This thread seems to be the most relevant I can find to my current situation. But I'm still a little confused, hoping someone is able to clear this up for me.
I'm a British citizen (visa exempt) and I arrived into Canada a few weeks ago, I was admitted with no restrictions so if I wish would be able to stay until mid-June. Aside from visiting Canada as a tourist, I also wanted to visit a school I was interested in applying to. Having been suitably impressed I applied for the course which begins in May and was accepted very quickly.
Now I'm in the situation of needing to gain my study permit asap. I was planning on staying for another month and then visiting the USA for a month, but obviously this has to now take precedent. Ideally what I would like to do is actually stay until my course starts, spending the time travelling around Canada a little and then get accommodation arranged, get set up for school and begin some independent study. I do have a return ticket to the UK I can change to an earlier date and use if necessary, but would rather change this to a later date for one of my school breaks.
So basically my question is, given my situation would I be able to apply for my study permit at the Seattle office, by mail ideally, or in person if that's preferable? Or would I need to return to the UK? If I am able to apply to Seattle would this be likely to impede my chances of gaining the study permit? There seems to be a lot of debate on this and I need to apply asap but just wanted to properly clear it up before taking the plunge. The CIC call centre being impossible to get through to, I'm hoping I can get an answer here!