cities in Canada
Canada is a federation, and immigration is only half federal. The province you pick decides your proof-of-funds figure, your extra paperwork, and your route to permanent residence.
The study permit is federal. Almost everything around it is not. Each province issues its own attestation letters, runs its own nominee programme for permanent residence, and — in Quebec's case — requires an entirely separate acceptance certificate and sets its own, much higher, proof-of-funds figure.
That makes the city choice in Canada a provincial choice in disguise. Montreal and Toronto are not two versions of the same process; they are two different processes with different money attached.
Tap a pin to open a city.
costs more / mid-range / costs less compare these cities to each other, not to anywhere else. They are our reading of the spread across Canada, not a published index — the sourced money figures are on the costs page.
What actually changes when you change province — none of it visible on a university's own website.
Quebec is separate
Montreal requires a Québec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) before the federal study permit, and Quebec sets its own proof-of-funds figure — substantially above the federal one.
Provincial attestation letters
Most study permit applications need a provincial or territorial attestation letter (PAL/TAL). They are capped and issued by the province, not the university.
Permanent residence routes
Each province runs its own nominee programme with its own occupation lists. Where you studied and worked is normally a criterion.
French
Quebec's own immigration routes increasingly require demonstrated French. Elsewhere in Canada, French is an advantage but not a gate.