Hi all,
Sorry for the long post. I'll try to explain my situation as clear as possible:
Back in 2014, I applied to a TRV with my family (a group application) to visit my newborn nephew (my sister is a Canadian citizen), but our visas were refused for insufficient funds. We didn't reapply and instead decided to meet up in Mexico during the holidays. Fast forward to the present: last year, I thought it would be a good idea to go to Canada for at least one month, taking into account that airports were gradually opening up and more and more people were getting vaccinated. I booked a French course at the YMCA institute in Montreal, mainly because I enjoy learning languages and I wanted to stay busy while being in Canada.
Back then, the CIC page said that anyone who wanted to take a short course (less than 6 months) needed to get a study permit, due to Covid restrictions. To do so, I had to get a CAQ (Québec Acceptance Certificate) by submitting my Letter of Acceptance in the Quebec Immigration portal. I got my CAQ and then got all the paperwork ready to apply to the study permit. Unfortunately, my application was refused and the reason was "I am not satisfied that you have truthfully answered all the questions asked of you". The refusal letter did not specify what information I had not answered correctly, and I was so demotivated that I didn't do anything about it. I did not request the officer notes and I wasn't even sure that I wanted to try to apply again. One of the main reasons for not wanting to apply again was that I was working on my undergraduate thesis, and I was going to be very busy this year. Hence, the chances of traveling during the rest of the year were pretty low.
I tried to get a refund from the institute, but they said they could not give me my money back, as it was something external to them. Pretty much, they were not responsible for my visa refusal. My plans have changed and I have postponed my thesis for a while, so I will be free to travel during my school break, which goes from June to August. My question to you is, do you recommend applying again without reading the GCMS notes? The problem is, my plans just changed this week and if I wait for the GCMS notes, I may risk submitting my application when it's already too late. The CIC page says the TRV response is taking about 37 days from my country, and if I want to be there by the date when the Summer course starts (June 27th), I would need to send my application around the 2nd week of May. That gives me about 4 weeks to wait on the GCMS notes (if I request them now), but the page says it could take up to 8 weeks to receive them.
By the way, this is my situation as of now:
- I'm studying Anthropology in my home country and I have a Government loan that I still need to pay for two more years.
- I need to be back in my country in August because I have to go back to school, and I also need to take a very important test that takes place in October this year. It's the equivalent to the GRE but for undergraduate students.
- I have a full-time job as a Scrum Master in a Tech company, where I've worked for 2.5 years. I make good money, compared to the average salary in Colombia.
- I have one full month of vacation in my company, which I can take whenever I want. I already told my manager I'd go on PTO for one month starting on June 27th, and he already approved that. I'm thinking that my mistake in my last application was that I said I would take one month of vacation from work, but I did not attach any letter to prove that. This time, I asked HHRR to give me that letter and I'm attaching it to this current application.
- I am single, no children
- No properties, although I have some savings in a separate bank account which is a Government bank designed to help first-time home buyers.
- My school break goes from June to August and I have a certificate to prove that.
- Available funds at the time of submitting my application: $4500 CAD. I should have more at the time of traveling.
- Accommodation: I don't know what to do. Last time I spoke to an immigration lawyer, he said it was better to show enough independence, as the previous times I had said that my sister would host me. She wrote an invitation letter saying that, but this time, I don't know if I should better rent an Airbnb for that month. What do you recommend? I'd have the money to rent a room during that month if needed.
- Previous trips: I lived in Germany for six months with a work visa that was valid for one year. I traveled around Europe that time, but don't have stamps in my passport as it was within the EU. I also went to Brazil once for a work trip, and about four times to Mexico.
Any recommendations or things I might be overlooking? I truly appreciate your help and any valuable input. I hope I get my visa this time! Btw, I'll apply to the regular Tourist Visa, as the Covid restrictions have been lifted.
Thanks!
Sorry for the long post. I'll try to explain my situation as clear as possible:
Back in 2014, I applied to a TRV with my family (a group application) to visit my newborn nephew (my sister is a Canadian citizen), but our visas were refused for insufficient funds. We didn't reapply and instead decided to meet up in Mexico during the holidays. Fast forward to the present: last year, I thought it would be a good idea to go to Canada for at least one month, taking into account that airports were gradually opening up and more and more people were getting vaccinated. I booked a French course at the YMCA institute in Montreal, mainly because I enjoy learning languages and I wanted to stay busy while being in Canada.
Back then, the CIC page said that anyone who wanted to take a short course (less than 6 months) needed to get a study permit, due to Covid restrictions. To do so, I had to get a CAQ (Québec Acceptance Certificate) by submitting my Letter of Acceptance in the Quebec Immigration portal. I got my CAQ and then got all the paperwork ready to apply to the study permit. Unfortunately, my application was refused and the reason was "I am not satisfied that you have truthfully answered all the questions asked of you". The refusal letter did not specify what information I had not answered correctly, and I was so demotivated that I didn't do anything about it. I did not request the officer notes and I wasn't even sure that I wanted to try to apply again. One of the main reasons for not wanting to apply again was that I was working on my undergraduate thesis, and I was going to be very busy this year. Hence, the chances of traveling during the rest of the year were pretty low.
I tried to get a refund from the institute, but they said they could not give me my money back, as it was something external to them. Pretty much, they were not responsible for my visa refusal. My plans have changed and I have postponed my thesis for a while, so I will be free to travel during my school break, which goes from June to August. My question to you is, do you recommend applying again without reading the GCMS notes? The problem is, my plans just changed this week and if I wait for the GCMS notes, I may risk submitting my application when it's already too late. The CIC page says the TRV response is taking about 37 days from my country, and if I want to be there by the date when the Summer course starts (June 27th), I would need to send my application around the 2nd week of May. That gives me about 4 weeks to wait on the GCMS notes (if I request them now), but the page says it could take up to 8 weeks to receive them.
By the way, this is my situation as of now:
- I'm studying Anthropology in my home country and I have a Government loan that I still need to pay for two more years.
- I need to be back in my country in August because I have to go back to school, and I also need to take a very important test that takes place in October this year. It's the equivalent to the GRE but for undergraduate students.
- I have a full-time job as a Scrum Master in a Tech company, where I've worked for 2.5 years. I make good money, compared to the average salary in Colombia.
- I have one full month of vacation in my company, which I can take whenever I want. I already told my manager I'd go on PTO for one month starting on June 27th, and he already approved that. I'm thinking that my mistake in my last application was that I said I would take one month of vacation from work, but I did not attach any letter to prove that. This time, I asked HHRR to give me that letter and I'm attaching it to this current application.
- I am single, no children
- No properties, although I have some savings in a separate bank account which is a Government bank designed to help first-time home buyers.
- My school break goes from June to August and I have a certificate to prove that.
- Available funds at the time of submitting my application: $4500 CAD. I should have more at the time of traveling.
- Accommodation: I don't know what to do. Last time I spoke to an immigration lawyer, he said it was better to show enough independence, as the previous times I had said that my sister would host me. She wrote an invitation letter saying that, but this time, I don't know if I should better rent an Airbnb for that month. What do you recommend? I'd have the money to rent a room during that month if needed.
- Previous trips: I lived in Germany for six months with a work visa that was valid for one year. I traveled around Europe that time, but don't have stamps in my passport as it was within the EU. I also went to Brazil once for a work trip, and about four times to Mexico.
Any recommendations or things I might be overlooking? I truly appreciate your help and any valuable input. I hope I get my visa this time! Btw, I'll apply to the regular Tourist Visa, as the Covid restrictions have been lifted.
Thanks!
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