Assuming mild weather
Check the weather for your city and the season you land in. Keep a warm layer in your hand luggage.
Leave room in your bags to buy things after you arrive.
Pre-departure checklist for international students
The permit is not the finish line. Use this list to get documents, packing, insurance and first-week bookings in order before you fly.
Tick items as you go and download a PDF checklist to share with family. Next: post-arrival, accommodation and cost planning.
- Independent counselling
- Free first consultation
- Walk-in office, Brampton ON
A calm first week starts at home
Do this earlyA calm first week starts at home
After approval, the work shifts to practical things: papers, packing, cover for your health, and a plan for the first few days.
None of it is difficult. It is easier when you do it in order and keep everything in one place.
You complete and book these yourself. Many offices need a booking, so ask what you can arrange before you arrive. If something about your permit or the border is unclear, check IRCC's official pages or ask a licensed professional.
Your checklist
Your checklist
Your checklist
Tick items off as you pack and book. Ticks are not saved if you leave the page, so download a PDF if you want a copy.
Documents
Packing
Insurance
Flights
First-week prep
In what order
A rough sequence. Adjust the dates to your intake and city.
In what order
In what order
A rough sequence. Adjust the dates to your intake and city.
- Step 1
Gather your documents
Keep a paper folder and a scanned copy. Check that names match across all of them.
- Step 2
Sort insurance and housing
Arrange cover for travel and for the gap before provincial health cover. Confirm your first address.
- Step 3
Book travel
Check baggage rules before you pack winter items.
- Step 4
Pre-book week one
Ask offices which appointments you can make before landing. Add your college orientation date to your calendar.
- Step 5
Pack and save
Download the PDF checklist and keep emergency contacts and addresses where you can reach them if your phone is off.
Papers go in your hand luggage, not in a checked bag.
Passport, approval and offer letters, proof of your first address and insurance details. Check IRCC's pages and your airline for exactly what to carry for your case.
Open the IRCC page (opens in a new tab)Four common misses
Each one is easy to fix at home and hard to fix at the airport.
Four common misses
Four common misses
Each one is easy to fix at home and hard to fix at the airport.
Papers in a checked bag
A delayed or lost bag should never take your passport, offer letter or insurance details with it.
Relying on your phone
It may have no signal or battery. Print emergency contacts and your first address.
Waiting for classes to start
Ask early what you can book.
Plan ahead, by bag
Three small piles make the last night before you fly much calmer.
Plan ahead, by bag
Plan ahead, by bag
Three small piles make the last night before you fly much calmer.
Anything you cannot replace in a day goes with you, not in the hold.
- Passport, approval and offer letters from the college
- Proof of your first address
- Insurance details
- Laptop and chargers
- A warm layer
- Weigh your bags at home first
Airline rules differ
Check your airline's baggage rules before you pack.
Paper works when a phone does not.
- The PDF checklist from this page, saved or printed
- Emergency contacts
- Your first address and how to get there
- A scanned copy of every document, saved in two places
- Names that match across all documents
One folder
Keep the paper folder and the scanned copies in the same order.
Your college's international office knows what students usually arrange from abroad.
- Which appointments can I book before I arrive?
- Which services need a Canadian address first?
- When is orientation? Add the date to your calendar.
- What do students usually arrange for health cover in the gap?
- Who do I contact if my flight is delayed?
Health cover
Provincial cover can start after a waiting period. Read your province's official health site.
Words you will meet
Words you will meet
Words you will meet
- LOA
- Letter of acceptance from your college.
- POE letter
- Port of entry letter. Check IRCC for what it is and when you receive it.
- DLI
- Designated learning institution. A school approved to host international students.
- SIN
- Social Insurance Number. Used for work and some banking and tax matters.
What to carry is set by IRCC
What to carry, and what you may be asked at the border, is set by IRCC. Check the current instructions there before you travel.
Pages last checked October 2026
Immigration questions go to IRCC or a licensed professional
Visa Master Canada is an RCIC partner you can retain directly. We do not give immigration advice.
Questions before you fly
Independent advice
Study Master Canada provides education counselling and, with your approval, prepares and submits your college applications. We do not give immigration advice or prepare immigration applications. Regulated immigration work, including study permit applications, appeals, spouse work permits and PR pathways, is handled only by a licensed RCIC partner, Visa Master Canada, when you retain them directly. We are not affiliated with any government.
Talk to a counsellor before you decide
A free first conversation about programs, costs and next steps. No obligation, and you make every application yourself.
Book free counselling
Mon–Fri, 9:30am–6:30pm ET. Walk-in office: Unit 1805, 83 Kennedy Road South, Brampton, ON L6W 3N7.