Landing & first week · Students
What happens at the Canadian airport with a study permit
The short answer
At a Canadian airport, an approved international student clears immigration at the first point of entry, declares any food or goods at a kiosk, and answers a border officer's questions honestly. The officer then prints and issues the actual study permit on arrival, so you don't have it before you land. Check it for errors, including the off-campus work remark, before leaving the counter.
On this page
You don’t arrive holding your study permit; you arrive to collect it. The document you carry from home is the Letter of Introduction, and the border officer turns it into the real permit at the airport.
First point of entry
You clear immigration at the first Canadian airport you land at, even if a connecting flight takes you onward. That first airport is your “port of entry,” and it’s where your study permit is issued. Follow the signs to primary inspection before anything else.
Get off at your first Canadian airport
If you fly Delhi–Toronto–Winnipeg, you clear immigration and customs in Toronto, not Winnipeg. Don't rush to your gate first, because the permit is issued here.
Clear primary inspection
Follow the arrivals signs to the border kiosks or officers. This is where your identity and documents are checked and your study permit is printed.
Collect your bags and clear customs
Pick up your checked luggage from the carousel, then go through customs with it. Have your food and goods declaration ready.
Re-check bags for your connection
After customs, drop your bags at the domestic transfer desk and head to your connecting flight. Book a generous layover, because permit processing can take time.
The kiosk
Most major airports use a Primary Inspection Kiosk (PIK) or eGate, where you make your customs and immigration declaration before you see an officer. You can also complete it in advance in the Advance Declaration feature of ArriveCAN, up to 72 hours before you land, to save time.
Scan your passport and take a photo
At the kiosk, scan your travel document and let it take your picture. Up to five travellers from the same household can use one kiosk together.
Answer the declaration questions honestly
You'll be asked whether you're bringing food, plants, animal products, or goods over your limits. Declare everything; sealed spices count too. Hiding food is the offence, not carrying it.
Take your receipt to the officer
The kiosk prints a receipt. Hand it to the border services officer, who reviews your declaration and your study documents.
Declaring food honestly costs you nothing, and dairy from India is refused whatever you do. See bringing food from India to Canada for the item-by-item rules before you pack.
The interview
The border officer’s job is to confirm you’re a genuine student who meets the conditions of the permit. Expect plain questions: which school and program, how you’ll fund your studies, where you’ll live. There is no memorised script to learn, because it is your own plan. Understand what your permit requires, then answer every question truthfully. The documents in your bag already tell the same story, so honest answers simply match them.
Have these ready, out of your bag, before you reach the counter:
- Passport, with your valid visa or eTA
- Letter of Introduction, your port of entry letter (this is what the permit is issued against)
- Letter of acceptance from your designated learning institution (DLI)
- Provincial or territorial attestation letter (PAL/TAL), if your application required one
- Proof of funds: your GIC certificate or bank letters
A lie at the border is far worse than the truth
Under section 16 of Canada’s immigration law, you must answer the officer’s questions truthfully. Giving false information or withholding a material fact is misrepresentation, and under section 40 of the IRPA that makes you inadmissible to Canada for five years, on top of a refusal or removal. If the honest answer is awkward, give the honest answer. Never invent a story, and never let anyone coach you to.
Your study permit paper
Before you walk away from the counter, read the printed study permit. Errors happen, and they’re far easier to fix on the spot than after you’ve left. Check every line against what you were approved for.
Your name and date of birth
The expiry date
The school named on the permit
The off-campus work remark
Any conditions or remarks
By the numbers
If something goes wrong
Not every arrival is smooth, and most bumps are routine. Secondary inspection is a further check in a separate area, for immigration, customs, or both. An officer sends you there when they need more time, another document, or a bag search. It is not an accusation. Stay calm, keep answering honestly, and hand over what’s asked; most students clear it and continue.
If a checked bag is lost or delayed, report it at your airline’s baggage desk before you leave the airport and keep the reference number. That is an airline matter, separate from immigration, and it does not affect your study permit. It is exactly why your passport, Letter of Introduction, letter of acceptance and proof of funds belong in your carry-on, never in a checked bag.
Give yourself time and a printed set
Print your Letter of Introduction and key documents on paper rather than relying on a phone screen at the counter. And leave a long layover before any connecting flight, because getting the permit issued and clearing customs at your first airport can take longer than you expect.
What to do next
- Packing for Canada from India: what goes in your carry-on, and what customs won’t let in.
- Planning your studies? See how we handle Canada study permits end to end.
- Have a question about your arrival? Talk to our licensed team before you fly.
Common questions
Do you get your study permit at the airport in Canada?
Yes. What you carry from home is the Letter of Introduction (also called the port of entry letter), which proves your application was approved but is not the permit itself. The border services officer reviews your documents on arrival and prints your actual study permit there. If you can't show the Letter of Introduction, the officer can't issue the permit, and you may be admitted only as a visitor.
What documents do I need to show at the Canadian airport as a student?
Carry these in your hand luggage: your passport with valid visa or eTA, your Letter of Introduction (port of entry letter), your letter of acceptance from the designated learning institution, your provincial or territorial attestation letter (PAL/TAL) if your application required one, and your proof of funds, such as a GIC certificate or bank letters. Keep them out and ready before you reach the officer.
Can I work off campus with my study permit right after landing?
Only if your study permit carries the off-campus work remark. Look for wording like 'May work 24 hours per week off campus or full-time during regular breaks if meeting criteria outlined in paragraph 186(v) of the IRPR.' As of 2026, eligible students can work up to 24 hours a week off campus during class sessions. If the remark is missing but you qualify, ask the officer at the counter before you leave.
What questions does the border officer ask international students?
The officer confirms you are a genuine student: which school and program, how you'll pay for it, and where you'll live. There is no script and no trick. Understand your own plan and answer every question truthfully, because the documents in your bag already tell the same story. Honest, direct answers are what clear you through.
What happens if I'm sent to secondary inspection at a Canadian airport?
Secondary inspection is a further check in a separate area, for immigration, customs, or both. It is routine and not an accusation; officers use it when they need more time, another document, or a bag search. Stay calm, keep answering honestly, and hand over what's asked. Most students clear secondary and continue to their connecting flight.
Do I clear customs at my first airport in Canada if I have a connecting flight?
Yes. You clear immigration and customs at your first point of entry in Canada, the first Canadian airport you land at, even when a connecting flight takes you elsewhere. You collect your checked bags, take them through customs, then re-check them for the domestic leg. Leave enough connection time, because getting your study permit issued can take a while.
Related guides
Landing & first week
The first week is admin. The next permit is a file.
A spouse joining you, a parent visiting, or the permit after this one. We can represent you before IRCC, which is something no comment section can do.
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