Its tough to face situations like these. First ur personal (dad) loss and then this professional loss. Its hard to get going with these things in mind. As a friend I would suggest go for a bachelors in india. Keep your scores gud...take IELTS again and apply for masters in a good university Canada always entertains students with good academic records. Also this will give you enough time to heal those wounds. I knw that personal loss is the biggest one one can have. But someone rightly said " Life always knocks one down, but it depends on you if you wanna remain laid defeated or else at least give it( life) a challenge ! "...Stay focussed, plan about future and buck up !...Also keep an eye over the forum at least once a week, may be you can find a solution by another member abt the gap thing. And God knows if the canadian visa rules might change for your benefit. Besties !