length of program, tuition cost and living expenses. On an average, it will cost you CAD $25,000 to $80,000 per year. The cost can be mitigated if you do part-time work or by doing co-op (if available). Usually, Bangladeshi students do part-time work to bear their living, travel, food and other expenses.

Please kindly see the question of “How I can get scholarship in Canada from Bangladesh?”

It is not a difficult task. First, you have to choose your desired program and institution. Before choosing your desired program and institution, you should consider few important factors such as the annual tuition fees, eligibility requirements, living expenses, co-op availability, location, part-time job availability, intakes, application deadline, mode of study, whether the institution has DLI, etc. Considering all these factors, once you have chosen your desired program and institution, you have to apply online (in most cases) following the respective university’s or college’s application procedures and by paying the required application fees and sending the required documents. Usually it takes two weeks to four months to get an admission decision and Letter of Acceptance (LOA). Few institutions require advanced tuition fee and few do not. If your institution asks to deposit advanced tuition fee, you should pay the deposit before the given deadline.

It depends on the program and institutions. The higher the institution rank is the more requirement are there to apply for. International students are required to submit an essay and a personal statement of what they think they are fit for enrolling in the designated program together with documents stating their work experience (if any) up to the date. Of course documents like reference letters, extracurricular activity certificates and other proof of skills is always a bonus and very much appreciated.

Accommodation varies depending on the region you will be living in Canada as well as the type of accommodation you choose to go with. However, a rough estimate would be $7300 – $14 000 per year.

Renting is a more private alternative for students who awe for silence and intimacy. Rents vary greatly due to the location, quality and availability. Living alone in an apartment is quite a luxury; therefore students tend to share accommodation in order to keep the expenses low.

The main intake is Fall or September. Good number of Universities or Colleges offer many programs in Winter or January intake. Few of them offer few programs in Summer or May intake.

Application deadline depends on the programs and institutions. It is recommended to visit university or college website to check respective programs application deadline and requirements.

Universities and Colleges in Canada are both offer post-secondary education. Usually, Colleges in Canada offer 1 Year Certificate program, 2 Years Diploma, 3 Years Advanced Diploma, 4 Years Bachelor program and 1 or 2 years Post-Graduate Certificate/Diploma programs where as Universities in Canada offer 3 or 4 Years Bachelor Degree, 1 or 2 years Post-Graduate Certificate/Diploma programs, 1 or 2 years Graduate/Masters programs and 3 Years PHD or Doctoral program. It is as usual by comparing the research options, higher studies, Universities are better than colleges in Canada.

Yes, of course. Canadian colleges are considered as post-secondary institutes. In Bangladesh, many students and their parents think that Canadian colleges offer 12th Grade education or offer courses that has no value. But you should bear in mind that education systems is completely different in Canada from that of Bangladesh. Education systems and structure varies from country to country. It is stupidity to consider education systems is similar worldwide. Colleges in Canada offer 1 Year Certificate program, 2 Years Diploma, 3 Years Advanced Diploma, 4 Years Bachelor program and 1 or 2 years Post-Graduate Certificate/Diploma programs on many subject areas. Colleges emphasize more on practical education along with theoretical education. As a result, employers always give great value to college graduates. Most importantly, student can apply for Post Graduate Work Permit after successfully completing 2 Years Diploma or 3 Years Advanced Diploma program from College. Student can also convert their Diploma degree to Bachelor degree by completing one to three more years of studying towards bachelor degree.

The public universities are commonly independent from governmental monitoring and don’t require accreditation meanwhile private universities are commonly monitored by the state gathered education council.

Education consultancy is an education firm where students and parents are offered advice about higher education and career opportunities. They help students to make decision about choosing a college and right career. They can provide you with wide range of options available and that suits you the best or which is suitable to the profile of the candidate. Education consultant acts as a bridge between the institutes (schools, colleges & Universities) and prospective students. Education Consultant helps the students to choose their preferable subject, University as well as guide them to the VISA process based on the students’ requirements, past educational qualifications, etc.

It is not mandatory to apply through an education consultants. If you can, you may apply by yourself. But if you apply through the authorized agent/representative, you will get good support from them. They will help you making the University Application; will guide you the visa application process, etc. The chances of refusal would be very low. There are good number of agents or education consultants in Bangladesh. Before choosing an education consultant, you should consider few important factors, such as whether the education consultant is authorized by the University or the College, its service charges, etc. Usually, authorized education consultant does not charge from students. They might take nominal fee if they provide visa assistance, etc. Unauthorized agent charges a lot. It should be noted that there are vast number of fake education consultants who are not authorized and charge a very large amount. A large number of idiot and stupid students deceived and cheated by these fake education consultants. Usually, fake education consultants provides various lucrative offer, make good promises, etc. There are also few fake Facebook Pages and Facebook Groups opened by few fake students and fake consultancy firms misrepresenting and providing negative impression about consultancy firms hiding their true face. They want to process student visa application by charging a lot of amount secretly. A good of number students are also cheated by those FB Groups and pages. Beware of those groups. It is the student’s responsibility to choose the genuine education consultancy firm and it is not a difficult task. Students can easily browse the university website to look for authorized agent or can email the University to ask for whether they have any authorized education consultants in Bangladesh. Students from Bangladesh should always remember the following proverbs – “Too much courtesy, too much craft”; “Greed Leads to Sin and Sin Leads to Death”; “Grasp all, lose all” and “Too much cunning overreaches itself”.

NHP Education Consultants is one of the most reputed and successful consultancy firm in Bangladesh for Canadian student visa processing. NHP is the authorized agent of many universities in Canada such as the University of Manitoba, University of Saskatchewan, University of Regina, Brock University, Toronto Metropolitan University, Seneca College and many more. NHP helps student to process their entire application. From University application to visa application – NHP provides A to Z support.

Yes, IELTS or TOEFL or PTE or other accepted English Test by IRCC is kind of mandatory. Though it can be mitigated if you have other option to prove that you have required English proficiency such as by providing good English score in your IGCSE, Medium of Instruction from UG degree. Overall, you have to be unconditionally accepted by Canadian institutions. Practically, IRCC also have to be satisfied that your English proficiency is good enough to follow the programs.

Duolingo or OIETC English test is accepted by many Canadian institutions but practically IRCC seems not to accept these English test. So if you are a Bangladeshi student, you should apply for your study permit visa with IELTS, TOEFL or PTE Test.

IELTS (International English Language Testing System) exam scores are the most common language requirement for Canadian universities. TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and PTE exam scores are also accepted by Canadian universities.

If you are a Bangladeshi national and would like to apply for a Canadian study permit visa from Bangladesh, you have to follow few simple steps. First, you have to choose your desired program and institution. Before choosing your program and institution, you should consider few important factors such as annual tuition fees, eligibility requirements, living expenses, co-op availability, location, part-time job availability, etc. Considering all these factors, once you have chosen your desired program and institution, you have to apply online following the respective university’s or college’s application procedures and by paying the required application fees and sending the required documents. Usually it takes two weeks to four months to get an admission decision and Letter of Acceptance (LOA). Few institution require advanced tuition fee and few do not. If your institution ask to deposit advanced tuition fee, you should pay the deposit before the given deadline.

Once you have received your LOA, the second step is to apply for Visa. You should lodge your visa application at least two to four months before your class start date. Kindly browse the FAQs to know more about the documents requirement to apply for Canadian study permit visa from Bangladesh.

The final step is to prepare everything including accommodation arrangement, airport pick, bringing required documents, etc. If you wish to apply at the on campus accommodation, you should apply for on campus accommodation using respective university’s housing portal by the given deadline.

Since, Bangladesh is still awaiting for SDS and under non-SDS visa system, current time frame is around two to three months to get a visa decision. Though it has been greatly affected by Canada’s initiative to welcome of Afghanistan and Ukraine refuges. It has been seen that students who applied in between November 2021 to March 2022, they had to wait seven to eight months to get a visa decision from Bangladesh.

Study Permit is not a visa, it’s a permit or a document issued by the Citizen and Immigration (CIC) which allows students to Study in Canada and usually issued at the Port of Entry before entering in Canada. For study permit to remain valid, student must remain enrolled and make reasonable and timely progress towards completing their course.

Study permit is always accompanied along by a TRV (Temporary Resident Visa). Usually, when a student apply for study permit visa, if his/her visa is approved, IRCC or Immigration office issues TRV and put a vignette on the Passport. Please note that a study permit is a document that allows a student to study in Canada while a TRV allows a student to travel to Canada.

It depends on the source of income, nature of business, relationship with the sponsor, etc. On paper, students from Bangladesh are required to show 1 year cost of attendance. But practically, students from Bangladesh are required to prove that the student’s sponsor has sufficient funds and source of income to cover the cost of the whole duration of the programs. The IRCC or Immigration Officer must be satisfied that student will not become a burden or seek for public funds while studying in Canada. So overall, you have to show good amount but regular source of income is most important factor.

Applicants are generally required:

  • Letter of Acceptance from an DLI;
  • A valid passport/travel document,
  • Proof of Financial Support;
  • Ties to their home country and evidence of their intention to leave Canada at the end of their studies.

Additionally, students have to have proof of no criminal history (Police Clearance Certificate) or endangering medical conditions of any sort and willingly undergo medical testing as required.

SDS (Student Direct Stream) is an expedite visa processing system for Canada Study Permit visa which was initially launched in 2018 by the IRCC and was introduced for certain nationalities including India, China and Pakistan and 11 others. Currently, national from fourteen countries are eligible to apply under SDS. IRCC processes most SDS applications within 20 calendar days if the eligibility requirements are met.

Not yet. Bangladesh is expecting to get SDS by Fall 2022. As per IRCC, the Bangladesh High Commission of Ottowa, Canada, few other sources, Bangladesh is in the process of SDS and is in deeply considered for SDS.

The Bangladesh high commission in Canada published they are in negotiations with the Canadian authority to include Bangladesh in the SDS program. The high commissioner works closely with the Global Affairs Canada and Canadian Immigration Authorities. The high commissioner also mentioned they are pursuing to relocate the Canadian Visa Application center to Dhaka from Singapore. Bangladesh high commission prioritized both issues as their top agenda.

In order to be eligible for SDS, the person must be a resident of one of the countries listed in IRCC. As well, the person must have the following required documents:

  • Letter of Acceptance from a Designated Learning Institution (DLI) in Canada
  • Upfront medical exam confirmation document
  • Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC) of $10,000 CAD
  • Proof that tuition fees for the first year of study in Canada have been paid
  • IELTS score of 6.0 or higher in each language skill: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking
  • Recent educational Certificate and Transcript

A GIC is a Canadian investment that has a guaranteed rate of return for a fixed period of time. Many banks offer GICs. The bank that gives you the GIC must:

  • confirm that you bought a GIC by giving you 1 of the following:
    • a letter of attestation
    • a GIC certificate
    • an Investment Directions Confirmation or
    • an Investment Balance Confirmation
  • hold the GIC in an investment account or a student account that you can’t access until you arrive in Canada
  • confirm your identity before they release any funds to you

Once you arrive in Canada, you will receive a portion of your GIC. The rest will be paid out to you over the next 10 to 12 months.

If your bank or GIC doesn’t meet these criteria, you won’t be able to apply through the Student Direct Stream.

Yes, as an international student if you meet the eligibility requirements, you are entitled to work 20 hours per week during semester time and 40 hours or full time on semester breaks or vacation. The eligibility requirements are as follows –

  • The program of study must have to be at least diploma (equivalent) or higher level. You are not eligible if your program is of Certificate, Foundation or UTP Stage I, English Course or similar level.

It depends on the Province or State. Being an international student in Canada usually, you must have to purchase Health Insurance and in most cases, university or college helps students to purchase health insurance. For few province/state Health insurance is not required or included in the public health insurance plan such as Saskatchewan State.

Usually the deal is undergone through the University they chose to attend, it all depends on the province. In some provinces international student might not be included in the public health insurance plan therefore they must purchase private health insurance.

It is different in every province, however a rough estimate would be 500 CAD to 1200 CAD per year.

No. being an international student, you must not work if you do not have a work permit. As an International student if you meet the eligibility requirements, you are entitled to work 20 hours per week during semester time and 40 hours or full time on semester breaks or vacation. The eligibility requirements are as follows –

  • The program of study must have to be at least diploma (equivalent) or higher level. You are not eligible if your program is of Certificate, Foundation or UTP Stage I, English Course or similar level.

In order to work for Part-time or Full-time, you must have to apply for SIN (Social Insurance Number). Furthermore, if you successfully complete at least diploma or higher level program, you are eligible to apply for 1 to 3 years PGWPP (Post Graduate Work Permit program) in which you can work for 1 to 3 years.

International students studying in Canada may apply for Canadian permanent resident status after completing their studies, provided they meet the requirements of the Canadian immigration program under which they apply. Please kindly visit CIC website for details information.

If you’ve got strong time-management and organization skills, working a part-time job while you study can be an effective way to earn an income. On an international student visa, you’re able to work up to 20 hours per week during the term.

Common part-time jobs for international students in Canada include:

  • Receptionist
  • Retail worker
  • Mystery shopper
  • Shelf packer
  • Waiter/barista/bar tender
  • Student ambassador
  • Library assistant
  • Sales Assistance
  • Marketing Assistance

And many other jobs that allows part time options.

Yes. International students studying in Canada may apply for Canadian permanent resident status after completing their studies, provided they meet the requirements of the Canadian immigration program under which they apply. Please kindly visit CIC website for details information.

Depends on the line/type of work you will be doing. It I hard to find a job without being fluent in English. It is recommendable that you must improve your English language skills.

Normally the first thing you will need to do before landing a job is get a bank account and a phone number which insinuates that you will get paid via bank transfers. However, it can be possible for some types of daily jobs to be paid in cash too.

A permanent resident is someone who has been given permanent resident status in Canada, but is not a Canadian citizenship. Permanent residents are citizens of other countries. A person in Canada temporarily, like a student or foreign worker, is not a permanent resident. After residing for certain period of time and by fulfilling few mandatory requirements, you can apply for Canadian Citizenship from your PR status.

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