In Canada the first payment usually comes early. Many colleges now ask for the first semester’s fees before they issue your Letter of Acceptance, and for most students the provincial attestation letter (PAL) needed for the study permit comes only after you have paid at least part of your tuition. If your bank can’t send an international transfer, or a wire takes weeks to arrive, that deadline is the problem.
This guide explains how Canadian universities and colleges collect international fees, which of them take cards and what they charge, and how to pay with a Mehbit virtual Mastercard funded with USDT. The full step-by-step process for any country is in our tuition payment guide.
How Canadian schools take international payments
Each school names the services it accepts, and many refuse anything else. Check your school’s “paying from outside Canada” page first. Some examples:
| School | Accepted routes | Card? |
|---|---|---|
| Centennial College | Flywire only | Yes, in Flywire |
| Fanshawe College | Flywire for all payments | Yes: 2.25% on credit cards, 1.5% on debit |
| Conestoga College | Flywire and Convera | Yes, with a convenience fee |
| Humber Polytechnic | Flywire from outside Canada | Yes, with a convenience fee |
| University of Toronto | Convera and Flywire; no other services | Yes, with a 2.5% fee on cards paid in its own portal |
| Carleton University | Convera and Flywire | Through Flywire |
| University of Waterloo | Convera | No: credit cards are not accepted |
| McGill University | CIBC International Student Pay and Convera | No: “It is not possible to pay by credit card” |
The pattern: colleges mostly use Flywire and accept cards. Some large universities route international payments through bank-transfer services and either don’t take cards or add a fee. If your school takes only bank transfers, a card can’t pay it.
Card fees: what to expect
- Convenience fees are common. Canadian schools often pass the card processing cost on to you, usually between 1.5% and 2.5%. Flywire shows any card fee on the summary screen before you confirm.
- Card fees are usually not refunded. If you later get a refund, the fee you paid for using a card is normally kept.
- Payer country. There is no Canadian Mehbit card, so choose the country your card was issued in as the payer country on Flywire: United Kingdom for the UK card, Singapore for the Singapore card.
Deposits before the LOA, PAL and study permit
Canada’s immigration department says it plainly: you need to accept your offer and pay your tuition, in part or in full, to get your PAL or TAL. Since 1 January 2026, master’s and PhD students at public institutions don’t need a PAL, but schools still set their own deposit rules. Some examples from the schools’ own pages (amounts in Canadian dollars):
| School | What you pay first | If the study permit is refused |
|---|---|---|
| Seneca Polytechnic | First semester’s fees, before the Letter of Acceptance (since May 2026) | Refund minus a $100 admin fee |
| Conestoga College | $2,500 non-refundable deposit, due 30 days after acceptance | Refund minus a $200 admin fee; allow 8 to 10 weeks |
| University of British Columbia | $3,000 acceptance deposit | Refund minus a $150 processing fee, with proof of the refusal |
| University of Toronto | Admission deposit, $5,000 in many programs | Refunded only in exceptional cases, such as a study permit refusal |
- Leave margin before the deadline. A card payment is confirmed in minutes, but the school can take a few working days to issue the receipt or letter you need.
- Read the refund policy before you pay. Refunds usually go back to the original payment method, and some schools refund by bank transfer or cheque instead. A refund to your card comes back as dollars on that card, and you can move it to your wallet and withdraw it as USDT.
What the study permit asks for
- Fees: CAN$150 for the study permit and CAN$85 for biometrics, paid online with the application.
- Proof of funds: for applications from 1 September 2026, CAN$23,448 for a single applicant outside Quebec, on top of tuition and travel.
- Paid tuition counts. A receipt from your school showing that the first year’s tuition and housing are paid is accepted as proof that those costs are covered. Paying early makes the funds you still have to show smaller.
- GIC. The Student Direct Stream ended in November 2024. A GIC is still accepted as proof of funds, but it is opened with a Canadian bank and funded by bank transfer, not by card.
Quebec
Quebec also requires a CAQ. The application fee is CAN$135 from 1 January 2026, paid in full by credit card in the Arrima portal. Quebec sets its own funds requirement (CAN$24,617 for a single person in 2026, plus tuition).
Paying a Canadian school with a Mehbit card
- Check that your school accepts cards (see the table above) and start the payment on Flywire or the school’s portal. Note the exact amount on the summary screen: Flywire charges a Mehbit card in US dollars and shows the dollar figure, including any card fee, before you confirm.
- Deposit USDT (BEP20, TRC20 or ERC20) into your Mehbit wallet.
- Issue a United Kingdom or Singapore Mastercard. Issuance takes about 5 minutes.
- Load the card with the dollar amount. You can load up to $50,000 a day per card; for a larger bill, load over two or more days.
- Pay by card with the card’s country as the payer country, and keep the Flywire confirmation and the school’s receipt for your study permit file.
What it costs: a 5% card load fee, $0.35 per card transaction, 2 USDT per wallet deposit and a one-time card issuance fee. There is no VAT line on tuition, but the school’s own card fee, if any, is added on Flywire. Worked examples are in the cost table in our tuition guide, and current prices are on the pricing page.
A bank transfer can be cheaper when it works, and at schools that charge 2.5% for cards the difference grows. What a card gives you is speed and control: you pay the school’s own page yourself, the payment is confirmed in minutes, and you don’t wait for a wire to clear before your LOA or PAL can be issued.
Application fees
Applications are paid by card. Through OUAC, Ontario’s application centre, applicants from outside Ontario pay CAN$156 for three program choices and CAN$50 for each extra choice. Many colleges charge their own application fee, for example CAN$100 at Conestoga, paid through Flywire. See the Education & study abroad section for the services we have tested.
Checklist
- Open your school’s “paying from outside Canada” page and note the accepted routes and any card fee.
- Find the deposit or first-semester deadline that unlocks your LOA or PAL.
- Pay by card a few days before the deadline, with the payer country matching your card.
- Keep the Flywire confirmation and ask the school for an official receipt for your study permit application.
- Read the refund policy, so you know what happens if the study permit is refused.
Frequently asked questions
Do Canadian universities accept credit cards for tuition?
Many do, usually through Flywire and often with a 1.5% to 2.5% fee. Some, including the University of Waterloo and McGill, don’t accept credit cards for tuition at all, so check your school’s payment page first.
Do I have to pay tuition before applying for a study permit?
Usually part of it. Canada asks you to pay tuition in part or in full to get a PAL, and many colleges ask for the first semester’s fees before the Letter of Acceptance. A receipt for paid tuition also reduces the funds you must show.
Which payer country should I choose on Flywire?
The country your card was issued in: United Kingdom for the Mehbit UK card, Singapore for the Singapore card.
Can I fund a GIC with a card?
No. A GIC is opened with a Canadian bank and funded by bank transfer. A card can pay tuition, deposits and application fees, not a GIC.
What if my tuition is more than $50,000?
You can load up to $50,000 a day per card, so load over more than one day and start early. If you are paying a large amount, message Mehbit support before you load and we will help you plan around your deadline.
What happens to my deposit if the study permit is refused?
Most schools refund it minus an admin fee, if you send the refusal letter in time. Card convenience fees are usually not refunded.
