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Are you an international student with an acceptance letter from a college or university in Canada and have submitted your study permit application and wondering what the next steps are? This blog will discuss the following:
status of your application after submission
change of address after application been submitted
study permit application approved
study permit application refused
study permit extension
restoring your study permit status
To determine the status of your application varies which Canadian visa office you submitted your application. For example, if your country of citizenship is Afghanistan and you submitted a study permit application processing times are approximately 5 weeks while Brazilian citizens their application gets usually processed within 10 weeks. So it all depends on your country of citizenship and which visa office you are submitting your application at. If you like to know processing times based on your country of citizenship you can go CIC website and type “check application processing times” in the query.
Once the visa office receives your study permit application the immigration officer reviews your application to ensure you have completed it correctly and have included all the required documents. If the immigration officer finds that your application is incomplete they will simply return the application to you. This will unfortunately cause delays and you could potentially miss the deadline for your school start date. It is recommended to hire an immigration law firm with experience such as Akrami & Associates for higher chance of success.
If your study permit application is complete, the immigration officer will review your application and he/she may decide to call you for an interview. If interview is required you will be informed of the time and place.
If you move or change your address, telephone number or any other contact information after you submit your study permit application, the immigration office where you submitted your application has to be informed. You can simply do this online or by filling out a web form on the CIC website.
You will know your study permit application is approved when you receive the letter of introduction that confirms the approval. The letter you receive is NOT your study permit, so when you arrive at Canadian port of entry you show the immigration officer your letter of introduction they will either stamp your passport or give you an official Study Permit document.
If you come from visa exempt country such as Italy, you will be issued an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA). If you are issued an eTA this will be mentioned in the letter of introduction you receive. The eTA will be linked to your passport, so make sure carry the passport you used when you applied for your study permit. Also, the eTA issued to you will be valid for only five years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first.
If you come from non-visa exempt country such as India or Pakistan you will also be issued a visitor visa (temporary resident visa), these individuals need a visa to be able to enter Canada. When your study permit is approved you will get stamp on your passport that will indicate the expiry date of the visa. The expiry date on the visa tells you the date you must enter Canada, so make sure you enter Canada before your visa expires. Also, the visa stamp on your passport will tell you if you can enter Canada only once or multiple times.
If your Study Permit application is not approved, you will receive a letter from the immigration officer explaining why your application has been refused. There are many reasons your application can be refused these include the following:
If your study permit is close to expiring and like to remain longer in Canada you need to apply to extend your stay in Canada. As the international student which must done at least 30 days before your current Study Permit expires. So what you have to do is go on the government website and complete “Application to Change Conditions or Extend your Stay in Canada”.
Also, you have to keep in mind that if you come from visa-exempt country such Italy, France, Germany and you received your Study Permit before August 1, 2015 you will need to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA). If you received your Study Permit on or after August 1, 2015, your eTA is automatically issued to you with your initial Study Permit. An eTA is valid for 5 years or until your passport expires whichever comes first. If your eTA is still valid you do not apply for another one but if it is expired you will need to apply for eTA separately.
If your Study Permit got renewed after August 1, 2015, you have to apply for an eTA, if you have not done so.
If you come from a country in which you require a visa such as Afghanistan, India, Pakistan then make sure your visa is still valid to cover the period of your extension. If not then you have to apply for a new visa.
Another thing you must keep in mind that if you are under the age of 17 and you are studying in Canada without your parents or a legal guardian then you must complete and include the Custodianship declaration form with your study permit application.
There are two ways in which you can extend your Study Permit these include applying online or by submitting a paper application.
When Applying Online keep the following in mind:
When Applying on Paper go on the government website and download the application package from there:
Also, if you apply for the renewal of your study permit and your permit expires before you receive a decision on the application, you can continue to study in Canada under the same conditions until a decision is rendered on your application.
If you plan on travelling outside of Canada you should renew your study permit to avoid facing problems when coming back with an expired study permit.
If your passport has expired then unfortunately you cannot extend it beyond the validity of your passport unless you have a new passport.
If you study permit expired and you did not apply for the extension then you must leave Canada immediately to not violate the conditions on your study permit.
You may be eligible to restore your status as a student within 90 days of losing your status. You can only apply if you only continue to meet the requirements and conditions that were set on your study permit. So once you apply to restore your status you can stay in Canada until a decision is made on your application but you are not allowed to study until your status has been restored.
There is no guarantee that your status will restored, you have to provide ample documents and details as to why you lost your status in Canada.
Also, keep in mind you pay study permit renewal fee and fee for restoring your status in Canada. This fee is required by each family member who has lost status in Canada.
Once everything been submitted and paid the immigration officer will review it should you get a positive or negative decision you will be informed through email or mail.
If you are an international student and have some questions about renewing or restoring your status as a student then please don’t hesitate to contact us a 416-477-2545. Akrami & Associates has assisted many international students with their study permit application and we can help you too.
With Akrami & Associates there is always a way!!
