Study Permit Challenges for Nigerian Applicants

[Dompax]

Thanks
Further more
I applied paper study permit on October 10th, did everything and attached with a

Hello Joe-82,

Thank you for visiting this thread, I hope well.

Your query is not clear to me.

You said something about the ease or lack thereof of getting a tourist visa without being invited, then you went on to say you are considering applying inside, then you now went on to ask how can one get a visiting visa?

Perhaps if you expatiate on your current situation, I may be able to help you better. Are in Nigeria now or in Canada, if in Canada on what permit are you currently on, what kind of permit are you looking to switch to.

While I may be able to offer advise or steer you in the right direction, my area of expertise is applying for either study permit or tourist visa from Nigeria.

All the best.

Cheers

Omofar

Please.... Am seriously confused, I was once denied visa last year November ending.
Visa officer reasons was.
1.Am not convinced that you will leave Canada after your studies. """Which I state it clearly on my statement of purpose "" that I will come back after my studies.
2.due to your traveling history, which I knew that I haven't travel for once
3.due your personal assets """am confused because my uncle is sponsoring me , he provided his bank statement which close to #900million , ,wrote a letter for his sponsorship and also a letter from bank that he is the owner of account and am still an undergraduate but though I have a plot of land that the only assets I have. Am just preparing to apply again ,but I just need advice on what to do ,am really afraid but I believe in God ,I must get this one.

 

[Omofar]

Please can one do medical outside the home country?

I should think so, as long as it is one of the panel physicians of the country where you are. Also make sure you legally in the country at the time or the panel physician will not attend to you.

All the best.

Omofar

 

[Omofar]

Hi Omofar,

So mine is an issue to be clarified, thank you in advance for your invaluable assistance. So i applied last year around July 25th for a Sept 2018 intake. I applied to the school earlier in May and got my LOA in June so i submitted my application in July. After which i never heard from them so i sent couple of mails to CIC and they eventually responded in Sept close to the school deadline. However, i had to deferr to Sept 2019 and sent the deferral letter to CIC. Visa finally got approved in Oct 31 (still bearing the original course duration date). My questions are:

1. I plan to travel in August, hope that's not to late?
2. My Study visa still takes into consideration the initial start and end date - can i reapply for an extension when i get there?
3. I have explored travel options and am thinking of going in through Detroit border since i still have a valid US visa, will i be able to achieve this as a cheaper option as a first timer in Canada? Detroit is closer to my school in Windsor.\

Many thanks in advance for your invaluable support.

Regards,

Ester

Hello EsterO,

First of all Congratulations on your visa approval. You are among the less than 15% successful applicants from Nigeria. I am sure that figure has gone to less than 10% by now. But congratulations again.

1. Since resumption is in September, I believe August is fine. If you travel now, after school as since resumed the CBSA officer will ask you what you will be doing in Canada until Sept 2019. Assuming you had a visitor visa, then you could have gone as a tourist, chilled till September ans then resume your status as a student.

2. Yes you can easily renew your study permit in Canada as an International student. All you need to do is visit your school's international student's office, they will guide you on the forms to fill and the supporting documentation you need to provide.

3. Honestly, I do not know about it, if you have researched it well and you think it is possible, please go ahead. So you travel to the U.S and then drive into Canada. All things being equal it shouldn't be a problem, but please confirm so you are not turned back.

Please take advantages of all the opportunities in Canada.

I wish you all the best.

Cheers

Omofar

 

[Omofar]

Hi


Hi Brian,

Mine took quite long too. I will advice you write again using the appropriate web form. If they say they are still working on it then they are really. Sometimes it takes forever with the Canadian embassy but when they come through, they actually do. Mine took like 2months after I had surpassed the initial deadline and yet they kept assuring me that they are working on it. Until i finally got my visa. In all it took me 4months. I'm a stickler for pressing on, until you get what you want. Especially when you have done what you need to do.

Hello EsterO,

It is important to note that your travel history really helped your case. It is my opinion that the Canadians seem to have an inferiority complex for US. Once they see an applicant who has any form of US visa, in their eyes that applicant is very credible. So that may have worked in your favour. If the embassy takes too long on your application one should be concerned. Above all prayer is the key and keeping faith as you said.

Cheers.

Omofar

 

[Copingwithlife]

Hello EsterO,

It is important to note that your travel history really helped your case. It is my opinion that the Canadians seem to have an inferiority complex for US. Once they see an applicant who has any form of US visa, in their eyes that applicant is very credible. So that may have worked in your favour. If the embassy takes too long on your application one should be concerned. Above all prayer is the key and keeping faith as you said.

Cheers.

Omofar

"Inferiority complex", see attached link on US visa issued to Nigerians, I do not think credible would come to mind


https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-canadian-american-officials-working-to-stop-nigerians-from-using-us/,

 

[Omofar]

Thank you so much for doing this. I have found your responses to people's queries to be extremely insightful and I am hoping you can give some perspective to my predicament.

Hello sillysassysally,

Thank you for visiting and thank you also for your compliments, they are much appreciated.

Just a summary of my background; I would be 23 years old in May. I graduated in 2016 with First Class Honors from a Top 5 university in Nigeria. Upon graduation, I got an NYSC job in a leading financial services company in Nigeria and upon completing my NYSC, I was given a full-time role in this company. I recently (last week) got admission to do my MSc in Finance at Mcgill University. I like to think that I have good travel history; I have been to Brazil, UK and the US (currently have a valid visa), to name a few.

Your background is impeccable, I see no problems here at all.

The first challenge I'm having has to do with my CAQ application. If you have insights into this, I would very much appreciate it. I applied on 28/02/19 and according to the courier service I used, my file was delivered on 05/03/19. Nevertheless, my online CAQ application has not been updated with "file received" and i am getting extremely worried because my school resumes at the beginning of June! When do you think I can expect them to update my online application and give me a CAQ?

That is the problem with getting admitted to schools in Quebec. You will have to first confirm the tracking number that they have delivered the documentation, then you will call the CAQ people and speak with them about the status of your application and whether they have recieved your documenation. I did it once for my client who attended Concordia University for his Engineering degree, since then I have steered away from Quebec schools, their wahala is too much.

The second challenge I am having has to do with proof of financial capacity. First of all, Mcgill only allows students to pay an acceptance fee of CAD$5k which would later be applied to the tuition. They don't collect fees upfront from students. Secondly, my tuition is about CAD$47K, I got a scholarship of about CAD$10K and I have applied for a student loan from prodigy finance to cover the outstanding tuition balance. Prodigy finance is very reputable in giving international students loans but I was wondering if me using loans would be a disadvantage in my study permit application. I know of people that have used loans and have gotten visa to school in the US but i dont know of Canada. Do you think my application would be a red flag on the basis of using a student loan as proof of financial capacity? Also, I have extra CAD$5K loan for living expenses, as well as personal savings of CAD$7k but its in a mutual fund and in an equity investment. My mum also has about CAD$10k but its also in a mutual fund. We don't have any money in bank account. Just mutual fund and equity investments. Do you think these are enough proof for financial capacity for living expenses? We are considering adding a co-sponsor but he is not a relative, What do you think?

Based on my assessment of your profile, you have passed rule 1. Clear purpose of visit by gaining admission to a very prestigious institution. Your impeccable academic background. You have also passed rule 3. Intention to return to home country by showing a strong travel history, potential job prospects on your return to Nigeria etc.. However, you are lacking seriously in rule 2. Ability to Fund rule 1. I will be straight with you here. You need to fix this area up or you will not get your visa. What do your parents do, you need to be able to show a minimum of the rest of your first year's tuition, as well as living costs in an account where the source of income can be verified. In your case you are still short of about $20,000CAD. Fees is 47k + living costs of 10k= 57K. So 57k-5K (deposit) = 52K-10k(scholarship) = 42k-12k (personal savings) =30K-10K(from mumsy)= CAD$20,000. That is still a very significant amount to cover. You don't show that money, the VO is not giving you a visa. You will need to get another sponsor to support your mum.

Please let me know how it goes.

I wish you the very best.

Cheers Omofar.

P.S: You may want to re-consider going to less prominent school, with less school fees, in the end the degree is just a degree, it is about what you do with it as a person that counts.

 

[Omofar]

"Inferiority complex", see attached link on US visa issued to Nigerians, I do not think credible would come to mind


https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-canadian-american-officials-working-to-stop-nigerians-from-using-us/,

Hello Copingwithlife,

I hope you are coping well (lol). Thanks for visiting. I also want to thank you for the link you shared. I will thereby respond to it.

I used the operative word, *seem*. I process Canadian Study Permits (CSPs) for multiple clients, I see how the VOs treat those with US visas compared to those without. So my opinion is based on the facts at my own disposal. I recently applied for three young people for pgd studies. I applied for all three of them online. I applied for the person with a US visa last, she got her permit first. Two applications processed in Kenya office and one in London. 2 other got rejected. I re-applied for the one of the ones that got rejected, addressing all the issues raised in the refusal letter, and she got her visa, she will be off in May. The third person decided to get someone else. You may wish to do your research, unless the person is a criminal, terrorist, if it is a normal person and has US visa, his/her chances of getting a Canadian visa is almost 100%. Your article also does not apply to this case. Those Nigerians at the border did not apply for Canadian permits, they only applied for US permits. The smart ones that applied for Canadian permits based on their history of US travel get their visas, and will not be part of those at the US-Canada border seeking asylum status.

Many thanks again.

Cheers

Omofar.

 

[Omofar]

Thanks
Further more
I applied paper study permit on October 10th, did everything and attached with a

Please.... Am seriously confused, I was once denied visa last year November ending.
Visa officer reasons was.
1.Am not convinced that you will leave Canada after your studies. """Which I state it clearly on my statement of purpose "" that I will come back after my studies.
2.due to your traveling history, which I knew that I haven't travel for once
3.due your personal assets """am confused because my uncle is sponsoring me , he provided his bank statement which close to #900million , ,wrote a letter for his sponsorship and also a letter from bank that he is the owner of account and am still an undergraduate but though I have a plot of land that the only assets I have. Am just preparing to apply again ,but I just need advice on what to do ,am really afraid but I believe in God ,I must get this one.

Yhello Dompax,

I am sorry to hear about the rejection of your application for study permit. You will have to apply again and address all the matters raised in the refusal letter.

1. Intent to return- This often difficult to prove. Just stating it in your SOP is not just enough, you need to be compelling in your SOP, and other issues such as potential job prospects in your home country.

2. I have said it many time, travel history is very important. You are already 26/27 going 30 and never traveled out of the country before. I will be very tough to get marriage certificate.

3. You also did not convince the VO that you will be able to pay for your tuition. Perhaps the (N900mm) you showed in the account without showing proof of how it was generated.

Address all the issues raised and you should be fine.

Omofar

 

[sillysassysally]

Thank you for your response.

Like i mentioned earlier, i have already secured student loans from prodigy finance that covers the rest of my tuition. The way it works is this; you apply for the loan > They do their background checks > they approve your loan and give you a letter of sponsorship for you to use in your visa application > upon arriving campus, they give the agreed loan amount to your school > then you start paying back six months after graduation up to a maximum of about 10 years.

Prodigy F. is very credible and popular - especially for helping to fund business school degrees (since they're the most expensive). They actually partner with the schools to provide the funding. So the question i was asking was; how do the visa officials view student loans?

I know people that have used prodigy finance and have gotten US study permit but i dont know about Canada.

P.S. For me its the best or nothing. These schools are expensive, not really because of what they teach but because of the access it gives to networks and opportunities. And for the industry i'm in (Finance), the brand of the school you go to really matters in getting the top jobs.

Hello sillysassysally,

Thank you for visiting and thank you also for your compliments, they are much appreciated.

Your background is impeccable, I see no problems here at all.

That is the problem with getting admitted to schools in Quebec. You will have to first confirm the tracking number that they have delivered the documentation, then you will call the CAQ people and speak with them about the status of your application and whether they have recieved your documenation. I did it once for my client who attended Concordia University for his Engineering degree, since then I have steered away from Quebec schools, their wahala is too much.

Based on my assessment of your profile, you have passed rule 1. Clear purpose of visit by gaining admission to a very prestigious institution. Your impeccable academic background. You have also passed rule 3. Intention to return to home country by showing a strong travel history, potential job prospects on your return to Nigeria etc.. However, you are lacking seriously in rule 2. Ability to Fund rule 1. I will be straight with you here. You need to fix this area up or you will not get your visa. What do your parents do, you need to be able to show a minimum of the rest of your first year's tuition, as well as living costs in an account where the source of income can be verified. In your case you are still short of about $20,000CAD. Fees is 47k + living costs of 10k= 57K. So 57k-5K (deposit) = 52K-10k(scholarship) = 42k-12k (personal savings) =30K-10K(from mumsy)= CAD$20,000. That is still a very significant amount to cover. You don't show that money, the VO is not giving you a visa. You will need to get another sponsor to support your mum.

Please let me know how it goes.

I wish you the very best.

Cheers Omofar.

P.S: You may want to re-consider going to less prominent school, with less school fees, in the end the degree is just a degree, it is about what you do with it as a person that counts.

 

[Oemmy1]

Hi, great minds, I need ur advice , I was refused a study permit ,on 08/02/19 ,V.O said
On grounds 1) I will not returne base on my family ties in Canada and in my Country of residence Nigeria .2) I will not return after my stay Base on the purpose of my visit .Now I want reapply could it be too early to do so...? Also I have an appointment with U.S embassy second week of next month .thanks .

 

[Oemmy1]

Or should I wait after my appointment With U.S embassy first ...?

 

[Dompax]

Yhello Dompax,

I am sorry to hear about the rejection of your application for study permit. You will have to apply again and address all the matters raised in the refusal letter.

1. Intent to return- This often difficult to prove. Just stating it in your SOP is not just enough, you need to be compelling in your SOP, and other issues such as potential job prospects in your home country.

2. I have said it many time, travel history is very important. You are already 26/27 going 30 and never traveled out of the country before. I will be very tough to get marriage certificate.

3. You also did not convince the VO that you will be able to pay for your tuition. Perhaps the (N900mm) you showed in the account without showing proof of how it was generated.

Address all the issues raised and you should be fine.

Omofar

Thanks for your response

 

[Omofar]

Thank you for your response.

Like i mentioned earlier, i have already secured student loans from prodigy finance that covers the rest of my tuition. The way it works is this; you apply for the loan > They do their background checks > they approve your loan and give you a letter of sponsorship for you to use in your visa application > upon arriving campus, they give the agreed loan amount to your school > then you start paying back six months after graduation up to a maximum of about 10 years.

Prodigy F. is very credible and popular - especially for helping to fund business school degrees (since they're the most expensive). They actually partner with the schools to provide the funding. So the question i was asking was; how do the visa officials view student loans?

I know people that have used prodigy finance and have gotten US study permit but i dont know about Canada.

P.S. For me its the best or nothing. These schools are expensive, not really because of what they teach but because of the access it gives to networks and opportunities. And for the industry i'm in (Finance), the brand of the school you go to really matters in getting the top jobs.

Is Prodigy loans based in Nigeria, if the organisation is based in Canada, then you may still have a problem of not showing to the VO that you are able to fund your studies without assistance. I know people who had funding from their supervisors in Canada (scholarship) and they were still rejected due to inability to fund their studies. In my mind if you have full scholarship, one would expect that there is no need to show considerable amount in the bank statement. However, it is a procedural thing, it is a check list, and it appears that if the funding is not shown to be from your home country you will not get the visa despite your having secured a loan or scholarship. In this case, I do not have experience with loan companies and how Canadian VOs view them, so I am unable to give factual advise here. I would say you should still give it a go and lets hope for the best.

You are right about the additional networking benefits that come with going to Ivy-league -like schools, Nevertheless there are no guarantees in life, one must also learn to be flexible and adaptable. So while your ultimate goal may not change, your route to getting there can be modified to accommodate your current position. Reflect on this.

All the best.

Omofar.

 

[Omofar]

Hi, great minds, I need ur advice , I was refused a study permit ,on 08/02/19 ,V.O said
On grounds 1) I will not returne base on my family ties in Canada and in my Country of residence Nigeria .2) I will not return after my stay Base on the purpose of my visit .Now I want reapply could it be too early to do so...? Also I have an appointment with U.S embassy second week of next month .thanks .

Yhello Oemmy1,

Thanks for visiting. As you know Canadian visa can take forever, so here is my advice to you. Go for the US interview, do your best get the U.S visa. Then if you can, travel to the U.S for 2 weeks and come back, then apply for your Canadian study permit. That in itself has helped you address some of the issues raised about how you would behave with your Canadian study permit.

You need to be able to demonstrate in a compelling manner that you have strong intentions to return to Nigeria.

All the best.

Omofar

 

[russ6970]

Thanks for your reply am still trusting God and as for my travel history I have been to Dubai twice and I got a reply from someone else asking about the status of my review of eligibility and it says your application is in progress we will send you a message when we start reviewing your eligibility .I hope this helps
Lastly I just remembered that around September/october, me my mother and my sister applied for us visitors visa and were denied could this have an impact on it even tho my Canadian student visa was already being processed before that

If you did not declare the refusal, that will have a negative impact. It is misrepresentation.