Are you applying for a study permit in Canada? Read the blog to learn about the common reasons why a study permit application might get refused and avoid making these mistakes. 

It is a dream of many to study in Canada. Every year thousands of applications are submitted seeking study permits. However, receiving an acceptance letter from your desired university does not guarantee that you will be granted a study permit. Many other aspects are taken into consideration before that. In this blog, we will learn about five of such criteria and how to avoid mistakes while applying for a Canadian Study Permit.

Lack of Proof of Finances

When you apply for a study permit you have to establish your financial status. IRCC wants to see that you have enough money in your name to pay for the trip to Canada, cover your tuition fees, and support your living cost in Canada. So the amount you have to show will depend on the number of family members accompanying you to Canada. 

To prove that you have this amount of money, you have to submit financial documents showing the amount of movable and immovable assets you have to support your student life in Canada. The government will not take this money away from you. But they want to see proper documents to make sure that the money is available for you. 

In some cases, after reviewing the financial documents, IRCC might not be convinced that you have sufficient money to support yourself and your family (if any) in Canada. In that case, the reason for refusal needs to be assessed and additional supporting documents need to be submitted. It depends heavily on your arrangement of the fund, the source of it and the documents you can arrange to submit. 

Having Strong Family Ties in Canada

In many immigration programs, having family members who live in Canada is considered a merit. You even earn valuable points for that. However, in the instance of a study permit, it is considered a demerit. 

The reason behind this is that IRCC wants to know whether you are applying for a study permit to gain education in Canada or if it’s just a way for you to come to Canada and stay here by any means. It’s because a study permit is a temporary residency visa and it has a validity period and an expiration date

To convince them that the sole purpose of applying for the study permit is to get an education and not permanent residency, you have to present enough documents to prove that you will go back home after you are done with your studies. 

To do so, you have to establish strong arguments and evidence to provide the visa officer with a convincing narrative. This is the trickiest part of the study permit application process as you have to have a thorough knowledge of the issues that might concern a visa officer.

If you fail to do so, your application might get refused. And be mindful of the fact that if you have family members or relatives living in Canada, IRCC will have access to that information and you can not hide it. If your application gets refused, then an immigration consultant might be able to evaluate the situation and help you prepare your case more intensely.

Lack of a Sensible Study Plan 

The choice of your study program has to make sense to the visa officer. Without a detailed and rational study plan, the officer will not be convinced that the main purpose of coming to Canada is to study. 

Depending on your previous education and career, it has to make sense. If the applicant already has a post-graduation degree or work experience then starting a college degree in Canada might not seem logical. Hence, the application might get refused and this is one of the most common reasons for refusal. 

For example, someone who has a bachelor’s degree in social studies and has four years of work experience as a social worker who wants to study culinary arts might be questioned. It’s because the program doesn’t align with the applicant’s previous education and career path.

To avoid refusal of the application, you have to carefully establish the reason for you choosing the program that you want to enroll in. You have to explain how this degree or diploma will help you when you will go back to your home to your existing career path or a recent change in your career.

Validity of the Letter of Acceptance

Before applying for a study permit, you have to obtain a letter of acceptance from the educational institution of your choice. While submitting your application package, you have to send this letter of acceptance to IRCC. The visa officer will verify whether the institution that you have chosen is accredited. The institution has to be a registered Canadian educational institution. If it is not, then your application will be refused.

Not only that, but if it’s a fake institution scamming people with forged letters of acceptance, then you will lose your money too. Therefore, you must make sure that the institution you were accepted to is on this list of designated learning institutions. 

Lack of Travel History 

To make sure that you are not medically or criminally inadmissible to Canada. This should reflect on your travel documents with a clear and logical travel history and consistent and accurate information on your identity documents. 

If your travel record appears to be unclear or there are discrepancies in your identity documents and travel documents then your application will be refused.

What to Do If Student Visa Application for Canada gets Refused?

Refusal of the application doesn’t always mean the end of the world. In most cases, the reasons for refusal are inadequate information and vague answers to the visa officer’s questions. Therefore, if your study permit application gets refused then the first thing you should do is figure out the reason why it was refused. 

Then you should take the necessary initiative to gather all the missing information to support your application and re-apply. 

To avoid the complications, refusals and demerits to your application process, you must understand your situation and the application process thoroughly. If you are looking for an expert in Canada Immigration, feel free to contact us today.