Since September 1, 2026, a student heading anywhere in Canada outside Quebec has to show CA$23,448 a year for living costs alone, before tuition and travel. For many families the proof is a stack of bank statements, salary certificates and loan letters in Spanish, Vietnamese, Arabic or Chinese, and the officer who reads them works in English or French.
The translation rule fits in one sentence. The trouble is in the detail: a statement translated without the bank's stamp, a missing affidavit, a father whose name is spelled three ways across three documents.
Below: the rule, the documents, the 2026 funds amounts, the PAL, Quebec's CAQ, family members, minors and the mistakes that get files returned.
Do I need a certified translation for a Canadian study permit?
Yes, for every supporting document that is not in English or French. IRCC's study permit guide says you must include "the English or French translation" with any such document, and "an affidavit from the person who completed the translation (if they are not a certified translator)."
That leaves two routes, and IRCC presents the second for translations a certified translator does not provide:
- A Canadian certified translator. The guide means "a member in good standing" of a provincial or territorial organization, such as ATIO, OTTIAQ or STIBC, and says translators certified in Canada "don't need to supply an affidavit." A translator certified only abroad should add one.
- Any other professional translator, plus a sworn affidavit. The translator swears to the accuracy of the translation and to their language proficiency before a notary public, commissioner of oaths or commissioner of taking affidavits in Canada, or a notary public or equivalent abroad.
Translations "must not be done by the applicants themselves nor by members of the applicant's family", and IRCC's instructions extend the bar to representatives and consultants. If an education agent is your authorized representative, the agent cannot translate either.
Applications missing required translations are returned as incomplete, and an officer who doubts a translation can ask for a new one by a different translator. For the full rule, see IRCC translation requirements and certified translation vs sworn affidavit.
Which study permit documents need translating?
Anything in another language that you upload, including foreign stamps on documents otherwise in English:
| Document | Translate? | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Letter of acceptance | No | IRCC asks the school to confirm it is valid. Upload it only in the LOA space. |
| PAL or TAL; Quebec CAQ | No | Issued by the province or territory, or by Quebec |
| Canadian GIC certificate | No | Issued by a Canadian financial institution |
| Your or your parents' bank statements | Yes | Every page and transaction for the period, with stamps |
| Bank letters, education loan and scholarship letters | Yes | Name, amount, currency, date and signatory |
| Sponsor's employment letter, salary certificate, tax return | Yes | They show where the money comes from |
| Birth certificate naming the parent who pays | Yes | It links the sponsor to you |
| Diplomas and transcripts you upload | Yes | They support your study plan |
| Marriage certificate, children's birth certificates | Yes | For family members coming with you |
| Custodianship declaration (IMM 5646) | Form: no | A foreign notary's certificate in another language: yes |
| Letter of explanation | No | Write it yourself in English or French |
How much money do you need to show for a study permit in 2026?
Outside Quebec, IRCC applies these living-cost amounts, on top of first-year tuition and travel, to applications made on or after September 1, 2026:
| People in the application, including you | Funds per year (CA$) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 23,448 |
| 2 | 29,192 |
| 3 | 35,888 |
| 4 | 43,572 |
| 5 | 49,419 |
| 6 | 55,736 |
| 7 | 62,054 |
| Each additional person | 6,318 |
Applications made up to August 31, 2026 used the previous figure of CA$22,895, and IRCC says the amounts "are updated each year." For a program longer than a year, the amounts cover the first year, and IRCC also wants to know how you will pay for the rest.
Quebec sets its own figure: for applications made from January 1, 2026, CA$24,617 a year for one person, CA$34,814 for two and CA$42,638 for three.
What counts as proof of funds
IRCC's examples include a Canadian bank account in your name if you have transferred money, a guaranteed investment certificate, an education loan from a bank, a scholarship, pension or rental income documents, and "a letter from the person or institution giving you money." Officers' instructions add foreign bank statements "for the past 6 months" and say a sponsor's letter must come with other proof of funds.
Officers look at the source as well as the balance, and may request "more extensive financial background information." If a large sum appeared recently, translate the paper that explains it: the sale deed, loan agreement or gift deed. See bank statements and proof of funds.
What a translated bank statement must show
- The bank's name, branch and address as printed
- The account holder's name in the passport spelling
- Account number, account type and statement period
- Every amount in its original currency, never converted into Canadian dollars
- Opening and closing balances and every transaction line
- Stamps, seals, signatures and QR or verification codes, described in brackets
- The issue date of the statement or letter
Who needs a PAL or TAL in 2026, and does it need translating?
Most post-secondary students need one, and it never needs translating because the province or territory issues it. IRCC calls the attestation letter "usually required" and wants it "with your study permit application, not after."
The main exemptions in October 2026 are students up to grade 12; students in a degree-granting master's or doctoral program at a public designated learning institution, since January 1, 2026; exchange students who pay no tuition; Global Affairs Canada scholarship holders; and some applicants already in Canada, such as a student extending at the same school and level. If you rely on an exemption, you must prove it.
PALs and TALs issued for the 2026 cap year expire on December 31, 2026 unless the letter shows an earlier date. Students in Quebec need an attestation of issuance of their CAQ instead.
Studying in Quebec: the CAQ has stricter translation rules
Quebec selects students first, through the Certificat d'acceptation du Québec (CAQ). Its immigration ministry (MIFI) wants documents in French or English, and any other language "accompanied by a translation signed and authenticated by a professional translator."
A translation made in Canada must come from a member of OTTIAQ, ATIO, STIBC or CTINB, or from the translation department of the relevant embassy or consulate. Abroad, it must come from a member of a professional order or someone authorized to act as one, or from the translation department of the issuing institution, the issuing country's embassy or consulate, or its foreign affairs or justice ministry. For 13 countries, including Ukraine, Russia and Kazakhstan, a translation without a seal is accepted with a notarial act in English or French naming the translator.
See Quebec immigration documents.
Can my spouse and children come, and which documents do they need?
They can, but since January 21, 2025 a spouse or common-law partner qualifies for an open work permit only if you are in a master's program of 16 months or longer, a doctoral program, or a professional degree program on IRCC's list, such as medicine, law or nursing, and are not in your last term. Dependent children are not eligible for this open work permit.
The relationship is proven with "a marriage certificate or Statutory Declaration of Common-Law Union [IMM 5409]." The form is in English or French; the evidence behind a common-law claim, such as a joint lease, often is not, and needs translating. Children need birth certificates naming both parents. See work permit documents for the spouse's side.
Minor students: custodian and consent
Children under 17 who come to study without a parent need a custodian in Canada, a citizen or permanent resident aged 19 or older; from 17 to the age of majority, officers decide case by case. The parents abroad and the custodian each sign the notarized Custodianship Declaration (IMM 5646), and a notarial certificate added abroad in another language must be translated like any stamp. When one parent comes along, officers ask for "a signed Parent Consent Letter or Travel Authorization Form" from the other, translated if necessary.
Why study permit files get returned or questioned
- A certificate where an affidavit was needed. A translator's signed certificate is not an affidavit. Without a Canadian certified translator's seal, the sworn affidavit must be in the upload.
- Statements translated in part. The first and last page of six months of statements leave the officer unable to match the original.
- Names that drift. The father is "Mohamed" on the bank letter, "Mohammad" on the birth certificate translation and "Muhammad" in his passport. Follow the passport.
- The wrong translator. A parent, a sibling or the education agent acting as representative.
- Upload errors. Each upload field takes one file, and if you upload several, only the last one is saved. Combine the translation, affidavit and scan of the original into one PDF within the limit: 4 MB in the IRCC secure account, 5 MB in the IRCC Portal.
Checklist: translations for a study permit application
Questions people ask
Do I need a certified translation for a Canadian study permit?
Yes, for any document not in English or French. IRCC's study permit guide accepts a translation by a Canadian certified translator or, when the translator is not certified in Canada, one that comes with the translator's sworn affidavit. A translation with neither, or one made by you or a relative, can get the application returned as incomplete.
Do my parents' bank statements need to be translated?
Yes, if they are not in English or French, and every page for the period you submit. Translate the sponsor's income documents and the birth certificate that links you too, because the officer checks where the money comes from.
Can I translate my own documents or ask my education agent to do it?
No. IRCC bars applicants, their family members and their representatives or consultants from translating, even if they are fluent or work as translators. Use an independent translator.
Does the translation need to be notarized?
Not in the sense of a notary stamping a copy. Unless the translator is certified in Canada, IRCC wants an affidavit: the translator swears to the accuracy of the translation before a notary public or commissioner of oaths, who signs and seals it.
Do I upload the original document or a copy?
For an online application you upload a scan of the original, or of a certified photocopy, together with the translation and the affidavit. Keep the originals in case an officer asks for them.
How much does a study permit translation cost and how long does it take?
Official Translations charges CA$39.95 per page, a page being up to 300 words, plus CA$24.95 per document for the sworn affidavit IRCC accepts. A one-page certificate usually arrives as a signed PDF within 24 hours, and longer sets such as six months of statements take 1 to 3 business days.
What happens if IRCC returns my application because of a translation?
You fix the problem and apply again, losing time while your PAL's validity runs. If IRCC refuses a translation from Official Translations for accuracy, completeness or certification, it is corrected and reissued free, normally within 24 hours of receiving the refusal, and the translation fee is refunded if a correction cannot resolve a refusal caused by the translation.
