How to fill in IMM 1294 (Canada study permit application)

IMM 1294, “Application for Study Permit Made Outside of Canada”, is the form from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) that asks who you are, what your passport says, where and what you will study, how you will pay for it, and a set of background questions. Each person applying for a study permit from outside Canada fills in one: most upload it in their IRCC secure account, and only a few people may still send it on paper.

Last checked against the official form: October 19, 2026

Form: IMM 1294
Edition: IMM 1294 (06-2026) E
Issued by: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)
Form language: English

Who receives it: IRCC. You upload it in your IRCC secure account; paper is only for people with a disability that prevents applying online, or who hold a travel document for refugees, stateless persons or non-national residents
Who fills it in: Each person applying for a study permit from outside Canada; a parent or legal guardian signs for a person under 18
How to open it: Download it to a computer and open it in Adobe Acrobat Reader version 10 or higher; it may not open on tablets or phones
Edition used here: IMM 1294 (06-2026) E
Cost: The form is free; the study permit has a processing fee and most people also pay a biometrics fee. Check the official page for the current amounts

What this form is

IMM 1294 is the main application for a study permit when you apply from outside Canada. It collects your personal details, languages, passport, contact information, the school and program that accepted you, the cost of your studies and the money you have, your education, your employment and a set of background questions. An officer uses it, with your letter of acceptance, proof of funds and other documents, to decide on your application.

IRCC says you must apply online, whether you are outside Canada or already in it. When you apply from outside Canada in your IRCC secure account, IMM 1294 is one of the documents on your checklist: you download it, fill it in, click Validate and upload the validated file. Only people with a disability that prevents them from applying online, or who hold an identity or travel document for non-national residents, refugees or stateless persons, may apply on paper.

If you are approved and need a visitor visa or an eTA to enter Canada, IRCC issues it at the same time as the study permit, so you do not apply for it separately. The study permit itself is issued at the port of entry when you arrive.

Who has to fill it in

You fill it in if:

You have a letter of acceptance from a Designated Learning Institution in Canada and are applying for a study permit from outside Canada.
You apply in your IRCC secure account: the form is on your document checklist.
You are one of the people IRCC allows to apply on paper.
You are helping a child: a parent or legal guardian signs the form for a person under 18.

You use something else if:

You are already in Canada and are extending or changing your study permit: that is a different form (IMM 5709).
Your program lasts 6 months or less: IRCC says you do not need a study permit for it.
You only want to visit Canada: you apply for a visitor visa or an eTA instead.
You are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident: a study permit is only for foreign nationals.

Field-by-field instructions

Top of the form

On the form	What it means	How to fill it in
1UCI	Your Unique Client Identifier, the number IRCC gave you if you have applied before.	Type it if you have one; it is on earlier IRCC letters, visas or permits. If this is your first application to IRCC, leave it blank.
2I want service in	The official language you want IRCC to use when it serves you.	Choose English or French from the list.

Personal Details

On the form	What it means	How to fill it in
1Full name: Family name (as shown on your passport or travel document) / Given name(s) (as shown on your passport or travel document)	Your family name and given names, which must match your passport or travel document.	Type them exactly as shown in the passport, without initials. If your passport has no family name, put your given names in the family name box and leave the given name box blank. IRCC’s guide says to write “NA” where a question does not apply, except for your name.
2a) Have you ever used any other name (e.g. Nickname, maiden name, alias, etc.) ? / b) Family name / Given name(s)	Any other name you have used, such as a birth name, maiden name, married name, alias or nickname.	Check No or Yes. If Yes, enter each other family name and given name in part b).
3Sex	The gender identifier on your application: F (Female), M (Male), U (Unknown) or X (Another gender).	Choose it from the list.
4Date of birth	The day you were born.	Enter the year (YYYY), month (MM) and day (DD) as in your passport.
5Place of birth: City/Town / Country or Territory	The city or town and the country or territory where you were born.	Type the city or town and choose the country or territory from the list, as they appear in your passport.
6Citizenship	The country or territory of which you are a citizen.	Choose it from the list. If you have more than one citizenship, choose the one of the passport you use for this application.
7Current country or territory of residence: Country or Territory / Status / Other / From / To	The country or territory where you live now, your immigration status there and since when.	Choose the country, then your status: Citizen, Permanent resident, Visitor, Worker, Student, Other, Protected Person, Refugee Claimant or Foreign National. If you choose Other, describe it. Enter the From and To dates as YYYY-MM-DD.
8Previous countries or territories of residence: During the past five years have you lived in any country or territory other than your country of citizenship or your current country or territory of residence (indicated above) for more than six months?	Whether, in the past five years, you lived for more than six months in a country or territory other than your country of citizenship and your current residence.	Check No or Yes. If Yes, add each country with your status there and the From and To dates.
9Country or territory where applying: Same as current country or territory of residence?	Whether you are applying from the country or territory where you live.	Check Yes if so. If you check No, give the country you apply from, your status there and the From and To dates.
10a) Your current marital status / b) (If you are married or in a common-law relationship) Provide the date on which you were married or entered into the common-law relationship / c) Provide the name of your current Spouse/Common-law partner	Your current marital status and, if you have a spouse or common-law partner, when the relationship began and their name.	Choose from the list: Annulled Marriage, Common-Law, Divorced, Married, Separated, Single, Unknown or Widowed. If you are married or common-law, enter the date as YYYY-MM-DD and your partner’s family and given names. A common-law partner usually also needs the Statutory Declaration of Common-law Union (IMM 5409).
11a) Have you previously been married or in a common-law relationship? / b) Provide the following details for your previous Spouse/Common-law Partner / c) Date of birth / d) Type of relationship / From / To	Whether you were married or in a common-law relationship before, and the details of that partner.	Check No or Yes. If Yes, enter their family and given names, date of birth, the type of relationship (Married or Common-Law) and the From and To dates.

Language(s)

On the form	What it means	How to fill it in
1aNative language/ Mother Tongue	Your mother tongue.	Choose it from the list.
1b–1dAre you able to communicate in English and/or French? / In which language are you most at ease? / Have you taken a test from a designated testing agency to assess your proficiency in English or French?	Whether you can communicate in English, French, both or neither, the one you are most at ease in, and whether you took a test from a designated testing agency.	Choose from the lists, then check No or Yes for the language test. The results themselves are uploaded as a document if your checklist asks for them.

Passport

On the form	What it means	How to fill it in
1Passport number	The number of the passport you use for this application.	Copy it exactly as printed in the passport, with no spaces.
2–4Country or territory of issue / Issue date / Expiry date	Which country or territory issued the passport, and when it was issued and expires.	Choose the country from the list and enter the issue and expiry dates as YYYY-MM-DD. IRCC does not issue a study permit valid past your passport’s expiry date, so check how long it is valid.
5–6For this trip, will you use a passport issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taiwan that includes your personal identification number? / For this trip, will you use a National Israeli passport?	Two questions for certain passports: a Taiwan passport that shows a personal identification number, and a National Israeli passport.	Check No or Yes for each, for the passport you use for this trip.

National Identity Document

On the form	What it means	How to fill it in
1–5Do you have a national identity document? / Document number / Country or territory of issue / Issue date / Expiry date	Whether you have a national identity document, and its details.	Check No or Yes. If Yes, enter the document number exactly as printed, the issuing country or territory, and the issue and expiry dates.

US PR Card

On the form	What it means	How to fill it in
1–3Are you a lawful permanent resident of the United States? / U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) number / Expiry date	Whether you are a lawful permanent resident of the United States.	Check No or Yes. If Yes, enter your USCIS number and the card’s expiry date.

Contact Information

On the form	What it means	How to fill it in
1Current mailing address	The address where IRCC sends you mail.	Give a P.O. box, or the apartment or unit, street number and street name, then city, country or territory, province or state, postal code and district if they apply.
2Same as mailing address? / Residential address	Where you live, if different from the mailing address.	Check Yes if it is the same. If No, fill in the full residential address.
3–5Telephone no. / Alternate Telephone no. / Fax no.	Your telephone number, an alternate number and, if you have one, a fax number.	For each, check Canada/US or Other, choose the type (Residence, Cellular or Business) and enter the number with the country code. Put an extension, if any, under Ext.
6E-mail address	The address IRCC can use to write to you.	Type an address you check often. The form says that giving it authorizes IRCC to send all correspondence, including file and personal information, to that address. To let a representative receive information, give their details here and on the IMM 5476 form.

Details of Intended Study in Canada

On the form	What it means	How to fill it in
1aI have been accepted at the following educational institution (Attach the original letter of acceptance). a) Name of School	The name of the school that accepted you, as on your letter of acceptance.	Type the school’s name exactly as on the letter, and upload the letter with your application.
1b–1cb) My level of study will be: / c) My field of study will be:	The level of your program (for example Secondary School, College - Diploma or University - Master’s Deg.) and its field of study.	Choose both from the lists so that they match your letter of acceptance.
1dd) Complete address of school in Canada: Province / City/Town / Address	Where the school is in Canada.	Choose the province and city or town, and type the street address of the campus you will attend, as on the letter of acceptance.
2a) Designated Learning Institution # (O#) / b) My Student ID # is:	Your school’s Designated Learning Institution number and the student or application number the school gave you.	Copy the DLI number from your letter of acceptance or the DLI list. It begins with the capital letter O, not the digit zero. Copy your student ID # from the letter too.
3Duration of expected study: From / To	When your program starts and when you expect to finish it.	Enter the From and To dates as YYYY-MM-DD, taken from your letter of acceptance.
4The cost of my studies will be: Tuition / Room and board / Other	What your studies will cost: tuition, room and board, and other costs.	Enter the amounts in Canadian dollars. Schools usually advise using your first year’s tuition and fees from the letter or the school’s fee page, and your estimated living costs for that year.
5Funds available for my stay (CAD)	The money you have available for your stay.	Type the total in Canadian dollars (CAD), matching your proof of funds. IRCC asks you to show enough to pay tuition, living expenses and return transport for at least the first year; the living cost amounts change each year, so check the official page.
6a) My expenses in Canada will be paid by: / b) Other	Who will pay your expenses in Canada.	Choose Myself, Parents or Other. If Other, say who in box b), for example a sponsor or a scholarship.
7If you have been issued a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL)/Territorial Attestation Letter (TAL), provide the: Document Number / Expiry Date (YYYY-MM-DD)	The number and expiry date of your Provincial or Territorial Attestation Letter.	Copy them from the letter, which you get through the school you plan to attend. Most applicants need one; IRCC lists exceptions, such as primary and secondary school students. The letter must be valid when you apply.
8If you have been issued a Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ), provide the: Certificate Number / Expiry Date (YYYY-MM-DD)	The number and expiry date of your Quebec Acceptance Certificate, if you will study in Quebec.	Copy them from the CAQ. If you do not study in Quebec, leave it blank.

Education

On the form	What it means	How to fill it in
Have you had any post secondary education (including university, college or apprenticeship training)? / If you answered ‘‘yes’’, give full details of your highest level of post secondary education.	Whether you have any education after secondary school, such as university, college or apprenticeship training.	Check No or Yes. If Yes, give your highest level: the From and To dates (year and month), field and level of study, school name, city, country or territory and province or state.

Employment

On the form	What it means	How to fill it in
1Current Activity/Occupation	What you are doing now: your job, studies or another activity.	Enter the From date (year and month), your occupation, the company, employer or school, and the city, country and province. If you are in school, write that you are a student and name the school.
2–3Previous Activity/Occupation	What you did before, so the section covers the past 10 years.	Give the same details for each earlier job or activity, with From and To dates and no gaps, including any government position. If you need more rows, print an extra page of the section.

Background Information

On the form	What it means	How to fill it in
1a) Within the past two years, have you or a family member ever had tuberculosis of the lungs or been in close contact with a person with tuberculosis? / b) Do you have any physical or mental disorder that would require social and/or health services, other than medication, during a stay in Canada? / c) If you answered "yes" to question 1a) or 1b), please provide details and the name of the family member (if applicable).	Questions about tuberculosis, in you or a family member in the past two years, and about any condition that would need social or health services (other than medication) during your stay.	Check No or Yes for each. If Yes to either, give details in c) and name the family member if it applies.
2a) Have you ever remained beyond the validity of your status, attended school without authorization or worked without authorization in Canada? / b) Have you ever been refused a visa or permit, denied entry or ordered to leave Canada or any other country or territory? / c) Have you previously applied to enter or remain in Canada? / d) If you answered “yes” to question 2a), 2b) or 2c), please provide details.	Questions about past immigration problems: staying beyond your status, studying or working without authorization in Canada, a refusal, denied entry or an order to leave any country, and earlier applications to Canada.	Check No or Yes for each. If Yes to any of them, give the details in d).
3a) Have you ever committed, been arrested for, or been charged with or convicted of any criminal offence in any country or territory? / b) If you answered “yes” to question 3a) above, please provide details.	Whether you have ever committed, been arrested for, charged with or convicted of a criminal offence in any country or territory.	Check No or Yes. If Yes, give the details in b).
4a) Did you serve in any military, militia, or civil defence unit or serve in a security organization or police force (including non obligatory national service, reserve or volunteer units)? / b) If you answered yes to question 4a), please provide dates of service and countries or territories where you served.	Whether you served in a military, militia or civil defence unit, a security organization or a police force, including national service, reserve or volunteer units.	Check No or Yes. If Yes, enter your dates of service and the countries or territories where you served.
5Are you, or have you ever been a member or associated with any political party, or other group or organization which has engaged in or advocated violence as a means to achieving a political or religious objective, or which has been associated with criminal activity at any time?	Whether you are or have been a member of, or associated with, a political party, group or organization that engaged in or advocated violence for a political or religious aim, or that was associated with criminal activity.	Check No or Yes. IRCC says every question in this section must be answered, or the application is considered incomplete and returned.
6Have you ever witnessed or participated in the ill treatment of prisoners or civilians, looting or desecration of religious buildings?	Whether you have witnessed or taken part in the ill treatment of prisoners or civilians, looting, or desecration of religious buildings.	Check No or Yes. If you answer Yes to any of questions 3 to 6, or if an officer asks, you may also have to fill in IMM 5257 Schedule 1.

Signature

On the form	What it means	How to fill it in
Do you consent to be contacted by CIC, or an organization at CIC’s request, in the future? (Y/N)	Your choice about whether IRCC, or an organization acting for it, may contact you later about services you received, for research and evaluation. It is not used to decide your application.	Check Yes or No.
Signature of Applicant or Parent/Legal Guardian’s for a person under 18 years of age. / Date: YYYY-MM-DD	Your signature and the date, confirming the declaration above it: that your answers are full and true, and that IRCC may share your information with the CBSA and your school to check that you follow the conditions of your permit.	On paper, sign and date it yourself (YYYY-MM-DD), or a parent or legal guardian signs for a person under 18. Online, you sign electronically in your account when you submit. Click Validate before you upload or print, so the barcode page is added.

Key terms

Term on the form	What it means
UCI (Unique Client Identifier)	A number IRCC gives each client the first time they apply. If you already have one, it is on earlier IRCC letters and documents.
Study permit	The document that lets a foreign national study at a school in Canada. It is not a visa: if you also need a visitor visa or an eTA to enter, IRCC issues it with the approval.
Designated Learning Institution (DLI)	A school approved by a province or territory to host international students. Post-secondary students need a letter of acceptance from a DLI; its number begins with the letter O.
Letter of acceptance	The letter from your school that says you were accepted into a program. You upload it with the application.
Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL)/Territorial Attestation Letter (TAL)	A letter from the province or territory where you plan to study confirming that you have one of its available study spaces. Most applicants need one, with exceptions that IRCC lists on its website.
Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ)	The certificate Quebec issues to students who will study there. For Quebec, it also serves as the attestation letter.
Custodian Declaration (IMM 5646)	A notarized form for a minor under 17 who comes without a parent or legal guardian; it names an adult in Canada who will look after them.
Document checklist (IMM 5483)	IRCC’s list of the forms and documents to include with the application. Online, your account generates it for you.
Family Information (IMM 5707)	A separate form with details about your family members, uploaded with your application if it is on your checklist.
Biometrics	Your fingerprints and photo, given at an official collection point after you apply. IRCC sends a letter; most people give them once every 10 years.
IMM 5257 Schedule 1	An extra form that IRCC may ask you to fill in if you answered Yes to any of the background questions 3 to 6, or when an officer requests it.
Status	Your legal standing in the country where you live: Citizen, Permanent resident, Visitor, Worker, Student, Other, Protected Person, Refugee Claimant or Foreign National.
Common-law	A partner you have lived with continuously in a marital-type relationship for at least one year. IRCC asks for the Statutory Declaration of Common-law Union (IMM 5409).

Common mistakes

1
Typing the DLI number with a zero
The Designated Learning Institution number begins with the capital letter O, not the digit zero. Copy it exactly from your letter of acceptance.
2
Funds that do not match the proof
The funds box is in Canadian dollars and should agree with your bank statements, loan or scholarship letters. It should cover at least the tuition and costs you entered in question 4.
3
Gaps in the employment history
The section covers the past 10 years. If you were in school or not working, say so for that period instead of leaving a gap.
4
Leaving background questions unanswered
Every question in that section must be answered by applicants 18 or older, or the application is considered incomplete and returned. Check No or Yes for each one.
5
Uploading a printed and scanned copy
Fill in the form on a computer, click Validate, save it and upload that file. Schools warn not to print and scan it, because the barcode page is added only when the form is validated.
6
Forgetting the PAL or CAQ
Most applicants need a valid Provincial or Territorial Attestation Letter, and students in Quebec need a CAQ. Enter the number and expiry date and upload the letter, or proof that you are exempt.
7
Study details that do not match the letter
The school name, level, field and dates should match your letter of acceptance. A different start date or program can raise questions.
8
Forgetting the forms that go with it
Depending on your case you may also need the Family Information form (IMM 5707), IMM 5409 for a common-law partner, IMM 5646 for a minor under 17 without a parent, and IMM 5476 for a representative.

Questions and answers

What is IMM 1294 used for?

IMM 1294 is the application for a study permit made from outside Canada. You fill it in and upload it in your IRCC secure account, or send it on paper if you are one of the people allowed to.

Can I still apply for a study permit on paper?

Only in two cases: you have a disability that prevents you from applying online, or you hold an identity or travel document for non-national residents, refugees or stateless persons. Everyone else must apply online.

Do I need IMM 1294 if I apply online?

Yes, if it is on your document checklist. In the IRCC secure account you download IMM 1294, fill it in, validate it and upload it with your other documents.

Where do I find my DLI number?

On your letter of acceptance, or in IRCC’s list of Designated Learning Institutions. It begins with the letter O.

What if I do not have a UCI?

Leave it blank. If this is your first application to IRCC, you do not have one yet.

How much money do I need to show?

Enough for tuition, living expenses and return transport, for at least the first year. IRCC updates the living cost amounts each year, so check the official page before you apply.

Do I need a separate visitor visa?

No. If you need a visitor visa or an eTA to enter Canada, IRCC issues it with your study permit approval.

How much does it cost, and how long does it take?

The form is free. The study permit has a processing fee and most applicants also pay for biometrics, and processing times change. Check the IRCC fees and processing times pages for the current figures.

Who signs for a child?

A parent or legal guardian signs for a person under 18. A child under 17 coming without a parent or legal guardian also needs a custodian and the Custodian Declaration (IMM 5646).

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