Death in the family and its implications on my study permit

[thenormal]

Hello,

Unfortunately, due to a tragic death in the family, I am facing many complicated and sad situations, including what's going to happen with my study permit. First of all, I will provide some details:

I am an international student currently studying for a BA, and have started my course in 2016. I did renew my study permit last summer, the permit will expire on July 2019.

A few days ago, right before midterms, I received a phone call in the middle of the night informing me that a parent had just passed. I left Canada the same day to attend the funeral, and to take care of everything connected to it.

As I was attending classes for the fall semester, obviously I had to withdraw which means I've lost the fall semester already. Now I'm still in my home country and am not sure how long it will take to fix everything here. The surviving family member is in need to constant care and I don't know whether or not I will be able to return to Canada in time in order to start the winter semester in January 2019.

My main concerns are:

1) What implications will come out of the fact that I've had to withdraw from the fall semester?

2) Should I not be able to return by January 2019 for the winter semester, what will happen if I will be forced to lose both the fall and winter semester (therefore, reprising my studies in spring/summer 2019 or even in September 2019)? Like I mentioned before, the study permit expires on July 2019

3) If I decided to fully interrupt my studies for say, two years to return to my home country, it is possible to reprise the academic course from where I've left it?

Any suggestions and insight is highly appreciated.

 

[scylla]

Hello,

Unfortunately, due to a tragic death in the family, I am facing many complicated and sad situations, including what's going to happen with my study permit. First of all, I will provide some details:

I am an international student currently studying for a BA, and have started my course in 2016. I did renew my study permit last summer, the permit will expire on July 2019.

A few days ago, right before midterms, I received a phone call in the middle of the night informing me that a parent had just passed. I left Canada the same day to attend the funeral, and to take care of everything connected to it.

As I was attending classes for the fall semester, obviously I had to withdraw which means I've lost the fall semester already. Now I'm still in my home country and am not sure how long it will take to fix everything here. The surviving family member is in need to constant care and I don't know whether or not I will be able to return to Canada in time in order to start the winter semester in January 2019.

My main concerns are:

1) What implications will come out of the fact that I've had to withdraw from the fall semester?

2) Should I not be able to return by January 2019 for the winter semester, what will happen if I will be forced to lose both the fall and winter semester (therefore, reprising my studies in spring/summer 2019 or even in September 2019)? Like I mentioned before, the study permit expires on July 2019

3) If I decided to fully interrupt my studies for say, two years to return to my home country, it is possible to reprise the academic course from where I've left it?

Any suggestions and insight is highly appreciated.

1) You most likely will not qualify for a PGWP once you complete your studies since a PGWP requires continuous full time studies.
2) You may need to apply for a new study permit before you can return.
3) You'll have to ask your school about this. Each school has it's own rules regarding situations such as this.

Condolences on the passing of your parent.

 

[thenormal]

1) You most likely will not qualify for a PGWP once you complete your studies since a PGWP requires continuous full time studies.
2) You may need to apply for a new study permit before you can return.
3) You'll have to ask your school about this. Each school has it's own rules regarding situations such as this.

Condolences on the passing of your parent.

Thanks for the info. As far as the PGWP is concerned, I was told by an immigration lawyer that having skipped one semester might be a problem, however providing Service Canada with a valid motivation for it, such as documentation regarding the passing of a parent, might be helpful.

 

[scylla]

Thanks for the info. As far as the PGWP is concerned, I was told by an immigration lawyer that having skipped one semester might be a problem, however providing Service Canada with a valid motivation for it, such as documentation regarding the passing of a parent, might be helpful.

IRCC processes the PGWP application - not Services Canada.

The short answer is that it will be up to the individual IRCC officer to decide whether the PGWP should be granted or not. They might make an exception. Or they may follow the rules and deny the PGWP. Unfortunately it's impossible for any of us to predict what will happen.

 

[thenormal]

IRCC processes the PGWP application - not Services Canada.

The short answer is that it will be up to the individual IRCC officer to decide whether the PGWP should be granted or not. They might make an exception. Or they may follow the rules and deny the PGWP. Unfortunately it's impossible for any of us to predict what will happen.

That's what I was told too. It depends on the officer. Also, we are considering bringing over my mom (the only survivor) to Canada with me while I continue with my studies. If I am correct, she can stay as a visitor for 6 months at a time, also an extension for 6 more months could be issued.

 

[scylla]

That's what I was told too. It depends on the officer. Also, we are considering bringing over my mom (the only survivor) to Canada with me while I continue with my studies. If I am correct, she can stay as a visitor for 6 months at a time, also an extension for 6 more months could be issued.

Yes - the PGWP will be up to the officer. Over the last couple of years, they seem to have become a lot more strict and exceptions seem to be granted far more rarely. So you should prepare yourself for the significant possibility of a refusal. But again, impossible to say until you apply.

For your mother... Visitors do not get six months automatically. How long she is allowed into Canada will be up to the CBSA officer she encounters at the border. She may be given six months or she may be given less time. Yes - she can apply to extend her stay in Canada. Once again, whether she is approved will be up to IRCC. She will want to demonstrate that she is a genuine visitor when she enters Canada and when she applies for the extension. If it looks like she's attempting to live in Canada as a tourist, that may lead to problems. Keep in mind that she won't be covered by the provincial health care system while she is here. You should take out private insurance to cover emergencies (things can get very expensive very very fast). For any non-emergency care, you'll need to pay for that out of your pocket. Any pre-existing conditions likely also won't be covered (even in emergencies).

Good luck.

 

[thenormal]

Yes - the PGWP will be up to the officer. Over the last couple of years, they seem to have become a lot more strict and exceptions seem to be granted far more rarely. So you should prepare yourself for the significant possibility of a refusal. But again, impossible to say until you apply.

For your mother... Visitors do not get six months automatically. How long she is allowed into Canada will be up to the CBSA officer she encounters at the border. She may be given six months or she may be given less time. Yes - she can apply to extend her stay in Canada. Once again, whether she is approved will be up to IRCC. She will want to demonstrate that she is a genuine visitor when she enters Canada and when she applies for the extension. If it looks like she's attempting to live in Canada as a tourist, that may lead to problems. Keep in mind that she won't be covered by the provincial health care system while she is here. You should take out private insurance to cover emergencies (things can get very expensive very very fast). For any non-emergency care, you'll need to pay for that out of your pocket. Any pre-existing conditions likely also won't be covered (even in emergencies).

Good luck.

Thanks for the information.

Regards.