VisasStudying English in Canada for up to six months: why the scary headlines are not about you
Canada's study permit cap cut new arrivals sharply in 2025. But a language course of six months or less never needed a study permit, and that has not changed. What you actually need, what it costs, and what did change.
By the Bid and Study teamAugust 20266 min read
If you follow the news about Canada, 2026 has sounded alarming. New international student arrivals fell by 61 per cent in 2025, the country's Auditor General found that the study permit policies cut numbers harder than the government expected, and Languages Canada reported that its member schools had 13 per cent fewer students last year, with an even bigger drop in student weeks.
All of that is true. And most of it concerns a document that a short language course does not require.
The rule that did not change
Canada draws a line at six months. If your course is six months or shorter, you do not need a study permit. You enter as a visitor, study, and leave, exactly as tens of thousands of Latin American students have done for decades. The permit cap, the provincial allocations and the compliance rules that made the headlines apply to study permits, which are for programmes longer than six months.
What you need instead depends on your passport:
- Chile: an Electronic Travel Authorization, applied for online for a few dollars, because Chile is on Canada's visa-exempt list.
- Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Colombia: a visitor visa, unless you have held a Canadian visa in the last ten years or hold a valid United States visa, in which case an eTA is enough when you fly in. The visitor visa costs CAD 100 plus CAD 85 for biometrics.
Book a school that is a member of Languages Canada, bring your letter of acceptance and proof that you can pay for your stay, and the process is the same one visitors use.
What did change, honestly
Three things matter if you are planning more than six months, or want to work.
- Work: students on a stand-alone English or French course cannot work off campus, whatever the length of the course. The 24-hours-a-week rule applies to programmes of six months or more that lead to a diploma or degree. If earning while you study is essential to your plan, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand are built for that; Canada is not, for language students.
- Study permits for language courses: since February 2026 they are issued for the length of the course plus 90 days, instead of plus one year. A permit is still possible for a longer course, but the extra time after it has shrunk.
- Proof of funds for a study permit rose to CAD 23,448 a year from September 2026, on top of tuition and a return ticket. Visitors are asked to show they can support themselves, without a fixed figure.
What is getting better
Languages Canada launched a Joint Pathway Program in 2026, first as a pilot and then nationwide, so that a student who starts with English can move into a college programme with one application. Schools such as ILAC and ILSC signed partnerships with colleges under it. The country's own 2026 survey of international students showed high satisfaction with education and life in Canada, with cost and work opportunities now weighing more in the decision than before.
Canada also simplified the visa requirements for co-op students in April 2026, and the government has been under pressure from the sector, including a proposal for a language pilot under the federal cap, to reopen the door wider.
A practical plan for a Latin American student
- Twelve to twenty-four weeks of English, no study permit, a visitor visa or eTA, and a homestay or residence booked through the school: this is the format that works today, and prices are competitive because schools have seats to fill.
- Want to stay longer? Start with a short course as a visitor, decide on the ground, and apply for a study permit from inside Canada or from home for a pathway programme with a college.
- Want to work while you learn? Compare with Ireland's Stamp 2 (20 hours a week) or Australia's 48 hours a fortnight before you choose Canada.
Canada remains the most popular destination for students from Brazil and much of Latin America, and nothing in this year's headlines changes that for a language course. The headlines describe universities and colleges adjusting to a cap. Your twelve weeks in Toronto or Vancouver are not in that story.
Sources
- StudyTravel Magazine, news of 3 March, 27 March and 14 August 2026 (arrivals down 61%, Auditor General findings, Languages Canada 2025 figures).
- StudyTravel Magazine, 11 August 2026 (international student survey on satisfaction and decision factors).
- Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, help centre and fee pages, accessed September 2026.
- ICEF Monitor, April 2026 (Languages Canada Joint Pathway Program).
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