UK or Canada for Nepali Students — What Has Changed, and What It Means
Canada was the easy recommendation for years. It has changed more than any other destination recently, and advice written even two years ago can now be actively wrong.
By Rahul Chhetri, Director, House of Admissions · Updated 20 Oct 2026
The UK is faster and its rules have been more stable. A one-year master’s against Canada’s typical two, and a post-study route whose one confirmed change is already published. Canada has introduced study permit caps, raised its cost-of-living requirement to around CAD 22,895, and revised post-graduation work permit eligibility. Choose Canada on current rules, never on what a relative experienced.
This page compares the UK and Canada. For Australia see UK vs Australia; for the UK’s own settlement route see switching to Skilled Worker.
- Master’s length
- UK 1 year; Canada typically 2
- UK maintenance proof
- £10,539, rising to £10,827 on 30 Nov 2026
- Canada living funds proof
- Around CAD 22,895 per year, plus tuition
- Canada study permit fee
- CAD 150, plus biometrics
- Policy stability
- UK: one published change ahead. Canada: repeated revisions
- Post-study work
- UK Graduate Route; Canada PGWP with revised eligibility
- Key risk
- Acting on Canadian advice more than a year old
What Has Actually Changed in Canada?
Enough that a Nepali student relying on a relative’s experience from 2022 is working from a different system. Study permit caps, a substantially raised cost-of-living requirement, and revised post-graduation work permit eligibility have all landed in recent cycles.
The problem is not that Canada became a bad destination. It is that Canadian guidance goes stale faster than any other, and Nepali students are frequently advised by people describing a system that has since changed. Verify every Canadian figure against Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada directly, dated.
How Do They Compare on the Things That Matter?
| Factor | UK | Canada |
|---|---|---|
| Master’s length | 1 year | Typically 2 years |
| Funds to evidence | £10,539 (NPR ~20.5 lakhs) | ~CAD 22,895/year plus tuition |
| Statement period | 28 consecutive days | Commonly 4–12 months of history |
| Application fee | £558 + £1,164 IHS | CAD 150 + biometrics |
| Intake caps | None on student numbers | Study permit caps introduced |
| Policy stability | One published change ahead | Repeatedly revised |
Australia, Canada and Germany all revised their student financial requirements recently, and comparison websites are slow to catch up. We can demonstrate this: most aggregator pages still quote the UK visa fee as £490 or £524 and maintenance as £821 a month. The correct figures are £558 and £1,171 — we verified them against GOV.UK. Treat every non-UK figure on this page, including ours, as a starting point to confirm with that country’s own immigration authority.
Which Should a Nepali Student Choose?
Choose the UK if you want a shorter, cheaper route and value knowing what the rules will be when you graduate — the one confirmed change, the Graduate Route moving to 18 months from 1 January 2027, is already published and you can plan around it. Choose Canada if you have researched the current caps and permit rules yourself, dated, and they still work for your profile.
A Note on the Fee Comparison
Canada’s CAD 150 permit fee looks dramatically cheaper than the UK’s £558 plus £1,164 health surcharge. Be careful with that comparison: the UK figure includes NHS access for the whole of your stay, while health cover in other destinations is generally purchased separately and annually. Compare the total, not the headline.
Comparing the UK with Canada?Tell us your subject and timeline. We will give you a straight read on the UK side and say plainly if we think Canada suits you better — we only handle UK applications.
Free WhatsApp checkKeep reading: Complete guide to studying in the UK · Total cost of a UK degree in NPR · Study in UK hub
Frequently Asked Questions
It can be, but the rules have changed more than any other destination — study permit caps, a raised cost-of-living requirement of around CAD 22,895, and revised post-graduation work permit eligibility. Verify everything against IRCC directly rather than relying on older advice.
The UK is usually cheaper overall because a master’s is one year rather than two. Canada’s CAD 150 permit fee is lower than the UK’s £558 plus £1,164 health surcharge, but the UK figure includes NHS access for your whole stay.
Around CAD 22,895 per year for living costs plus first-year tuition, at the time of writing. Canada also typically wants a longer transaction history than the UK’s 28 days — commonly four to twelve months.
The UK, currently. Its one confirmed upcoming change — the Graduate Route moving to 18 months for applications filed from 1 January 2027 — is already published, so you can plan around it. Canada has revised multiple settings in recent cycles.
Treat it as history rather than guidance. Someone who went in 2022 studied under different permit rules, a different cost-of-living requirement and different post-study work eligibility. Their experience was real; it is no longer the current system.
They are structured differently. The UK Graduate Route requires no job offer and no sponsor. Canada’s PGWP eligibility has been revised and now depends more on the programme and institution you choose. Check eligibility before you accept an offer, not after.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada directly, and note the date you checked. Comparison websites are unreliable — most still quote the UK visa fee as £490 and maintenance as £821 a month, which tells you how current their Canadian figures are likely to be.
Yes. Each sets its own amount and rules; the UK requires funds held for 28 days, so compare the current official figures for both.
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Where Does This Information Come From?
- GOV.UK — Student visa
- GOV.UK — Graduate visa
- Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
- House of Admissions casework, 2016–2026 (self-reported)
Last updated 20 Oct 2026. Nepali foreign-exchange rules and MoEST procedure change by circular and are not always announced in English — confirm current figures with your bank or at noc.moest.gov.np before you rely on them. Nothing here is immigration or financial advice; for a decision on your own case, consult a regulated adviser.