Pakistani applicants applying study permit for Jan intake gather here.

[salman53101]

Did you checked Vsf website
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Probably they started reviewing your eligibility, and it will happen till the final decision they will communicate to you.

My eligibility review started around 1.5 months ago according to my online application so I don't think that may be the case

 

[salman53101]

When the visa officer opens a file to give his decision, or to ask for other documents, the application gets updated with no visible changes. Either expect something within the next two days or you'll hear back from them next week.

Has something like this happened to you? if there a chance for rejection 2 months into the process?

 

[hussainkestrel]

Has something like this happened to you? if there a chance for rejection 2 months into the process?

Yes it has happened to me and many other friends of mine.

Yes there is a chance of refusal since your medical was upfront.

 

[AstronomyNut]

Got an admit from Waterloo as well. Not sure which now: Ottawa or Waterloo!
Ottawa Pros: Super related to what I want to do. Cheaper.
Waterloo Pros: Also very related to what I want to do Ill need to transfer but a professor did feel I have a good profile. Top engineering school.

 

[hussainkestrel]

Got an admit from Waterloo as well. Not sure which now: Ottawa or Waterloo!
Ottawa Pros: Super related to what I want to do. Cheaper.
Waterloo Pros: Also very related to what I want to do Ill need to transfer but a professor did feel I have a good profile. Top engineering school.

Waterloo hands down. I am not sure about the details of your program but if it is Computer Science or Engineering related then go for Waterloo. It will open more opportunities for you. Plus a good University will improve your study permit approval chances as well.

 

[hussainkestrel]

Got an admit from Waterloo as well. Not sure which now: Ottawa or Waterloo!
Ottawa Pros: Super related to what I want to do. Cheaper.
Waterloo Pros: Also very related to what I want to do Ill need to transfer but a professor did feel I have a good profile. Top engineering school.

Do ask the University though how easy it would be to transfer. If it would be uncertain then go for Ottawa otherwise Waterloo is better in almost every aspect for Engineering.

http://www.macleans.ca/education/best-engineering-universities-in-canada-2018-ranking/

 

[AstronomyNut]

Do ask the University though how easy it would be to transfer. If it would be uncertain then go for Ottawa otherwise Waterloo is better in almost every aspect for Engineering.

http://www.macleans.ca/education/best-engineering-universities-in-canada-2018-ranking/

Thanks for your response. Unfortunately, the situation isn't as clear cut for me as it would seem. The area I'm in requires me to get a PhD to get anywhere substantial and I'm interested in a PhD personally too. Waterloo is offering me a spot in MEng which is a terminal degree - no PhD after that. I can transfer next year but it depends entirely if a professor would accept me. That's a big if for me and I don't know if I can base my future on just a school's reputation. I don't know if it's particularly true that a better reputed school will open more doors for me because the one universal advice given to me is "don't go to a particular school just for reputation. the quality of the work you produce will triumph over any school listed on a resume" - and I feel that is true because the papers I publish and thesis I produce should speak much more than where I went to. And this probably even more important if I'm considering a PhD after my degree.

Secondly, the 'fit' i.e. what I want to research is much more inline at Ottawa than it is in Waterloo but I have the ability to find almost anything interesting so this is not a deal breaker for me.

Third, most, if not all, rankings are completely flawed. While I concede that Waterloo has a better reputation in engineering & computer science, most rankings don't even mention if they are listing for undergrad or graduate school. And rankings are further confusing because I can easily provide you with a couple that list Ottawa engineering at a decent #3 and #6. Further, the area I'm interested in, has its breakthroughs come from UBC and UofT's CS departments but the breakthroughs were from a PhD student in UofT and a professor who doesn't even supervise at UBC!

A professor at Waterloo found my resume interesting but his team for the year was full. He asked me to stay in touch for the next year if I wanted. I will email him Monday to inquire if he would take me on next year. If he says yes then the equation changes somewhat - the fact that the research at uOttawa is more interesting is still true.

Your point about study permit being easier for better school - yes, definitely so but my guess is that it probably levels off after a certain point.

What would you say about my assessment?

 

[hussainkestrel]

Thanks for your response. Unfortunately, the situation isn't as clear cut for me as it would seem. The area I'm in requires me to get a PhD to get anywhere substantial and I'm interested in a PhD personally too. Waterloo is offering me a spot in MEng which is a terminal degree - no PhD after that. I can transfer next year but it depends entirely if a professor would accept me. That's a big if for me and I don't know if I can base my future on just a school's reputation.

Firstly, as i said before, if there is an uncertainty whether they will accept you in the Phd programming then simple go for Ottawa. There is no need for you to take any risk. Ask the professor and make things clear first if you want to have Waterloo as an option.

I don't know if it's particularly true that a better reputed school will open more doors for me because the one universal advice given to me is "don't go to a particular school just for reputation. the quality of the work you produce will triumph over any school listed on a resume" - and I feel that is true because the papers I publish and thesis I produce should speak much more than where I went to. And this probably even more important if I'm considering a PhD after my degree.

No matter how much i want to believe your point of view since many of my friends went to MIT and Harvard, but it is somewhat wrong. A good University will get you to the interview room but after that it will up to your skills. No doubt if you work hard there wont be any disadvantage to you over someone who has been studying at Waterloo or UofT but in the initial stages, it would be easy for you as the name of the University will speak for you. But then again, if you got accepted for the field you want to work in at UOttawa and that is uncertain at UWaterloo then i would advise you not to take the risk. I am just a bit confused because you can do your Phd at some other top US University after you do your MEng and we all know the US Universities have more endowment and you would definitely have more opportunities there as compared to both Waterloo or UOttawa unless of course the Phd program offered by UOttawa isn't offered at any other University.

Third, most, if not all, rankings are completely flawed. While I concede that Waterloo has a better reputation in engineering & computer science, most rankings don't even mention if they are listing for undergrad or graduate school. And rankings are further confusing because I can easily provide you with a couple that list Ottawa engineering at a decent #3 and #6.

I would again disagree. The Macleans ranking are specifically for Canadian Universities. All the other ones are not reliable for Canadian schools. Look at the Top University rankings or the Times higher education ranking in Computer Science Undergraduate. While everyone knows in Canada that Waterloo is at the top for Computer Science at the Undergrad level mainly because of the academic and Coop program (UofT is better for grad school), these other websites will show UofT to be higher and even show UBC to be higher which is clearly wrong. Furthermore, Macleans shows the grad school components as well like the research output, publications, citations etc which can give you an idea about it's grad school reputation which is clearly better. At the end of the day, you should choose the University where you'll be happy. If you are happy that you'll get a Phd position at UOttawa then by all means it is the better choice. If i were you, i would have accepted the UWaterloo offer and apply for Phd at a good US school but that would be again my choice and it would vary for you.

 

[hussainkestrel]

Your point about study permit being easier for better school - yes, definitely so but my guess is that it probably levels off after a certain point.

The logic behind this is that the VO know that Waterloo is better than UOttawa for engineering which means that it is harder to get accepted to Waterloo than it is for Ottawa so if the applicant had sinister reasons for coming to Canada, then why would he get admission in a difficult program? He could've applied to a College and the fee would be cheaper too. When i applied to Waterloo for CS, the acceptance rate was 1/15 which is roughly around 6% so i pointed this out in my SOP. Again it would not affect the chances for approval that much but it is surely a plus and when it comes to Canada, we need to get as many plus points as possible.

 

[AstronomyNut]

Firstly, as i said before, if there is an uncertainty whether they will accept you in the Phd programming then simple go for Ottawa. There is no need for you to take any risk. Ask the professor and make things clear first if you want to have Waterloo as an option.


No matter how much i want to believe your point of view since many of my friends went to MIT and Harvard, but it is somewhat wrong. A good University will get you to the interview room but after that it will up to your skills. No doubt if you work hard there wont be any disadvantage to you over someone who has been studying at Waterloo or UofT but in the initial stages, it would be easy for you as the name of the University will speak for you. But then again, if you got accepted for the field you want to work in at UOttawa and that is uncertain at UWaterloo then i would advise you not to take the risk. I am just a bit confused because you can do your Phd at some other top US University after you do your MEng and we all know the US Universities have more endowment and you would definitely have more opportunities there as compared to both Waterloo or UOttawa unless of course the Phd program offered by UOttawa isn't offered at any other University.


I would again disagree. The Macleans ranking are specifically for Canadian Universities. All the other ones are not reliable for Canadian schools. Look at the Top University rankings or the Times higher education ranking in Computer Science Undergraduate. While everyone knows in Canada that Waterloo is at the top for Computer Science at the Undergrad level mainly because of the academic and Coop program (UofT is better for grad school), these other websites will show UofT to be higher and even show UBC to be higher which is clearly wrong. Furthermore, Macleans shows the grad school components as well like the research output, publications, citations etc which can give you an idea about it's grad school reputation which is clearly better. At the end of the day, you should choose the University where you'll be happy. If you are happy that you'll get a Phd position at UOttawa then by all means it is the better choice. If i were you, i would have accepted the UWaterloo offer and apply for Phd at a good US school but that would be again my choice and it would vary for you.

I'm sorry, I wasn't clear. The option isn't between Meng and a PhD. The option is between an MASc and a MEng. An MEng is a terminal degree and I cannot seek a PhD in USA or anywhere because they this degree does not offer any research experience. A doctorate requires research experience and if I don't have that, no place would accept me.

I can potentially transfer between an MEng and an MASc at Waterloo but again, that path is not sure. If I'm not offered a spot at MASc, I will be boxed in and won't go onto a PhD.

Macleans are for Canadian universities and I didn't refute that anywhere. My point is, all rankings are flawed because their aim is to boil down entire programs into a 1-dimensional metric!

 

[AstronomyNut]

The logic behind this is that the VO know that Waterloo is better than UOttawa for engineering which means that it is harder to get accepted to Waterloo than it is for Ottawa so if the applicant had sinister reasons for coming to Canada, then why would he get admission in a difficult program? He could've applied to a College and the fee would be cheaper too. When i applied to Waterloo for CS, the acceptance rate was 1/15 which is roughly around 6% so i pointed this out in my SOP. Again it would not affect the chances for approval that much but it is surely a plus and when it comes to Canada, we need to get as many plus points as possible.

By this logic, I can just show Waterloo's offer to the VO and state that I want to go to Ottawa because it's a better fit! My feeling is that, though, Ottawa is much easier to get into without a doubt an MASc program requires interview and some research experience to get into. Only a bone-fide student would have that - plus I have significant reasons to choose Ottawa over Waterloo, hence the entire struggle that I demonstrate here.

 

[hussainkestrel]

I'm sorry, I wasn't clear. The option isn't between Meng and a PhD. The option is between an MASc and a MEng. An MEng is a terminal degree and I cannot seek a PhD in USA or anywhere because they this degree does not offer any research experience. A doctorate requires research experience and if I don't have that, no place would accept me.

I can potentially transfer between an MEng and an MASc at Waterloo but again, that path is not sure. If I'm not offered a spot at MASc, I will be boxed in and won't go onto a PhD.

Macleans are for Canadian universities and I didn't refute that anywhere. My point is, all rankings are flawed because their aim is to boil down entire programs into a 1-dimensional metric!

Just ask the professor. If he is unsure about the MaSc one, then go for Ottawa. You shouldn't sacrifice your goals for a good name alone.

As far as rankings are concerned, you can get subject specific rankings and they can give you rough image but i do agree there are some flaws with them.

Plus if you can't go for a Phd with MEng and you are interested in doing an MaSc then the choice is clear that is Ottawa unless the professor agrees to offer you the MaSc program at Uwaterloo.

 

[AstronomyNut]

Just ask the professor. If he is unsure about the MaSc one, then go for Ottawa. You shouldn't sacrifice your goals for a good name alone.

As far as rankings are concerned, you can get subject specific rankings and they can give you rough image but i do agree there are some flaws with them.

Plus if you can't go for a Phd with MEng and you are interested in doing an MaSc then the choice is clear that is Ottawa unless the professor agrees to offer you the MaSc program at Uwaterloo.

Yes, I need to do some serious soul searching for this. I'll discuss with my father and some friends and come to a conclusion. I'm good at University and find most coursework simple enough so I know if I apply myself I'll get a great score in my MASc.

I can use that + research to get into a PhD program at UBC, UofT or some top American school. Let's see - it's confusing but not as bad as not having any offer at all which is what I was fearing the entire month.

 

[Asil]

Has something like this happened to you? if there a chance for rejection 2 months into the process?

Any update since the last updated status?

 

[faiqsheikh]

Program : Masters in Medical Biotechnology
My visa has been refused could you please help me out in this regard.
Refusal reason: Not a bonafide student and family ties are not strong


Mphil cource based done ( 3.9 CGPA) 88%, Reasearch have done and thesis is in process.
- I year masters in Microbiology ( 67%)
- 3 years bachelors in Microbiology (71%)

- Intermediate in science with 77%
- Metriculation in science with 86%

- Got Indigenous scholarship for MPIL and PHD program in pakistan
- IELTS 6.5

Got acceptance letter from Uni of WIndsor, Masters in Medical Biotechnology.


- 2 years part time job ( employeement letter provided)
- Funds shows around $ 55000
- Partial payment made to university $ 6000
- Also showed them two plots, worth $ 75000
- Husband working in banking for the last 7 years

One more thing, I applied with my daughter she is 1.5 years of age.
- Also submitted day care centre letter