Canada and the US together enroll more international students than any other pair of countries, and 2026 is the first year both systems are being reshaped at the same time: Canada is rationing study permits under a national cap, and the US is layering new fees and tighter OPT/CPT scrutiny on top of an already uncertain H-1B lottery. If you’ve been admitted to programs in both countries, the right choice depends less on which flag you prefer and more on four concrete things: what you pay upfront, how much you can legally work, what happens right after graduation, and how far either country actually gets you toward permanent residence.
This is preparation guidance, not legal advice — every figure below carries the date it was checked, both governments revise fees and rules on their own schedule, and USCIS/SEVP policy in particular has multiple rules currently in litigation. Confirm the live number with IRCC or your school’s international office before you commit.
The quick comparison (2026)
| 🇨🇦 Canada (Study Permit) | 🇺🇸 US (F-1 Visa) | |
|---|---|---|
| Government fees to apply | CAD $150 permit + CAD $85 biometrics (~CAD $235) | $350 SEVIS I-901 + $185 MRV fee (~$535) |
| Proof of funds | Fixed national figure: CAD $23,448/year (single applicant, outside Quebec, from Sept 1, 2026), plus tuition and travel | No fixed figure — your school sets a cost-of-attendance estimate on your I-20; shown via bank statements/affidavit of support |
| Work while studying | Up to 24 hrs/week off-campus (any job) during term; unlimited on scheduled breaks | 20 hrs/week on-campus only, or off-campus via CPT (curriculum-tied) during term; full-time during official breaks |
| Post-study work | PGWP — up to 3 years (flat 3 years for master’s grads since Feb 2024) | OPT — 12 months, +24 months STEM OPT extension (STEM majors only) = up to 3 years |
| Route to skilled work beyond that | Employer-sponsored work permit or PR application | H-1B lottery (~35% selection rate for FY2026) — no guarantee, and now a $100,000 employer fee for new petitions |
| Permanent residency pathway | Express Entry (CEC) / PNP — points-based, predictable | Employer-sponsored green card (EB-2/EB-3) only — no direct student pathway, multi-year backlogs for India/China-born applicants |
| National intake control | Cap: ~408,000 study permits for 2026, Provincial Attestation Letter required for most applicants | No numerical cap, but SEVIS/CPT policy tightened mid-2026 and multiple rule changes are in active litigation |
What you pay to apply
Canada is the cheaper application by a wide margin: a study permit costs CAD $150, plus an CAD $85 biometrics fee for most applicants outside Canada (capped at CAD $170 per family) — see our Canada visa fees breakdown for the full table. The US F-1 process costs more before you even reach the consulate: a $350 I-901 SEVIS fee, paid through FMJfee.com using the SEVIS ID on your Form I-20, plus a $185 MRV (DS-160) fee paid when you book your interview — roughly $535 combined. Full detail, including less common add-ons like the expedited-appointment fee, is in our US visa fees breakdown.
The bigger difference is how each country checks you can afford to study there. Canada uses one national number: CAD $23,448 for a single applicant outside Quebec (effective September 1, 2026, reviewed annually), on top of your first year’s tuition and travel. The US has no equivalent fixed figure — your school’s Form I-20 states a cost-of-attendance estimate specific to that institution, and you evidence the ability to cover it (and the years after) through bank statements, a sponsor’s affidavit, or a loan letter. See our F-1 visa guide and our proof-of-funds comparison for how each test is actually evidenced.
Tuition and overall cost
Statistics Canada’s most recent release puts average international undergraduate tuition at CAD $41,746/year and international graduate tuition at CAD $24,028/year for 2025/26. The US doesn’t price tuition nationally either, but the gap between public and private is larger: the US Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics puts average published tuition and fees at private nonprofit four-year institutions near $40,700/year (2022–23, the latest year with a national figure, since risen further), while international students at public universities pay out-of-state rates that commonly run $28,000–$45,000/year before living costs — and well past $60,000/year at many private research universities. In short: Canadian tuition clusters more tightly around a national average; US tuition spreads far wider, and your choice of public vs. private institution matters more than your choice of country.
Working while you study
Canada’s off-campus work cap sits at 24 hours a week during academic sessions, with no requirement that the job relate to your field, and unlimited hours during scheduled breaks — co-op and internship placements required by your program no longer need a separate work permit as of April 1, 2026. The US caps on-campus work at 20 hours a week during term (full-time during official vacations), but any off-campus work during your studies requires Curricular Practical Training (CPT), which must be directly tied to your program and authorized by your school’s DSO — there’s no general-purpose off-campus job option the way there is in Canada. See our CPT vs OPT guide for exactly how US work authorization is sequenced, and our Canada study permit guide for the Canadian side.
Post-study work: PGWP vs. OPT — and the H-1B wall
This is where the two systems diverge most sharply. Canada’s Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) gives most eligible graduates an open work permit with no employer attached — master’s graduates get a flat 3 years regardless of program length (since February 2024), and other eligible programs get a permit matching their length, up to 3 years. See our PGWP guide for exact eligibility. Crucially, a PGWP doesn’t require a job offer first — you work, then build PR eligibility.
In the US, post-completion OPT gives 12 months of work authorization tied to your field of study, extendable by 24 months under the STEM OPT extension if your degree qualifies — up to 3 years total, matching Canada’s maximum on paper. The catch is what comes after: to stay in skilled US work beyond OPT, almost everyone needs an employer to win them a spot in the H-1B lottery, which selected roughly 35% of registrations for FY2026 — and from FY2027 the selection method shifts toward weighting by salary, worsening odds for recent graduates in lower first-year pay bands. New H-1B petitions also now carry a $100,000 supplemental fee under a 2025 proclamation, which has made some employers far less willing to sponsor entry-level hires. See our H-1B lottery guide and $100,000 H-1B fee guide for what that means in practice.
Permanent residency: the real divide
Canada’s PGWP feeds directly into a points-based PR system — Express Entry’s Canadian Experience Class and the Provincial Nominee Programs both reward Canadian study and work experience, and a graduate with a job in-hand can realistically reach PR within a few years of finishing their PGWP.
The US has no comparable student-to-PR track. The only route from F-1 to a green card runs through an employer-sponsored EB-2 or EB-3 petition — typically after H-1B — with PERM labor certification first. For applicants born in India or China, our visa bulletin guide and EB-1/EB-2/EB-3 guide show backlogs that can run well over a decade. This single difference is often the deciding factor for students who see “staying permanently” as part of their plan rather than a maybe.
Which one should you pick?
If your priority is a predictable, points-based path to permanent residence and the ability to work a normal part-time job while studying, Canada’s system is currently the more straightforward one — provided you clear the national cap and get a Provincial Attestation Letter where required. If your priority is the specific program, research opportunities, or employer network only a particular US university offers, the US remains worth it for many students — just budget for a higher application cost, a narrower on-campus work allowance, and a post-OPT path that depends on winning a lottery rather than accumulating points.
Weighing Canada against the US is exactly the kind of decision VisaMet’s eligibility tools are built for — join the waitlist to get early access to a side-by-side check against your own profile and timeline.
Sources: IRCC — Financial support for your study permit application, IRCC — About the Post-Graduation Work Permit, Statistics Canada — Tuition in Canada, 2025/2026, US Department of State — Student Visa, ICE SEVP — SEVIS I-901 Fee, NCES — Fast Facts: Tuition costs.