Student Visa Refusal:  Reasons for being Denied

Study Permits are refused often when individuals apply on their own, as a strong case was not made to convince the visa officer to approve the visa.

 

What options do I have after being refused?  Read more here

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Why was I refused a Student Visa to Canada?

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Citizens from visa-required countries must ensure a strong application is prepared in order to convince the visa officer they are a good candidate for a Student Visa.  Visa-required countries have been flagged by Canadian Immigration, and citizens from these countries must go through a much more rigorous screening process than citizens from visa-exempt counties.  Every Student, Worker, or Visitor from a visa-required country requires a TRV visa in their passport  (travel authorization) before they are allowed to board a plane and travel to Canada.  When a candidate applies for a Student Visa, they will be automatically issued a TRV visa as well.

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The Student Visa application process is a lengthy one.  The application requires detailed personal and family information.   In addition, many documents must be provided to strengthen and support the application.  Unlike US visas that have an interview, Canada's screening process is only done by a paper application with no interview.  It is extremely important to prepare a strong application as the immigration officers can make a decision based on the information provided in the application.

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Many individuals do not understand the process and there is a high rate of refusal when an individual applies on their own.   Normally, when an application is submitted after one or more refusals, it should extensively address all the previous refusal reasons, otherwise an officer may refuse the application again..

 

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Reasons for Refusal:

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• Study Plan: Without a detailed and logical study plan, the officer will not be convinced the main purpose of coming to Canada is to study.  There must be a logical progression of studying if a person already has previous post-graduate education or work experience.  The choice of program in Canada must make sense for the student, or a proper explanation must be given how their diploma in Canada will help them when they return to their home country.  This is the most common reason for refusal.

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• Proof of Finances: The Canadian government wants to ensure a student has the financial support to pay for their tuition and living expenses. The required funds are 1st year tuition (as per the admission letter) + $20,635 for living expenses for the student, $4,000 for accompanying spouse + $3,000 per child.

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• Lack of Travel History: If a person has not traveled anywhere outside of their home country before, they will be refused a visa if they apply on their own.  Our firm can overcome this reason by making legal arguments and referencing a Federal Court Case in the application.

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• Strong Family Ties to Canada: surprisingly, having family members in Canada can be a reason for refusal, and individuals applying on their own can be refused.  Our firm can overcome this reason by making legal arguments and referencing a Federal Court Case in the application.

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• Lack of evidentiary documents

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• Illegal Status in Country of Residence

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• Lack of Employment Prospects in Home Country:  if student is older

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• Current Employment Situation: if student is older

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• Personal Assets

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• Documents that do no appear authentic

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• History of overstaying status on a previous visit to Canada

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• Other Reasons

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Other Reasons for Refusal that apply to all visitors to Canada

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• Criminality (having previously been charged with a crime)

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• Misrepresentation (having misrepresented information to Canada immigration previously and received a ban)

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• Previous Deportation: for overstaying visit illegally

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• Medical Inadmissibility: have a contagious disease that is a threat to Canadians

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• Human Rights Violations:  previously served in the military for a country that has been deemed to have participated in war crimes.  Additional documents must be provided to overcome this inadmissibility.

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When can I re-apply for a Study Permit?

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Before re-applying again, please read more on your options

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