Photocopy your student acceptance letter from the Canadian school or university. If you have syllabi for your upcoming semester, photocopy it and keep the originals.
Get a physical and health exam. Make the appointment with a doctor who specializes in Canadian student visa check-ups. Have the doctor provide the necessary paperwork for your entry. You can find doctors who specialize in these physicals through online web searches. Border cities like Seattle, Detroit, Buffalo or other US-Canadian border towns often have these doctors.
Get copies of your bank account records to prove your financial ability to pay for the school and to live while in Canada. A student visa does not allow you to work immediately while first studying. A waiting period applies before you may legally work in Canada; you need to prove you have enough funds to live on while waiting. Email Canadian Customs at [email protected] for assistance in determining how much money is enough.
Bring all of these documents to the Canadian border or the customs office at major Canadian airports, along with a valid US passport that is good for the duration of your stay. Present the paperwork to the customs agent and request the needed forms to apply for the student visa. Fill the forms out and present the agent with the visa fee. Present your passport. The visa will be stapled into you passport. You must present the visa to your University for them to record.
Keep the passport with you whenever you leave Canada. You will not be allowed re-entry without the visa and passport. Prepare to answer extra questions when asked the "purpose of visit" question at customs each time you go through, to the US or back to Canada.