Student Visa Refused Program
Student Permit Refusals
Visitor visas, student permit and work permits are temporary resident visas (TRV). If you’ve received notification of a student visa refusal from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), you need to decide what to do next. There is basically two options: appeal in Federal Court or reapply.
Why was my Student Visa Application Refused?
The student visa application process is fairly complicated and often the applicant does not fully understand the process and what is required in order to have a successful out come. After applications for a TRV are submitted, an immigration officer reviews the application and makes a decision to approve or refuse. There is no interview and the visa officer makes a decision based solely on the information provided and will not request any additional information even if it is missing. If an application does not contain the necessary forms, information and supporting documents the application will likely be refused. Furthermore, if an application only contains the minimum required documents and does not include documents to strengthen the application the application where needed it may also be refused.Therefore, it is very important to submit an application that is both strong and complete the first time a student applies.
Common Reasons for Student Visa Refusals
Study Purpose/Plan: Students must submit a detailed study plan that is both sufficiently detailed and logical that it convinces the visa officer that the applicant’s main intention of going to Canada is to study. Normally, study in Canada should be consistent with previous post-secondary education. It must make sense for the applicant to study their chosen program in Canada and the study plan should explain how the studies in Canada will benefit the applicant when they return to their home country.
Insufficient Ties to Home Country: Students need to demonstrate they have strong ties to their home country so that the visa officer is satisfied they will return to their home country after their studies are complete. Ties can include family, property, employment, financial and other connections to their home country that make it likely they will return.
Finances: Students are only required to provide proof of adequate finances for the first year of study. However, applications are often rejected because the visa officer is concerned the applicant doesn’t have sufficient finances for the full period of study. Therefore, it is recommended that the student provide proof of adequate finances for more than just the initial first year of study.
Travel History: If the student has never travelled abroad they can be rejected on this basis of an inadequate travel history.
Incomplete Application: Required documents are missing.
Previous Travel History: A record of having overstayed a visa in any country will increase the chances of a rejection.
Previous Visa Application History: A refusal to study in another country such as the USA or Australia will increase the chances of rejection.
Inadmissible to Canada: If you are criminally or medically inadmissible to Canada your visa will be refused.
Economic: Studying in Canada needs to make sense for someone in your occupation and with your current salary and financial situation, especially if you are an older student.
Can I appeal the Study Permit Refusal?
You cannot appeal a refusal of a study permit to IRCC. You can, however, apply for judicial review of the decision if there is reason to believe the visa officer did not assess your application properly. However, judicial review is a long and expensive process and for this reason the best option is usually to reapply for a student permit with a stronger application that addresses the weak areas of your previous application.
Can I re-apply again on my own?
Applying again with the same information and documents is a common tactic to deal with refusals. Unfortunately, this is usually one of the worst things you can do. Normally if a visa officer sees that a person has a recent refusal and has reapplied without submitting any new information the visa officer will just refuse the application again, sometimes without even reviewing it. Not only is this a waste of time and money but you will have not one but now two rejections on record with IRCC. We strongly recommend you don’t reapply without representation by an RCIC if you have a recent refusal.
How can a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant Help?
In addition to making sure the application is complete there are three main areas where an RCIC can help.
Obtain and Examine GCMS Notes: Global Case Management System (GCMS) is the information system used by IRCC to process visa applications and contain the entire case history. They contain the notes the visa officer has entered into the system when making a decision about an application and contain invaluable insight into the visa officer’s analysis of the case and reasoning behind the decision. GCMS notes and the refusal letter can help identify the reason for the rejection and enable you to rectify the problem by making the proper corrections and provide additional information to strengthen your application where the visa officer had concerns.
Professional Representation: If you did not have a representative for your previous application you probably only submitted the required documentation listed on the IRCC document checklist. Often, submitting only those documents are not enough to make your case that you will return to your home country after your visit and to satisfy the visa officer you meet the other requirements of obtaining a visitor visa. Generally, it is wise to submit as much evidence as you can beyond the minimum required by IRCC. Your representative can assist you in preparing and submitting a stronger application to IRCC that address the concerns the visa officer had about your previous application.
Submission letter: An RCIC will prepare and submit a submission letter on behalf of the applicant along with the application. The submission letter will respond to and address the reasons for refusal identified in the GCMS notes and on the refusal letter.
In our experience the combination of the three factors above is usually sufficient to overcome most refusals, especially the most common or frequent ones.
If you have been refused a student visa or want to apply for one for the first time we are here to help! We specialize in helping clients overcome refusals and have assisted numerous clients obtain a visa after they have been refused. Please contact us and one of our Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants will revert to you within 48 hours.
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