application returned today

[SenoritaBella]

There is no such rule - your friend either did not meet requirements, did not satisfy the officer that he will leave at the end of his authorized stay or made up a story. Also, there was nothing stopping him from going home, as he is allowed to leave Canada even with the expired TRV. However, he would not be able to return without renewing the TRV, and this I suspect is the reason he chose not to travel.

It's not enough to just have a study/work permit, you have to be currently enrolled in school or currently employed and include a letter from school or the employer attesting to this. Failure to provide this evidence among other requirements, when you apply for a TRV leads to rejection. I guess the question becomes whether or not your friend was actually taking classes or just got the study permit in order to have legal status while he waits for PR?

i remember one of my friend's PR was under process, and his visa got expired, he was on study permit, he couldn't renew his visa, and he was unable to go back home country to see his sick father. You can renew your work or study permit, while your PR is under process, but the consulate would reject your visa application. It was a rule back in 2011. May be it got changed in 2012. Anybody has any information directly from CIC?