A member applying for a study permit online wasn't sure whether all forms needed to be printed, manually signed, and scanned before uploading, or whether a simple e-signature would suffice.
What the thread clarified:- Forms that are accepted in PDF format generally need a manual (wet) signature. Print the form, sign it by hand, then scan it before uploading — this was the approach one member used successfully for their own application.
- Some forms aren't accepted as standard PDFs and can instead be signed electronically. The distinction depends on the specific form type, not a blanket rule across the whole application.
- One practical approach for an "electronic" signature: insert a picture/scan of your actual signature onto the document, rather than using a virtual pen/stylus signature tool — this gives you a consistent signature image you can reuse across documents.
The practical takeaway: check each form's accepted format — PDF forms generally need a manual signature (print, sign, scan), while other forms not accepted as standard PDFs can be signed electronically, including by inserting a scanned image of your actual signature.