Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada refreshed the official study permit proof of financial support page on 28 August 2026. From 1 September 2026, a single applicant bound for any province or territory other than Quebec must show CAD 23,448 for one year of living costs. The previous floor was CAD 22,895. Tuition and return travel sit outside the living-cost table. IRCC assesses a file under the table in force on the day the application arrives. A file received today follows the new numbers.
The rise is CAD 553 for a person filing alone. A family of seven now needs CAD 1,465 more than last year's row. Simon Fraser University international student advising confirmed on 31 August 2026 the new floor covers first-time study permit filings and in-Canada extensions submitted on or after 1 September 2026. If you already hold a permit and plan to extend after today, rebuild your evidence around the new row for your household size.
New living-cost table outside Quebec
IRCC lists the following annual living amounts in Canadian dollars for applications received on or after 1 September 2026. None of these figures include tuition or transport.
- 1 person (you): CAD 23,448
- 2 people: CAD 29,192
- 3 people: CAD 35,888
- 4 people: CAD 43,572
- 5 people: CAD 49,419
- 6 people: CAD 55,736
- 7 people: CAD 62,054
- Each extra person after seven: CAD 6,318
IRCC's own example is direct. You plus two family members need CAD 35,888 for living costs in the first year, then tuition and tickets on top. The previous table, used for files received from 1 January 2025 through 31 August 2026, set CAD 22,895 for one person and CAD 6,170 for each extra person after seven.
Three cost buckets IRCC still requires
IRCC requires proof of three buckets, all without relying on work inside Canada:
- first-year tuition for your program
- living costs for you and every family member who travels with you
- transport to Canada and back for the same group
Family size for the table includes you plus people who accompany you. Relatives who stay in your home country do not count toward the living-cost row. Officers still add travel costs for every person on the trip. For a program longer than one year, IRCC still wants first-year funds in hand, plus a written plan for later years. A multi-year scholarship letter, parent employment proof, or a loan schedule all serve as later-year plans. Officers also review the source of the money, not only the closing balance.
Documents IRCC lists as proof
IRCC does not demand every sample on the page. Officers want enough evidence to cover tuition, living costs, and travel. Country visa office instructions often add extra papers, so read the local list on the day you upload.
Tuition and study costs
- A receipt from your designated learning institution for first-year tuition and housing, paired with separate living and travel proof
- A student or education loan letter from a bank
- A scholarship letter, or proof of a Government of Canada funded education program. A tuition-only award still needs living and travel proof beside the letter.
Employment and sponsor support
- Recent pay stubs
- A letter from the person or institution funding you, naming occupation, relationship to you, number of dependants, and the support amount
- Photo identification of the sponsor, or business registration, plus proof of the relationship
Banking and other income
- A Canadian bank account in your name after a transfer into Canada
- A guaranteed investment certificate from a Canadian financial institution
- Six months of bank statements for a Canadian or foreign account, including the month of filing or the month before, plus records showing the source of deposits
- Pension documents or rental income records
If your country restricts foreign exchange, prove export permission for the full amount. Missing export proof is a frequent gap in files from control-list countries.
Quebec follows a separate table
Quebec does not use the IRCC living-cost table. The Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration sets essential-expense figures for a Certificat d'acceptation du Québec. The Quebec.ca costs page, last updated 1 January 2026, lists CAD 24,617 for one person, CAD 34,814 for two, CAD 42,638 for three, CAD 49,234 for four, CAD 55,045 for five, CAD 60,299 for six, and CAD 5,254 for each extra person after six.
Those Quebec figures already sit above the new federal floor. Quebec counts food, housing, clothes, local transport, and health insurance inside the essential-expense row. You still need a CAQ before the federal study permit. IRCC's own page directs Quebec applicants to the provincial financial-capacity rules. The 1 September federal update does not rewrite the Quebec table.
How to file without a funds refusal
Count family members the same way IRCC counts them. Add first-year tuition from your letter of acceptance. Add real return-travel quotes for every person on the trip. Then match the living-cost row for your group.
If a parent funds you, collect the sponsor letter, the sponsor's photo ID, proof of the relationship, and six months of the sponsor's statements with a visible source of income. A lump-sum deposit with no origin story is a common refusal reason. If you already paid tuition, keep the DLI receipt and still show living and travel money in a liquid form. Prepaid tuition does not replace the living-cost row.
Do not treat campus work as part of the first-year floor. IRCC's page states you must prove funds without working in Canada. Name every account holder on every statement. Blurred scans and cropped pages slow a file or kill one. Save a PDF of the IRCC proof of financial support page dated 28 August 2026 with your records. IRCC updates living amounts each year.
If your application is already in the queue from August, IRCC keeps the old living-cost row for the file as received. If you have not clicked submit, use CAD 23,448 or the matching family-size figure, first-year tuition, and return travel. Then add six months of statements with a clear source of funds before you upload.
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