Thread by @Olufemiloye

A Useful Guide: How to apply for a Canadian Study Permit online by yourself

Congrats on the success of your admission to study in Canada, you are a step closer!

And it is important to submit a strong, well-prepared & well-presented visa application

So, this thread is for you!

1) If your proposed program of study is longer than 6 months, you will likely need a study permit to study in Canada

But to confirm if you need a study permit, you can do a quick assessment at bit.ly/canadastudyper…

And check all the docs you need at bit.ly/canadastudyper…

2) It’s also advisable to submit your application online, and to do this, you need to create an IRCC secure account

You can create this at bit.ly/canadastudyper…

Except you have a Canadian Bank Account, the "GCKey" account is what you need. Create one & keep your login details

3) As I have said before, there are 3 KEY things to keep in mind when applying for a Canadian Study Permit:

- Purpose of study/program
- Availability of funds (without having to work in Canada)
- Strong proof of home ties (that will compel you to leave Canada after your study).

4) The quality of your documents & how they are presented to show you meet the visa requirements will determine the success of your application.

-Why is this program important & of value to you?
-How will you fund the program?
-Do you have strong/compelling ties outside Canada?

5) Now login to the GCKey account you created and begin your application.

Once you are in your account, you should see a landing page like the one in the image below.

You see where that red arrow is? That's where to start.

Click on "Apply to come to Canada", and follow that.

6) If you do things the right way, and answered the necessary questionnaires correctly, your final visa application portal should be up and you will see the list of application forms and other required documents.

These documents are tailored to you based on the answers provided.

7) The list of documents should look like the images below.

Remember I said this list is tailored to you based on your answers to the application questionnaire, so this is not a general list of documents for everyone.

However, there are some common documents you will need.

8) Some of the common documents are:

Application Forms:

- Application for Study Permit Made Outside of Canada. (IMM 1294)

- Family Information Form (IMM 5645 or IMM 5707)

- Schedule 1 - Application for a Temporary Resident Visa made outside Canada. (Optional but recommended)

9) Other documents are:

- Letter of (admission) Acceptance
- Proof of Means of Financial Support
- Digital Photo
- Passport (International Passport)
- Request for Medical Exam (or Proof of upfront medical exam)
- Client information (Letter of Explanation / Statement of Purpose)

10) The Application Forms:

- Fill the forms as accurately as possible
- Do not provide false information
- Do not withhold important information
- You do not need to print the forms to sign (just put your name and/or the date below)
- Validate the forms before saving & uploading

10b) The Schedule 1 - (Application for a Temporary Resident Visa) form says optional, but it is a very important form. Fill and submit it

On the Family Information Form, list your siblings & required family members (even if you are not on talking terms with them now), e get why!

11) Proof of Means of Financial Support

Preferred sponsors are usually

-Educational Institutions (i.e scholarships)
-Yourself
-Your Parents/Partners
-Direct Siblings
-Employers
-Other Close Relatives

For the amount of money required & docs to show check bit.ly/canadastudyper…

11b) Your sponsors could also be from multiple sources

For instance,

- Partial scholarship + support from parents
- Two of your siblings are sponsoring you, etc

The key thing, make sure they show enough to support you & still take care of other financial commitments they have.

11c) The advisable thing is to show that you have excess funds.

For instance,

If the total funds you need (for tuition + living expenses) is $25,000, show that you still have something extra.

If your scholarship will not cover flights & other things, show extra funds for that.

12) Digital Photo

The Digital Photo specification is available at bit.ly/canadastudyper…

International Passport
- As one doc, scan the data page of your current passport, stamped pages/visas, and stamped pages of previous passport(s) to show travel history (if you have that).

13) Medical Exam

You may decide to do an upfront medical exam, or wait until you are asked to go for one.

If you are using the Nigerian Student Express (NSE) route, the upfront medical exam is compulsory.

To find where to do the medical exam, visit bit.ly/canadamedicale…

13b) You don't know what the Nigerian Student Express (NSE) is? See the tweet below

As of today, there is no separate process/portal for NSE, but you may be contacted after submitting your application to provide some docs for this

(NSE remains optional)

https://twitter.com/Olufemiloye/status/1347933895803641856?s=20

14) Client Information

In your application portal, this says optional...Omo na "trap" ooo

This is where to provide additional documents in support of your application

Your letter of explanation, police report, certificate/transcripts, resume, etc should go here as a single doc

15) There are some things to address in your Letter of explanation

It should be a clear, concise & coherent summary of your study plan, and any additional clarification/information

Organize the letter well & use sub-sections to make it presentable. Keep it at 2 (or max) 3 pages

15b) The Letter of Explanation is what some people also call a Statement of Purpose (for visa applications)

Some things to address:
- An intro of who you are
- Why the program & the school?
- Why Canada?
- Funds clarification
- Home Ties

Check this guide applyboard.com/blog/student-v…

16) Keep in mind that every document placeholder in your application will only accept a doc size of 4MB.

This is why you should present only relevant documents that will support the success of your application.

For tips on how to resize your docs, see 👇🏿

https://twitter.com/Olufemiloye/status/1369299535437107211

17) The process of getting a Canadian study permit is competitive

The quality of all the documents above will determine the success of your application

The refusal rate is high for many reasons. Canada needs people, but Canada will not accept just anyone vancouversun.com/opinion/column…

18) In the article above, you will see some of the refusal reasons that were highlighted, do your best to avoid them.

Submit your Canadian study permit application, but also submit a very strong, well-prepared, well-presented, and genuine application.

I am rooting for you!

19) Frequently Asked Questions.

- Yes, you will pay the application fees online
- Police certificate is optional, but get it if you can
- Yes, get a letter of sponsorship and/or affidavit of support from your sponsor(s)
- Yes, a letter from your employer is of help for home ties

19b) Other FAQs

- Yes, you can add other assets (after showing required funds as POF)
- Family & employment is good for home ties
- Yes, you can submit a study permit application while under consideration for permanent residence (Dual Intent).

Check this

https://twitter.com/Olufemiloye/status/1306867806856593411?s=20

19c) Other FAQs

- Your biometric is required after submitting your application
- You don't need another biometric if you've done one for an application within the last 10 years
- Yes, Canada will verify all the documents submitted, and any misrepresentation is a 5-year visa ban.

20) The processing time of your application will also depend on so many things. Every application is unique

To see the average processing times by country,check bit.ly/IRCCprocessing…

All the best in your application & I look forward to welcoming you to Canada

Cheers,

𝓞𝓵𝓾