Refusals and Appeals

Refusals and Appeals

The majority of foreign nationals need a study permit to study in Canada. Study permits are granted at the discretion of Canadian immigration officers. Unfortunately, it is typical for a foreign national's study permission to be denied for a variety of reasons. If a study permit is denied, a visa officer will write a refusal letter stating the reasons for the denial.

What to do if Your Application is Refused

When a study permit application is denied, the refusal is indicated in a letter sent to the failed applicant by the visa officer. The visa officer will state the reason(s) for refusal from a list of pre-determined choices in this letter. This list of denial reasons provides just basic information about the reasons for the refusal.
When an application is denied, the applicant has the right to obtain the notes of the visa officer supporting the refusal. It is strongly advised that these notes be requested because they will inform the applicant on how to appropriately address the refusal. After receiving the case notes from the visa officer, an applicant can determine whether or not the grounds for the refusal were justified. If the study permit was refused for good reasons, such as the applicant failing to include any of the needed documents, the best alternative is to submit a fresh application after correcting the errors.
If the study permit was denied for grounds the applicant believes are invalid, the applicant may file an appeal demanding reconsideration. Both the appeal and resubmission processes may take a significant amount of time. In the event that the applicant is unable to secure a study permit in time to begin the programme on the originally scheduled date, they should be prepared to contact their institution and request changes to their intended start date.

Reasons for Refusal

A Canadian study permit application may be denied for a variety of reasons. These grounds will be stated in the IRCC refusal letter. In order to better understand the reasons for refusal, a foreign national may also request case notes from the visa officer who evaluated their file. The following are the most prevalent reasons for a study permit refusal:
1. IRCC Questions Your Proof of Financial Support When you apply for a study permit, you must show that you have enough money to maintain yourself in Canada. All overseas students must demonstrate that they have the money to cover their tuition expenses for the first year of study, as well as the cost of living for themselves and any accompanying family members, according to IRCC.
How do you address a problem with proof of financial support?If your application is denied because IRCC has doubts about your capacity to support yourself financially, you should carefully analyse the financial information you supplied with your application. Make sure you address the visa officer's concerns and submit supplementary documentation to demonstrate that you meet the evidence of money criteria.
2. IRCC Questions Your Intention to Leave the Country A study permit is a type of temporary visa that has a validity period and an expiration date. You must convince the visa officer in your study permit application that you will depart the country when your study permit expires. That doesn't mean you can't apply to extend your study permit or stay indefinitely. In fact, the government has various initiatives in place to help students stay and work in Canada after finishing their education or move to permanent residence. What it does mean is that the visa officer must have faith in you that you will not remain in the country illegally while out of status. This is usually a problem if you don't explain that you have excellent reason to want to return home.
How to address a problem of intent?Your own statement is the greatest method to address this concern. If the visa officer isn't satisfied by your story, you should revise your statement to address their concerns directly. It should be noted that both permanent and temporary residence in Canada are attainable. This is accomplished through the use of a dual intent claim in an application.
3. IRCC Questions Your Choice of Study Program Study permit applications are occasionally denied if the visa officer does not grasp the logic behind your programme or level of study selection. Someone with a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing from the Philippines and four years of nursing experience who wishes to study hotel management, for example, may be questioned. The chosen programme in Canada does not appear to be a good fit for the applicant's educational background or work history.
How to address a problem with choice of program?If your programme decision appears unusual given your previous education or work experience, you must explain why in your personal statement. This is another instance where seeing the visa officer's notes can be quite beneficial.
4. IRCC Questions Your Acceptance Letter You must first get a letter of acceptance from a Designated Learning Institution (DLI) in Canada before applying for a study permit. You must also fulfil all programme criteria. If the visa officer has any suspicions about the authenticity of your letter of acceptance or that you have genuinely satisfied the programme requirements, they may refuse your study permission.
How to address a problem with acceptance letter?Examine the school documentation you submitted. Check that all of the documents are clear and easy to read, and include any additional supporting documentation that you can. In some cases, you may want to contact the DLI that issued the document for assistance in dealing with the officer's concerns.
5. IRCC Questions Your Travel or Identity Documents If you do not have a complete record of your travel history or if your identity documents are ambiguous, the IRCC may deny your study permit application. To establish whether you are medically or criminally ineligible to Canada, IRCC must be able to authenticate your identity.
How to address problems with travel or identity documents? If the visa officer believes there are gaps in your travel history, go over the documentation you filed as well as the visa officer's notes to figure out which time periods are problematic. When reapplying, bring additional supporting information to cover these time periods. If the issue is with your identity documents, go over your application again to ensure that it was clear and easy to read.