Kindly advise on my chances of getting a study permit.

[altctrdelighted]

Hi dear friends and seniors of this group.

Age - 33
Marital status - Single
Nationality - Indian
Highest qualification - BE (Electronics and Comm.), passed out in 2010
Work experience - Working as a Marine Electrical engineer onboard passenger and container ships since 2012
Course applying for - Commercial Pilot's License (CPL)

Little bit about me -- As a kid, I always wanted to become a pilot but as you might know that it's a very expensive course, especially for someone coming from an Indian middle class family. So, this dream remained a dream that I couldn't touch. Got into Electrical engineering as that's what most directionless kids did during those days of mid 2000s as being an engineer was supposed to be "safe". Thereafter, i did a 4 month marine electrical course from one of the best marine institutes in India. I was selected as a cadet electrical engineer by a container ship company. Worked with them for 4 years until i became a senior electrical engineer. Then i changed companies and started working for a major cruise ship company. I have been working with them for the last 4 years as a 2nd electrical engineer. I have never really enjoyed my job even though i am good at it. So, in August I applied in a flight school (DLI) in Manitoba and got accepted.

I have been reading various posts on this forum for the past few days. Since I started reading the posts, i have become a bit anxious about my chances of getting a study permit. I have read here that those with a "gap" after their studies are not looked upon as ideal candidates. Also, 30 plus candidates are not so much desirable. Neither do i have any co-relation between my work-ex and what I aspire to study except that both are kind of off beat professions. So, as you can see that I might have difficulty in convincing the VO. I don't have much going on for me except that I am quite passionate about flying and finance is not an issue.

If i can explain my situation in the SOP, do you think it will help ? Because frankly I don't see any other way. Or is everything alright and i am getting nervous for no reason ? Kindly advise on my chances.

 

[wkr]

I'm 30 yo with an education gap and an MA who applied for a postgrad degree (different from my MA, mind you) in Humber from a country that is not my home country. By all accounts, I should have been rejected three ways into Sunday. Yet, I got approved and recently have gotten my OPR.
So, if your desire to go to Canada is strong enough, then you should go for it 100% regardless of who says what on the internet. Write a strong SOP that shows a clear progression path and ties to your country (although at the end of the day, every tie can be questioned and nitpicked so it's also about luck, I think). If they do reject you, you can order GSMC notes and address those problems before reapplying.

 

[Ryerson2020]

Hi dear friends and seniors of this group.

Age - 33
Marital status - Single
Nationality - Indian
Highest qualification - BE (Electronics and Comm.), passed out in 2010
Work experience - Working as a Marine Electrical engineer onboard passenger and container ships since 2012
Course applying for - Commercial Pilot's License (CPL)

Little bit about me -- As a kid, I always wanted to become a pilot but as you might know that it's a very expensive course, especially for someone coming from an Indian middle class family. So, this dream remained a dream that I couldn't touch. Got into Electrical engineering as that's what most directionless kids did during those days of mid 2000s as being an engineer was supposed to be "safe". Thereafter, i did a 4 month marine electrical course from one of the best marine institutes in India. I was selected as a cadet electrical engineer by a container ship company. Worked with them for 4 years until i became a senior electrical engineer. Then i changed companies and started working for a major cruise ship company. I have been working with them for the last 4 years as a 2nd electrical engineer. I have never really enjoyed my job even though i am good at it. So, in August I applied in a flight school (DLI) in Manitoba and got accepted.

I have been reading various posts on this forum for the past few days. Since I started reading the posts, i have become a bit anxious about my chances of getting a study permit. I have read here that those with a "gap" after their studies are not looked upon as ideal candidates. Also, 30 plus candidates are not so much desirable. Neither do i have any co-relation between my work-ex and what I aspire to study except that both are kind of off beat professions. So, as you can see that I might have difficulty in convincing the VO. I don't have much going on for me except that I am quite passionate about flying and finance is not an issue.

If i can explain my situation in the SOP, do you think it will help ? Because frankly I don't see any other way. Or is everything alright and i am getting nervous for no reason ? Kindly advise on my chances.

Give a try and i hope you will get it. I am 32 M 10 years work experience in Software industry and got visa at first short right now I am doing my Masters online , I got my passport stamped last week and going to Canada in Jan . My suggestion is to really work hard on your SOP and dont care about the word limit I wrote my SOP in 3 pages and everyone told me that it shouldn't be more than one or one and half but I didn't care and lets write every thing about you and your dreams. Consider below points while writing your SOP.

-- Try to show as much funds as you can. ( Show you latest 3-4 months pay slip, 3 years ITR, your experience certificates, bank balance in CAD )
--Tell them how this course is going to fulfill your dreams and opportunities in your country after doing this course.

SOP is the only key to get success i.e Visa
Best of Luck

 

[Ironclad]

While I agree with the prior posters above, the diploma path is still dangerous for this age category. Your SOP must highlight important points regarding why choosing to become a pilot is a step up by linking your experience in the transportation industry and should link the common aspects between shipping and airline transportation.

 

[altctrdelighted]

Thanks a lot guys. I took your advise and wrote an elaborate SOP of about 3 pages long . Also showed almost 3 times the funds needed. I finally managed to apply on 11th Feb after gathering all documents (LOA, IELTS, PCC, GIC, pre paid tuition fees letter, bank statements for last 1 year, balance certificates, payslips for last 4 months, summary of FD and mutual fund investments etc. ). Considering the backlogs of SDS applications, I opted for non-SDS even though I had paid the first installment of the fees and got a 10k GIC. Let's see how it goes. I will keep on updating my status as and when my application progresses.

Application Status: Submitted
Application Type: SP, Non-SDS
Application Submitted: 11 Feb 2021
Biometrics Collection Letter: 12 Feb 2021
Biometrics Appointment: 16 Feb 2021
Biometrics Updated: 16 Feb 2021
Medical Letter: Waiting for it. I didn't know before that I could do it upfront.

 

[Kuldip tiwari]

Thanks a lot guys. I took your advise and wrote an elaborate SOP of about 3 pages long . Also showed almost 3 times the funds needed. I finally managed to apply on 11th Feb after gathering all documents (LOA, IELTS, PCC, GIC, pre paid tuition fees letter, bank statements for last 1 year, balance certificates, payslips for last 4 months, summary of FD and mutual fund investments etc. ). Considering the backlogs of SDS applications, I opted for non-SDS even though I had paid the first installment of the fees and got a 10k GIC. Let's see how it goes. I will keep on updating my status as and when my application progresses.

Application Status: Submitted
Application Type: SP, Non-SDS
Application Submitted: 11 Feb 2021
Biometrics Collection Letter: 12 Feb 2021
Biometrics Appointment: 16 Feb 2021
Biometrics Updated: 16 Feb 2021
Medical Letter: Waiting for it. I didn't know before that I could do it upfront.

May you please share your SOP with me because I bling with 3 refusals .and my file is under NON SDS .so please share your sop with me
Kuldiptiwari001@gmail.com

 

[altctrdelighted]

May you please share your SOP with me because I bling with 3 refusals .and my file is under NON SDS .so please share your sop with me
Kuldiptiwari001@gmail.com

Hi Kuldip. I have submitted my application recently and haven't had any decision yet. Also, I have an offbeat profession and am applying for another offbeat program. Not sure if my SOP will be of any help for you.

 

[altctrdelighted]

Hi there folks. So, I received a refusal on 14th April and following were the reasons listed. I have already ordered for the GCMS notes. Until I receive it I would like to prepare a rough LoE based on the points of rejection. I think I wrote a good enough SOP explaining everything. It was about 2.5 pages long. Should I try to shorten my SOP ? Please read and advise me what I am doing wrong or what I can do differently.

• I am not satisfied that you will leave Canada at the end of your stay, as stipulated in subsection 216(1) of the IRPR, based on the purpose of your visit.

Here I will explain the following:
Purpose of visit and that I intend to return back to India. I will briefly explain my study plan in Canada and then when I return to India. I will also state that the Indian aviation industry is much more robust than the Canadian aviation industry. There are more flying jobs in India than Canada. Canada is a mature aviation market and the growth is nominal over the years (until pandemic) while India was the fastest growing aviation market (until pandemic) and even now the recovery has been very swift. So, it makes sense to go back to India and try to find flying jobs. I will explain this.
The fact that my parents and extended family reside in Kolkata. My parents are old and my sister is married. So, I am the only one who takes care of them
This time I will include property evaluation certificate from the CA. But it's in my parents name. Please let me know if it will show strong home ties or not ?
I have 56k CAD worth of FDs and mutual fund investment in my name. Should I include that here ? Does it show strong ties ?
I currently have valid US B1/B2 and C1D visa. In the past I have held short term Schengen, Chinese, Russian, Egyptian, Thai and Vietnamese visas. I have extensive travel history in US and western European countries while on ship. My ship is based in US. I have been to Russia, Thailand and Vietnam as a Tourist. There's no precedent of me overstaying at anytime in the past.
Please advise me what more can I include here or what changes should I make in the above draft ?

• Pursuant to paragraph 220(a) of the IRPA, I am not satisfied that you 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.

Last time also I had shown enough funds (total 171k CAD in form of (bank balance + FD + mutual funds + 10k CAD GIC + 10k CAD prepaid tuition fees) so I am not sure why this reason was given in the refusal. My expenditure during the course will be 70k CAD (tuition fees + living expense + other expense). I will wait for the GCMS notes.
I have few questions:
Is FD and mutual funds considered as proof of funds ?
This time I will be getting the property evaluation certificate which is in my parents name. Can i include it when I show the finance since it's not in my name ?
I hold a joint account with my father. Do I have to furnish any new documents to highlight this, because I haven't.

• Given the applicant's previous education and/or employment history, I am not satisfied that the motivation to pursue this particular program at this point in time in Canada is reasonable. Refused under R216(1)(b).

Education history:
On the face of it, I find it hard to disagree with this judgement. However, after a deeper analysis I would like to assert my points for your kind reconsideration. The motivation to pursue this program has always been there. Lack of funds was the chief reason (there were many more reasons which I have discussed in my SOP) why I wasn't able to pursue this course way back in 2005, fresh after my 10+2. Flying is something many of us dreamed about as kids, but eventually life gets in the way and the dream is often sidelined. I come from a middle class family in India. In 2005, I had to make a decision regarding my future and I (more like my parents) chose the much less expensive and traditionally safer option of Electronics engineering. So I played the cards I was dealt with and over the years I have worked hard to save enough funds to complete this program comfortably and still have a safety net. In all this time I have always subconsciously pursued my eventual dream of becoming a pilot.

I understand that I already have a Bachelor's of Engineering degree and now after 10 years I am going for a certificate level course. By all appearances it would seem unreasonable to go for a certificate level course now when I already have a Bachelor's degree and work experience. However, that would have been the case if I was looking for career progression in my current field of expertise (Electrical / Electronics engineering). What I am looking for at this point in my life is a change of career. To study this course the minimum education requirement is 10+2. It's a certificate level course which will allow me to get a Canadian CPL (Commercial Pilot's License) which I can easily convert to an Indian DGCA license upon returning back to India. I understand the rationale that since I already have a Bachelor's degree, it's logical if I had chosen a master's degree, but a certificate level program is the only traditional method of gaining a CPL not just in Canada but anywhere in the world. To become a pilot, there's no master's level program that I am aware of.
So, I would like to reiterate that I am looking for a change of career at this point in my life and I am only 33 years young ! Ideally I still have 3 decades of working life left in me. That amounts to thousands of flying hours the way I see it. It's my firm opinion that it's never too late to challenge yourself and do something new, especially something you have always dreamed of.

Employment history:
I started my career on cargo ships and for the last 4 years I have been sailing on passenger ships as a 2nd Electrical engineer. My motivation has increased since I shifted to passenger ships. Yet again, on face value my employment history as an electrical engineer seems unrelated to my proposed course of study. However, there are a lot of similarities but you have to be in my shoes for a moment to see the correlation. For starters both are in the business of transporting passengers. The process of getting onboard is same - you report at the terminal, go through security, immigration and board your vessel/aircraft. A cruise ship has a Captain, officers, engineers and hotel crew. Similarly, an aircraft has a Captain, first officer, ground engineers and cabin crew. One of the fun similarities is that both set of crew get to travel a lot. Even though my discipline is engineering I find myself quite inclined towards navigation. Also I like the work profile and quality of life of the bridge officers / pilots. Flying is alluring as a profession but the major hindrance is the high initial training cost. I know for a fact that there are many like me who go for flight training later on in their life when their finances are in order. If you randomly pick up 10 pilots it's quite likely that many of them will have very diverse backgrounds. It's not just my opinion but also based on my personal experience of interacting with a lot of flight crew and looking at many profiles on Linkedin while doing research. I hope that I have addressed your concerns.

This is a little hard to explain to the VO. If they don't want to understand they they won't. Would you suggest any changes or anything to add ?

 

[Rah123]

Give a try and i hope you will get it. I am 32 M 10 years work experience in Software industry and got visa at first short right now I am doing my Masters online , I got my passport stamped last week and going to Canada in Jan . My suggestion is to really work hard on your SOP and dont care about the word limit I wrote my SOP in 3 pages and everyone told me that it shouldn't be more than one or one and half but I didn't care and lets write every thing about you and your dreams. Consider below points while writing your SOP.

-- Try to show as much funds as you can. ( Show you latest 3-4 months pay slip, 3 years ITR, your experience certificates, bank balance in CAD )
--Tell them how this course is going to fulfill your dreams and opportunities in your country after doing this course.

SOP is the only key to get success i.e Visa
Best of Luck

Hi bro, how much annual income is required for study visa

 

[altctrdelighted]

Hi bro, how much annual income is required for study visa

You need to show funds. Have a look at this link:

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/study-canada/study-permit/get-documents.html