The question that comes up most often is not how much it costs or which school to choose. It is more basic: what does my 14-year-old need in order to study there?
The short answer is three things, and only one of them depends on the school.
In short: a teenager travelling without their parents needs a study permit. If they are under 17, they also need a custodian in Canada. And unlike a university student, they do not need a provincial attestation letter: secondary school up to grade 12 is exempt.
First: yes, a study permit is required
IRCC publishes a table that settles this according to the family's situation. For the case at hand — a foreign minor travelling to Canada unaccompanied by a parent — the answer is yes: a study permit is required.
It is also required for a minor travelling with a parent who will enter as a visitor, and for a minor travelling with a parent who holds a work or study permit.
It is not required for the child of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
What actually decides the case: the custodian
This is the document that complicates the most files, and the rule is worth understanding precisely, because it turns on a single age.
Minors under 17 must either travel with a parent or legal guardian, or have a custodian in Canada. There is no third option.
A custodian is a responsible adult who is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, and who undertakes to care for and support the minor during their stay.
From age 17 onward the custodian is optional. But IRCC states it plainly: an officer may request one on a case-by-case basis. "Optional" does not mean "never asked for".
A form signed in two countries
The appointment is made through the Custodianship Declaration, submitted together with the study permit application. It is two pages that look alike and are not:
- The first is signed by the custodian and must be notarized in Canada.
- The second is signed by the parents or legal guardians and must be notarized in their home country.
That is the part that most often derails planning. It is not a step resolved in an afternoon: it requires coordinating two people in two countries, each before a different notary, and having both pages ready in time to accompany the application.
What your child does not need, and what they will need later
A university student must obtain a provincial attestation letter (PAL) before applying for the permit. It has been one of the system's bottlenecks since the caps came in.
Secondary school up to grade 12 is exempt. So are preschool and primary school. In that respect, a teenager's application is simpler and more predictable than a university student's.
It is worth knowing what comes next, however. If your child finishes high school in Canada and continues to a university or college, that change of level does require obtaining a provincial attestation letter. A new one is also required when changing schools, and when restoring student status. The exemption covers the school years, not the whole path.
Before choosing a school, it helps to know what the file requires
Annette P. Campos, a regulated immigration consultant (RCIC), can review your family's situation and set out which documents apply to your child's case, and in what order.
The age that defines everything depends on the province
"Minor" does not mean the same thing across Canada. Each province and territory sets its own age of majority, and several obligations follow from it:
| Age of majority | Provinces and territories |
|---|---|
| 18 | Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan |
| 19 | British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Yukon |
An 18-year-old is an adult in Alberta and a minor in British Columbia. If you are comparing provinces, it is worth knowing from the outset.
What to plan, and how far ahead
What sets the timetable is not the school: it is custodianship. Finding the custodian, preparing both pages of the form and having them notarized in two countries is what dictates the pace, and it is what cannot be improvised.
To that you add the study permit with its own processing times, the school's letter of acceptance, and proof of funds.
A secondary-school case is simpler than a university one, because it avoids the provincial attestation bottleneck. But it carries a requirement the university student does not have, and that one allows no shortcuts.
Considering secondary school in Canada for your child?
At Goldstone Education we guide families through the whole process, including the custodianship declaration, which is the document that most often decides these cases.
Sources: IRCC, Studying in Canada as a minor and Provincial attestation letter or territorial attestation letter, consulted on October 6, 2026. Requirements change: always verify on canada.ca when you apply.