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Study Permit Challenges for Nigerian Applicants

Reneekay

Member
Feb 9, 2018
15
5
Nigeria
Category........
Hello Good day,
I'm a 24 year old Nigerian with a Bsc in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology from a Ghanaian University, I want to apply for a graduate certificate in Food safety and quality assurance (its for 1 year). I have about 2 and a half years work experience in Administration but i did a 6week internship at Nigerian breweries when i was in my 3rd year. A relative wants to pay for my fees and part of my living expenses (he owns a law firm), the rest of the living expenses will be my money. Can he transfer the money to my mum which she'll now transfer to me and write a gift of deed or is it better he sends the money directly to me and write a gift a deed because my mum can't prove source of income?Also can i use a mutual funds account statement as my account for proof of funds?

As far as travel history, i travelled to the UK once and the US once but both times i was a child.

What are the things i need to do seeing as i'm just considering starting the process of applying to schools? (i'm looking at winter intake next year).How do i show that i will return after my studies?
 
Last edited:

Tripps

Newbie
Apr 12, 2019
5
0
Hello Tripps,

Thanks for visiting this thread. I am sorry for responding late, quite pre-occupied with other personal matters. I hope well.

You are applying for a diploma? Do you have a first degree or work experience in this field? At 29 years old? Do you have gaps in your education history, work experience in this field? Are you currently working at all?

Your Letter of Support should be well drafted and signed by your dad, are you married, with kids? Also your statement of purpose should explain any gaps in your academic history, and why you are applying for a diploma at 29. Your having no travel history is a dangerous red flag.

Unfortunately in all, based on the information you have provided, I do not think you have a good chance of getting a study permit approval.

Nevertheless, I could be wrong.

All the best.

Omofar
I have a first degree in banking & finance, graduated 2014, nysc was from 2015-2016, then worked as a supervisor @ my father's work (recycling),been learning as an apprentice (R&AC) last year till now, got a 2 months Refrigeration and air conditioning certification from Industrial training fund. Now getting small jobs while still learning.
 

Omofar

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Jul 13, 2013
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I have a first degree in banking & finance, graduated 2014, nysc was from 2015-2016, then worked as a supervisor @ my father's work (recycling),been learning as an apprentice (R&AC) last year till now, got a 2 months Refrigeration and air conditioning certification from Industrial training fund. Now getting small jobs while still learning.
Hello Trips,

Happy Easter.

Your profile is still not convincing, a Canadian officer may think other wise, but I would strongly advise against applying for a study permit, I do not think it will fly. Perhaps you should consider the Express Entry route, you have the right age, you just need to locate an NOC code that would match your work experience, it must be a class 0, A or B job.

I am sorry I don't have more encouraging news, you may give it a go ahead, who knows, you may find favour with the visa officer.

All the best.

Omofar
 

Omofar

Hero Member
Jul 13, 2013
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Hello Good day,
I'm a 24 year old Nigerian with a Bsc in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology from a Ghanaian University, I want to apply for a graduate certificate in Food safety and quality assurance (its for 1 year). I have about 2 and a half years work experience in Administration but i did a 6 week internship at Nigerian breweries when i was in my 3rd year. A relative wants to pay for my fees and part of my living expenses (he owns a law firm), the rest of the living expenses will be my money. Can he transfer the money to my mum which she'll now transfer to me and write a gift of deed or is it better he sends the money directly to me and write a gift a deed because my mum can't prove source of income?Also can i use a mutual funds account statement as my account for proof of funds?

As far as travel history, i travelled to the UK once and the US once but both times i was a child.

What are the things i need to do seeing as i'm just considering starting the process of applying to schools? (i'm looking at winter intake next year).How do i show that i will return after my studies?
Hello Reneekay,

Happy Easter, I hope well.

1. You have a good age range, a good degree. You also have a decent level of work experience. I would suggest checking for a more related graduate program, if you don't find one, then you can go for this one. I will score you a B+ here.

2. This is issue of sponsor is tricky these days, if the sponsor is not your direct parent. The VO wants to know why this third party has vested interest in sponsoring your education, why they would want to spend so much money on you, don't they have their own children, don't they have their own personal plans for their money, what is the justification or motivation for wanting to sponsor you. This issue must be clearly addressed in the sponsorship letter, a compelling level of relationship must be shown, the sponsor must have serious money in his account, and must be willing to show the source of his/her income. I would not suggest transferring any money to you or your mum. I would suggest the sponsor also pay for your tuition for the entire program before you apply for the permit. I will rather you liquidate the mutual funds and put it in a fixed deposit account with your bank. Here I will score you a C+, would be upgraded to B+ if you can put all the aforementioned suggestions in place.

3. Good that you have traveled to the US and UK before, albeit a long time ago. but it will still count for something. Other than that are you still working, what is your annual salary, is it about N3-4mm a year? I would score you a C here. I don't have all the info.

4. I would say its an excellent time to apply to schools for Winter 2020.

Lets know how it goes.

Wish you all the best.

Cheers

Omofar
 

kkd10

Newbie
Apr 22, 2019
8
1
Do you need to show proof of accommodation rental or student housing rental before you can apply for Canada study permit please?
 

Omofar

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Jul 13, 2013
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Do you need to show proof of accommodation rental or student housing rental before you can apply for Canada study permit please?
Hello kkd10,

Thank you for visiting this thread. Happy Easter.

It is better if you can make arrangements for accommodation before applying for visa, however, it is not a requirement. If you have paid for your tuition, then you need to sum a minimum of a sum of $12,000CAD in your account for living costs for a year.

Let us know how it goes.

All the best
Omofar
 

kkd10

Newbie
Apr 22, 2019
8
1
Hello kkd10,

Thank you for visiting this thread. Happy Easter.

It is better if you can make arrangements for accommodation before applying for visa, however, it is not a requirement. If you have paid for your tuition, then you need to sum a minimum of a sum of $12,000CAD in your account for living costs for a year.

Let us know how it goes.

All the best
Omofar
Ok. Thanks so much for the information.
I will revert with feedback.
 

Joelle111

Hero Member
May 30, 2018
200
36
Good afternoon.

I need advice in regards to visa application please. I am 25, living in Qatar for 16 years now. I have been to Naija occasionally but not as much. Maybe 5 or 6 times in this span. I have read on here that applying in one's home country is better than where I'm resident. My educational background is as follows:

BBA in International Hospitality Management (2011-2015)
Avrg grade 8/10...GPA 3.48 (according to WES evaluation)
Intended course in Canada: Master of Arts Communication (research paper) Fall 2019 - the University of Ottawa (admission secured).

I checked the processing time for Qatar and it said 35 weeks (!!!) while Nigeria is 10 weeks. Now I'm thinking of going to Nigeria and applying from there. I have the following questions:

1. Can I use the Letter of Acceptance on the school admission portal or do I need to request for an original copy that is sent by mail?
2. On my LOA it says the conditions I need to fulfill is sending my original transcripts. Do I need to do this before I apply for the Study Permit?
3. My Passport is valid until Jan 2020...should I renew this before attempting to apply or is it not a problem.
4. My mother will be taking an educational loan of around 6 Million Naira in addition to the 6 Million I have worked and saved for. Will it be a problem that the loan she'll take will be taken from a bank in Qatar?

Thanks for answering. Also, any other useful tip you can share with me will be beneficial.
 

Omofar

Hero Member
Jul 13, 2013
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Good afternoon.

I need advice in regards to visa application please. I am 25, living in Qatar for 16 years now. I have been to Naija occasionally but not as much. Maybe 5 or 6 times in this span. I have read on here that applying in one's home country is better than where I'm resident. My educational background is as follows:

BBA in International Hospitality Management (2011-2015)
Avrg grade 8/10...GPA 3.48 (according to WES evaluation)
Intended course in Canada: Master of Arts Communication (research paper) Fall 2019 - the University of Ottawa (admission secured).

I checked the processing time for Qatar and it said 35 weeks (!!!) while Nigeria is 10 weeks. Now I'm thinking of going to Nigeria and applying from there. I have the following questions:

1. Can I use the Letter of Acceptance on the school admission portal or do I need to request for an original copy that is sent by mail?
2. On my LOA it says the conditions I need to fulfill is sending my original transcripts. Do I need to do this before I apply for the Study Permit?
3. My Passport is valid until Jan 2020...should I renew this before attempting to apply or is it not a problem.
4. My mother will be taking an educational loan of around 6 Million Naira in addition to the 6 Million I have worked and saved for. Will it be a problem that the loan she'll take will be taken from a bank in Qatar?

Thanks for answering. Also, any other useful tip you can share with me will be beneficial.
Hello Joelle111,

Thanks for visiting this forum, I think your profile looks good on paper. I will add the little I know to it.

Good age. You did not mention work experience, but if you have N6mm saved, then you must have good work experience. I would have thought that become a citizen of Qatar after living there for 16 years. I am also curious to know where you got the information from that you have to return to Nigeria to apply for your permit. Please specify. Anyway the world is now a global village, if you put in an online application, it can be treated anywhere from Nairobi to London. So where you apply from does not matter, what matters is if you are a legal resident where you currently reside. Seeing that you have lived more than half of your life in Qatar, I will suggest you apply there so long as you have legal residency there.
As for time to process visa applications, it is not set in stone, so if you apply online they may send the application to an embassy that has less workload so it may come out much earlier. Most Nigerian applications used to be done in Ghana, it was quite recently that it was changed to either Nairobi,Kenya or London, UK.

Please clarify what your work experience is in. I would suggest you look into a more related course to either your undergrad studies or your current work experience.

I would say sort out all conditions on your offer before applying, renew your Nigerian passport first, your funds and your mother taking a loan shouldn't be an issue.

Let us know how it goes

All the best.

Omofar
 

Joelle111

Hero Member
May 30, 2018
200
36
Hi Omofar

Thank you for your response. Let me answer your questions the best I can.

- I have 3 years total work experience. My degree was *mostly* hotel related but I didn’t want to work in a hotel due to personal preferences. For the past year and a half I work as a Legal Secretary. I don’t think my undergrad and potential post grad are so diverse. I found a way to justify and link it to my future career prospect in my SOP so hopefully that should be fine.

- Qatar doesn’t grant citizenship to expatriates. The only way you are a citizen is by birth or if your parents are. They don't have permanent residency either (they only introduced that this year). So my status here is Temporary Resident. People were saying that since my status is Temporary Resident and I havent been home more frequently I wont demonstrate solid home ties. So that's why i was considering going back home.

Oh thats good news about the embassy flexibility. I hope it’s still the case because the 35 week time frame is ridiculous. I will sort out my admission conditions and passport renewal like you suggest. Thank you very much for your advice. God Bless
 

Heart4hearts

Newbie
Apr 24, 2019
2
0
Hi Omofar,

Trust you are well. Thank you for sharing your vast experience and knowledge.

My situation is a bit tricky and will appreciate your honest advice.

1). I am currently waiting for my LOA from a Canadian Christian College to study bachelor in Christian counselling. This is based on my calling. However, I have lived in the UK for close to 9 years on study visa and returned home with family when my extension was refused. What are my chances for a study permit with Canada. I have professional certificates in Administrative management all from the UK. (I Intend to write a letter of intent to cover the change in profession/career).

2). I got married in the UK and had all my three kids from there. I will like to include them in my application any chances it will be granted?

3). My husband is sponsoring me and he has a job currently close to 5M annually. We have a joint statement of account close to N35m and my tuition fee is 7500 CAD which we will be paying the first year in full.

With these what do you think.
 

QwajoFest

Member
Sep 8, 2017
10
0
Following an examination of your application, I am not satisfied that you application meets the requirements of the Act and the Regulations for the reasons explained below:
- have sufficient and available financial resources, without working in Canada, to maintain yourself and any family members who are accompanying you during your proposed period of study
- have sufficient and available financial resources, without working in Canada, to pay the costs of transporting yourself and any family members who are accompanying you to and from Canada.
- have sufficient and available financial resources, without working in Canada, to pay the tuition fees for the course or program of studies that you intend to pursue
- personal assets and financial status

This is the content of my refusal during my second attempt.
 

Evankc

Hero Member
Dec 13, 2018
653
287
Following an examination of your application, I am not satisfied that you application meets the requirements of the Act and the Regulations for the reasons explained below:
- have sufficient and available financial resources, without working in Canada, to maintain yourself and any family members who are accompanying you during your proposed period of study
- have sufficient and available financial resources, without working in Canada, to pay the costs of transporting yourself and any family members who are accompanying you to and from Canada.
- have sufficient and available financial resources, without working in Canada, to pay the tuition fees for the course or program of studies that you intend to pursue
- personal assets and financial status

This is the content of my refusal during my second attempt.

Let me see how i can help you .

How much do you present in your account as raw cash ? Your sponsore how much did they also present in there account statement? How many years program are you going for? What is your tuition fee per year? ... pls answer that four questions before i can assist .