I have no direct interest in any of the colleges and programs mentioned in this thread but felt I had to jump in and interject. In hopes that the observations of an interested third party [me] can help to clear up some misconceptions I offer up the following ...
There seems to be a great deal of confusion by many of the posters in this thread. Many of the individuals posting here seem to have no clear concept of the processes involved in applying to Canadian colleges and universities and then applying for a Study Permit. More specifically, many posters seem to think that what are actually two completely separate and distinct procedures are one process that is completed "all at once". The most frequent example of this obvious misconception seems to be the "Humber College rejects Study Permit/Visa requests too frequently" argument often mentioned here in this thread. I myself have gone through the process (I'm currently a student at Langara College in Vancouver), so the following is based on first-hand experience.
There are SEVERAL SEPARATE and DISTINCT STEPS involved:
(Step #1A) Selecting and Applying to Schools. This step involves finding schools that offer the courses/programs that interest you. Once you have narrowed down the list of schools that meet your criteria, you can then apply to one or more of those schools for admission to the prograzm of study that interests you. Some prospective students apply to only one school, while some students apply to multiple schools. In any case, once applications have been sent off to the school(s), the applicant can sit back and wait for a bit ... the next step is up to the school.
(Step #1B) The Admissions Approval Process When a school(s) receive your application(s), it/they must make a determination as to whether or not you meet their criteria/prerequisites for admission as a student. This decision-making process can vary from school to school. Some might place more importance on previous academic performance while others might weight an applicant's language skills more heavily. It all depends on the school. What is important to note, though, is that the decision to approve or disapprove an applicant is based solely on the applicant's qualifications. This means that other factors, such as proof of funds, ties to hoke country, etc. are not taken into consideration at all. These items are, of course, important as well, but they only come into play later on. Most important here is that schools themselves don't care about nor consider these non-academic variables at all when making their admissions decision. Once the school(s) have made their decision, they will notify the applicant that he/she has either been a) accepted for admission, or b) does not meet the school's requirements at this time. If accepted, the applicant is sent a letter of provisional acceptance. The letter includes an offer to attend (subject to the payment of a deposit of some sort) and includes information on what further steps the applicant must now take to continue.
(Step #1C) Accepting a School's Offer of Admission. Now the ball is back in the applicant's court. Upon receipt of a school's offer of admission, the applicant must now decide whether they want to accept the offer. If he/she has applied to and received offers from several schools, then he/she must first decide which admissions offer to accept. In any case it is now up to the prospective student to formally accept the school's offer and remit any required deposits/payments. Once this has been accomplished, the school will send the applicant the all-important "second letter". This letter states that the student has been accepted into a program of study and specifies the dates the program begins and ends. The letter also includes a statement to the effect that the student has paid any required initial deposits & fees. This letter must be safeguarded as it is the primary document required when applyimng for a Study Permit and Visa (if required).
(Step #2) Apply for Study Permit/Visa. At this point, the school is out of the picture completely. From here on out, it no longer plays any role in these next steps. It's job has been completed. The next step can vary dramatically from one applicant to another. Depending on the applicant's nationality and whether he/she is from a visa-exempt country or not, the process can take only a few minutes or be considerably more involved. Citizens of the U.S., for example, need only drive up to the nearest border point-of-entry and show the school's acceptance letter, a current bank statement (to show proof of funds), a valid passport and the Study Permit application fee. No visa is required due to the fact that U.S. citizens are exempt from this requirement. If the student has a spouse and/or dependent children that will be accompanying him/her, their extended Temporary Residency Permits, Spousal Open Work Permit and Study Permit (for the kids) can also be issued on the spot as well. When I went through the process two years ago, it took less than 20 minutes for me and my accompanying spouse to receive all needed permits and drive away.
For others, the most important thing to remember now is that the decision on whether or not to apporve and issuer Study Permit is entirely up to CIC, NOT THE SCHOOL! At this point, the applicant should approach the process strictly from a CIC standpoint. Academic qualifications no longer matter. CIC only cares about the following criteria in determining whether or not to approve requests:
1) Does Applicant have enough money? This includes funds for tuition, fees and books as well as living expenses.
2) Does Applicant's chosen course of study make sense? Are the courses/program available in his/her hom,e country as well or only in Canada? Is the program related to the Applicant's previous studies or profession?
3) Does Applicant have a "dodgy" travel history? Have they previously been deported from or overstayed in Canada or other countries? Do they have a history of "breaking the rules"?
4) Is the Applicant healthy? (Medical sometimes required)
5) Most importsant of all ... will the applicant leave if they can no longer remain in Canada legally. This is where the all-important "significant ties to home country" determination comes into play. Notice that I did not say "... leave Canada after completing studies ..." but rather "... when they can no longer remain in Canada legally ..." as the difference is profound. The bottom line is that CIC wants to have assurances that should an applicant no longer have a legal way of remaining in Canada (be it on a Study Permit, a subsequent Post-Graduate Work Permit, or as many of those here aspire to, as applicants for PR via CEC or some other route), does he/she have enough of a reason to actually return to the home country?
The people working at CIC who make the approval/dispproval determinations aren't stupid. They know full well that many Study Permit applicants harbour the ultimate goal of remaining in Canada permanently. They just want to be sure that if/when the time comes that an applicant's dreams cannot be realized, the applicant will leave of his/her own accord. If you can successfully convince CIC that you'll follow the rules (by the strength of your applicatilon), then you'll be rewarded with an approved Study Permit.
I sincerely hope that all of you who are genuine in your aspirations for a Study Permit are successful in your endeavors. Just don't blame Humber College (or any other school) if you don't receive one ... the decision was not theirs to make. If you have to "blame" anyone, blame CIC. Better yet, put together an awesome and completely unambiguous Study Permit Application packet, and you won't have to blame anyone at all!
