A member asked, on behalf of a friend, whether having a relative or friend already in Canada pay the first year's tuition fee (while the GIC comes from the student's or parents' own account) would negatively affect the study visa application.
What the thread clarified:- For an SDS application specifically, the tuition fee receipt is what's required — the source of the funds used to pay it doesn't matter. Whether the payment came from the student, parents, or a relative in Canada, the receipt itself is what satisfies the requirement.
- Paying tuition directly from a Canada-based relative's account can actually save on currency conversion costs, since it avoids the extra step of converting funds to send to the parent's account first, and then having the parent pay the fee — cutting out one conversion cycle.
- One member noted that domestic transfers within India (like RTGS/NEFT) don't carry meaningful transaction charges either way, so the conversion-saving benefit specifically applies when a Canada-based payment avoids an international currency conversion, not domestic transfers.
The practical takeaway: having a relative in Canada pay your first-year tuition directly, while your GIC comes separately from your own or your parents' account, doesn't hurt your SDS application — the tuition receipt is what matters, not the funding source, and paying directly from Canada can even save on currency conversion costs.