Foreign nationals are required to obtain a study permit for engaging in academic, professional, vocational or other education or training that is more than 6 months in duration at a designated learning institution (DLI) in Canada.
The following activities are not considered studies for the purposes of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) and do not require a study permit:
• pre-school (pre-kindergarten)
• courses of general interest or self-improvement
• distance learning
• audited courses (typically by sitting in on an academic course, but without obtaining credit for it, or having the ability to obtain credit for it retroactively)
• settlement and integration courses offered by a provincial or territorial government through settlement and integration providers (including francization courses offered by the Government of Quebec, as they are considered settlement and integration courses and not language courses by IRCC)
