Study Permit Refused Because of Subsection 216(1)?

[SpaceTraveller]

Hi guys, I would really appreciate some advice here.

I got acceptance into a college in Canada for a 2 year Computer Programming Diploma course (undergraduate level).

I applied for a study permit under the student direct stream program, and it got rejected. It was denied because of the reason " I am not satisfied that you will leave Canada at the end of your stay, as stipulated in subsection 216(1) of the IRPR based on the purpose of your visit ".

Now a little background about me:

- I'm 26 years old.

- Already have an undergraduate degree from the UK in Animation.

- No work experience at all. But there is a reason for this and I have mentioned it in my SOP. I don't have work experience because I wanted to switch to another career path from animation, and I took a 2 and a half years break after graduating because I had no idea what to do. I know this is a long break, but after much researching I finally decided that I wanted to get into web development and IT so that's why I wanted to do this computer programming course because it would equip me with web development skills as well as give me a new foundation in IT.

I applied under the SDS program, so I paid my GIC, paid full first year's tuition fees, and did my medical tests. Still got rejected.

Could someone please tell me why I got rejected? And what did the officer mean by '' based on the purpose of your visit? '' I'm studying a course, so I applied for a study permit....what did I do wrong?
Is it because my course was an undergrad level course and I already did an undergrad course in the past? Or is it because I have no work experience? Or is it because my previous education was animation and this new course was in a new career path?

I mentioned in the SOP that I applied to a post grad course in the college as well as an undergrad course as my backup option. I got waitlisted in the post grad course so that's why I chose the undergrad one. The post grad one was a web development course

What mistakes did I make? Where did I go wrong?

 

[mayankraj]

Well to start with, you're going for a UG course when you already have your undergrad degree. Try going for a grad certificate(PG Diploma). Something from your own field.
Secondly, I see that 2.5 years of gap in your profile. That is pretty significant if you ask me. Now, although a gap up to three years should be okay but you need a pretty solid reason to convince VO as to what resulted in that gap. If you cannot justify and all you tell him that you were sitting idle while waiting for a change to happen, chances are he won't budge. If you did any freelancing or any internships during this process feel free to mention them with adequate proof.
My suggestion to you is drop this course, get a PG level course acceptance letter and then apply with a rock-solid SOP covering your gap.

 

[SpaceTraveller]

Which country are u from? Were u jobless for 2.5 years??? And i think u alr know why u were rejected

And are u sure its a bachelor degree? 2 yrs is real short

Or just ask for gcms notes

India. Yes I was jobless for 2.5 years and staying in my parents' house. I realize this is a long time, but I stressed upon the reason in my SOP, and told them why I took this break.

It's a 2 year diploma course. Not a degree course.

 

[SpaceTraveller]

Well to start with, you're going for a UG course when you already have your undergrad degree. Try going for a grad certificate(PG Diploma). Something from your own field.
Secondly, I see that 2.5 years of gap in your profile. That is pretty significant if you ask me. Now, although a gap up to three years should be okay but you need a pretty solid reason to convince VO as to what resulted in that gap. If you cannot justify and all you tell him that you were sitting idle while waiting for a change to happen, chances are he won't budge. If you did any freelancing or any internships during this process feel free to mention them with adequate proof.
My suggestion to you is drop this course, get a PG level course acceptance letter and then apply with a rock-solid SOP covering your gap.

When I applied to the college my first preference was a PG diploma and I had chosen the UG as a backup plan. I got waitlisted for the PG diploma so that's why I moved into the UG one. I explained in my SOP that I applied to both these courses.

Doing a PG diploma course in my previous field (Animation) might be a little redundant. My main reason for picking this course was to switch to web development and the IT field and I clearly explained this in my SOP.

As for my 2.5 year gap. I explained in my SOP that I realized that I had made the wrong choice to study Animation and that's why I wanted to move to another career field. That was why I didn't consider working after graduating from my undergrad degree. The gap was supposed to act like a breather for me to plan which career I wanted to move into since I had no idea what to do. And it took me some time, but I finally made up my mind what I wanted to pursue.

I also explained in the SOP that I was using those 2.5 years to pursue another hobby of mine (music), to let them know that I wasn't just sitting idle at home and I was working on something. However I did not give them any proof of this work I had done. Was that a mistake? I thought about giving them a link to my music portfolio but I wasn't sure if it would be relevant since its not any official work.

 

[SpaceTraveller]

i dont think your chances of success are high... not to mention its a diploma course.

which country you are from? if you are from poor 3rd world countries like india, pakistan, etc the vo might interpret your 2.5 years gap as actually because of a lack of jobs available instead of the reason you claimed.

and not to mention they will question how sincere you are when you say you really think you have found a calling in life (computer programming)

But aren't diploma courses pretty common for people who've already done undergraduate degrees?

I'm from India. I mentioned in my SOP why that 2.5 year gap was there. I took it intentionally as a breather to find out what I'm going to do next in life. My calling was web development specifically, not computer programming as an entire field.

Also sorry I wanted to ask this in the previous post but forgot, but what are GCMS notes?
Edit: Oh just googled it. How long does it take for GCSM notes to reach you once you request for them?

 

[SpaceTraveller]

and you still have not stated to me how you intend to convince him you WILL return to india after your studies when salaries are obviously way higher in canada.

I don't understand how anyone can do this apart from just stating that they do intend on returning. I did state that in my statement of purpose.

Doesn't the higher salary element apply to everyone who goes to study in Canada? Why don't VO's use that excuse for every applicant?

your so called "calling" since you were jobless for 2.5 years trying to figure it out. what if midway during your studies you had another "calling" again

Well this is pretty much what happened. That's the reason why I want to switch to a different career path and why my course was different from my previous education. I had to explain that in my statement of purpose otherwise the mismatch of educations will be unclear to them.

As for having another '' calling '' midway the studies. I don't see why that is a red flag or concern to VO's because isn't that just a personal issue? Why should it be a problem for them? That wouldn't mean that I'm going to abandon the course that I've already put myself in. People have callings all the time and change their future education plans while they go through life.

 

[mayankraj]

When I applied to the college my first preference was a PG diploma and I had chosen the UG as a backup plan. I got waitlisted for the PG diploma so that's why I moved into the UG one. I explained in my SOP that I applied to both these courses.

Doing a PG diploma course in my previous field (Animation) might be a little redundant. My main reason for picking this course was to switch to web development and the IT field and I clearly explained this in my SOP.

As for my 2.5 year gap. I explained in my SOP that I realized that I had made the wrong choice to study Animation and that's why I wanted to move to another career field. That was why I didn't consider working after graduating from my undergrad degree. The gap was supposed to act like a breather for me to plan which career I wanted to move into since I had no idea what to do. And it took me some time, but I finally made up my mind what I wanted to pursue.

I also explained in the SOP that I was using those 2.5 years to pursue another hobby of mine (music), to let them know that I wasn't just sitting idle at home and I was working on something. However I did not give them any proof of this work I had done. Was that a mistake? I thought about giving them a link to my music portfolio but I wasn't sure if it would be relevant since its not any official work.

It perhaps would have made more sense if you applied with a PG Diploma course in hand. When I said doing the PG Diploma in the same field it means the general field and not specific. Animation is a specific field of IT. So you could apply for PG Diploma in any IT related course. Web Design and Development happens to be one of the IT-related courses.
All you need to do is explain how your previous education(animation) lead you to try a career in web designing and development. I must say that mentioning that you got a "calling" is a big red flag. You seem way too confused to us, imagine how you may be sounding to the highly qualified VO.
Also, mentioning any co-curricular pursuance of hobbies during your idle time is also a big NO. Anything you mention apart from your field, of course, will raise a red flag and will always end badly.
My suggestion to you is a rather lengthy process but could be the only real chance you might have at securing a study permit in Canada. Start from scratch, research about the various PG Diploma or masters courses that you can do that interest you. Try picking a course as close to your previous studies as possible.
Your reason for the 2.5 years gap isn't convincing enough. Being an Indian I can understand where that 2.5 years gap is coming from but to the VO that's a big negative point. Sure you needed a break, it is good to hear but it is not a practical excuse. Work on it, build a strong SOP and hope for the best.

I wish you all the best.

 

[SpaceTraveller]

that it doesnt mean that you WONT change course again and appear in the eyes of the vo to be trying to prolong your stay in canada by all means. dont forget you already have a degree.

in light of all these, the vo might think that you are not a bona fide student and thus reject you.

however, you can always apply again nevertheless.

It perhaps would have made more sense if you applied with a PG Diploma course in hand. When I said doing the PG Diploma in the same field it means the general field and not specific. Animation is a specific field of IT. So you could apply for PG Diploma in any IT related course. Web Design and Development happens to be one of the IT-related courses.
All you need to do is explain how your previous education(animation) lead you to try a career in web designing and development. I must say that mentioning that you got a "calling" is a big red flag. You seem way too confused to us, imagine how you may be sounding to the highly qualified VO.
Also, mentioning any co-curricular pursuance of hobbies during your idle time is also a big NO. Anything you mention apart from your field, of course, will raise a red flag and will always end badly.
My suggestion to you is a rather lengthy process but could be the only real chance you might have at securing a study permit in Canada. Start from scratch, research about the various PG Diploma or masters courses that you can do that interest you. Try picking a course as close to your previous studies as possible.
Your reason for the 2.5 years gap isn't convincing enough. Being an Indian I can understand where that 2.5 years gap is coming from but to the VO that's a big negative point. Sure you needed a break, it is good to hear but it is not a practical excuse. Work on it, build a strong SOP and hope for the best.

I wish you all the best.

Thanks for the reply. But why is it a red flag to mention what you were doing in your free time (the hobby you were pursuing)? If I hadn't said anything, that would have spoken really badly of me because they would have thought I was doing nothing at all.

If I shouldn't mention the hobby I was pursuing, then what should I say about what I was doing in the 2.5 years gap?

 

[SpaceTraveller]

you misunderstand again. you need to prove that you are sincere in your current proposed path because 2.5 years of unemployment is a long time. i said that the vo might think its actually because you tried, but could not find a job and thus want to enter canada to "pretend" to study and get a job here AT ALL COST (i.e. not returning back to your country after graduation)

but how do you do convince him? idk. and yes, some vo are very likely to be more forgiving towards people from "more high class" countries with the same situation and intention/hidden agenda and grant them permits/visas but refuse people from "lower class" countries for the same reasons

this bias surely exists and theres nothing much you can do about it for now.

Why do they even have a SOP section then? If they won't bother reading your story, what's the point of writing it? And how am I supposed to prove that I'm sincere in my current proposed path when I need the education in the first place to even start down that path? How do I start without the education?

Also about the bias thing.....isn't that not supposed to be how an application is assessed? Shouldn't there be official reasons as to why it was refused? Isn't that what the GCSM notes are for?

 

[Humpholito24]

Why do they even have a SOP section then? If they won't bother reading your story, what's the point of writing it? And how am I supposed to prove that I'm sincere in my current proposed path when I need the education in the first place to even start down that path? How do I start without the education?

Where did you get information from that VO won't bother reading the SOP? To some lower class countries, SOP is what determines if you will get a visa or not. Some do get lucky by getting a permit without SOP. How you will convince the VO your true intention is entiring on you. Know what you wanna do, of course related to your career path due to 2.5 years gap. Make it in a way the VO won't be suspicious.

 

[SpaceTraveller]

Where did you get information from that VO won't bother reading the SOP? To some lower class countries, SOP is what determines if you will get a visa or not. Some do get lucky by getting a permit without SOP. How you will convince the VO your true intention is entiring on you. Know what you wanna do, of course related to your career path due to 2.5 years gap. Make it in a way the VO won't be suspicious.

Honestly I didn't think my reason for taking that 2.5 years gap would be suspicious. A couple of my other musician friends (who were interested in making a career in music) did similar things as well. After graduating either high school or college, they took a few years off to try and gain some success with their music......of course it might have not been such a long gap. At most it might be 2 years. But taking gap years was not uncommon for people who wanted to explore their interests.

I don't really know what's a good of phrasing this though. You say its not a good thing to write in your SOP but I don't know how else to say it.

 

[Humpholito24]

Honestly I didn't think my reason for taking that 2.5 years gap would be suspicious. A couple of my other musician friends (who were interested in making a career in music) did similar things as well. After graduating either high school or college, they took a few years off to try and gain some success with their music......of course it might have not been such a long gap. At most it might be 2 years. But taking gap years was not uncommon for people who wanted to explore their interests.

I don't really know what's a good of phrasing this though. You say its not a good thing to write in your SOP but I don't know how else to say it.

What exactly did you write on SOP to be refused based on purpose of visit?

 

[SpaceTraveller]

What exactly did you write on SOP to be refused based on purpose of visit?

No idea. I just told them about my previous education, my change in aspirations and how it led me to pick a new field of study.

 

[dreamy2536]

No idea. I just told them about my previous education, my change in aspirations and how it led me to pick a new field of study.

I hold a degree in Filmmaking and Animation [Digital Media], from Australia. I was jobless and had 3 years gap. But I got through, may be because of my program. I am doing Masters here now. Inbox me, I might be able to help!

Cheers!

 

[scylla]

But aren't diploma courses pretty common for people who've already done undergraduate degrees?

I'm from India. I mentioned in my SOP why that 2.5 year gap was there. I took it intentionally as a breather to find out what I'm going to do next in life. My calling was web development specifically, not computer programming as an entire field.

Also sorry I wanted to ask this in the previous post but forgot, but what are GCMS notes?
Edit: Oh just googled it. How long does it take for GCSM notes to reach you once you request for them?

Those with undergrad degrees typically take a post graduate diploma - not a regular diploma.