MeinKampf:

Does Concordia accept fees before you arrive Canada? the norm has always been just acceptance fee of 250 cad and you pay the rest when you get there.

jnyuwa02:
[b] Looks like there is currently an 18 weeks waiting period for a study permit in Nigeria. Given I was granted this award only a few days ago, this puts me out of scope of applying for a visa in Nigeria and meeting the September 1st resumption date. I looked up some African countries and processing times. The processing time for a student permit in Cameroun is only 3weeks. My question is, will it better to go to Cameroun and apply for my study permit there, than Nigeria because of the backlog here? Any helpful hints would be greatly appreciated.

Aguila:

You mean shown in bank statement?

Justhelping:
Hi, if you've sent them an email, they'll reply. But I'll suggest you contact a number listed anywhere on the website. One should eventually transfer you to a receptionist whom you can speak with and have your call transferred to the intl office. You can do this in about an hour/45mins cuz it's currently lunch hour.

The receipt will likely come by email or billed to your account for you to print out. Be calm, it's never too late.

Aguila:

You mean shown in bank statement?

mcobex:
yes together with ur tuition fee. have u gotten admission? if yes , how much is ur tuition fee? with that we can explain better atleast how much needs to be committed to ur studies

Emmane:
Hi gurus,

Letter oF Explanation..... Is it restricted to applicants only? Or sponsor can use it as well... If there be any explanations to make??

Emmane:
Austinepee1, can u please attempt this query. Thanks

Teepee85:
Bro sorry I did not ask my question on time. I am about to apply to Conestoga college for pgd in Global Business Management. Please how much am I expected to pay as tuition deposit before I am issued an admission letter. I am in the USA now, I just want to be sure how much I can keep in my account in USA for now so that I can pay directly from the account anytime, anywhere. My second question is that what are job prospect in Canada after PGD?. Ppl keep saying job isnt in Canada. Bro please reply. Asap.

mostblackroad:
I spoke to an ex-Consular lately and she was very kind to share some advice and insight regarding successful and unsuccessful visa applications. I guess most of us already know this, so this is mostly directed towards new members in the house. I took my time to write this so everyone please share corrections, additions and suggestions. Hope someone can learn from this.

DOs and DON’Ts

It’s very important to know that the VO don’t know anything about you, your background or your plans until you submit your application. Even while your application is submitted to the embassy, the VO on your case makes his/her judgement based on what you present. The documents you present represent you and should tell your own unique story. That is why it is very important that your documents are SOLID and meet the minimum standards. Based on her advice and my own experience here are some DO’s and DON’Ts:

1. DO ensure that you have significantly more money than is needed for your application. Take note of the current parallel market rates and do your maths appropriately. You should have at $10,000 minimum for your upkeep + your tuition and travel expenses. So if your school fees is $14.000, flight is $1000, you should have significantly more than the equivalent of $25,000. You are not expected to empty your account neither is your sponsor expected to. Also important, for married applicants and applicants with children; you should show even significantly more money than the minimum. Having a wife and a child means that you have dependants and it is an unwritten rule that you have to proof that you can support them as well. Another important point to note is that the VOs are trained to make sure no one is a potential burden on the Canadian government public funds that is why it is necessary to show that you can look after yourself and family been left behind without any benefits on their part. Then again the VOs care much more about your liquid cash than your properties. Properties serve more as a home tie rather than a proof of finance. They don’t know or care about how much your land costs, they need to see the figures in a banks account. Common documents to submit include: Statement of Account (6 months), Letter of Employment if employed, Payslips, “Sworn Affidavit of Support” if you have a sponsor. You should also submit documents that prove your relationship to that sponsor e.g. birth certificates.

2. DO prove that you have home ties. The Canadian government can’t read your mind. They don’t know whether or not you will return after your studies. But as long as you are applying for a Temporary Resident Visa you certainly have to prove that you have enough reason to come back. This is important for applicant you have little or no travel history i.e. a virgin passport. You have to show that you have either a family, significant property, an inheritance or a pretty good job to come back to. Every individual case is different so you should show documents that suit your unique circumstance. Land documents, businesses, marriage certificates will surely help here.

3. DON’T present yourself as an experienced traveler while you submit your documents when you are not. What I mean by this is simple. If you have not travelled out, you have to do more to win the trust of the VO and make him believe your application. This would include showing home ties, having your documents look well thought out and original and proving your intentions. Whether you like it or not, travel history certainly plays a key role in applications. Having a good travel history and multiple visas tells the VO two things. a. You have obeyed immigration rules before and you are likely to obey theirs b. You have been seen as eligible for visas in other countries so that gives you more eligibility for theirs. Most of us don’t have the luxury of that but keep it in mind that you have to earn trust and presenting solid documentation is a good way. If you have a virgin passport, upload blank pages as well as your bio-data page. If you have visas, upload all visas along with your bio-data page.

4. DO indicate any previous refusals. I find it funny when people don’t indicate prior refusals in the same embassy even. Embassies like Canada and UK go out of their way to keep an electronic record of refusals and special cases. Not stating a refusal is basically shooting yourself in the foot. That goes for pretty much other embassies. If you have a marking on your passport, please upload it along with your passport page and make sure you give a simple explanation as to why you were refused.

5. DON’T over do, over say or over present. Overdoing is a sign of desperation. Desperation is a big red flag. While it is good to present solid documents, providing extras or too much will actually be an impediment to your application. Provide what is required and only what will sell your case innocently, nothing more. No unnecessary reference letters, no overexcited SOPs. Confidence and simplicity should be what you aim for

Would certainly share more points if anyone finds this useful.

- mostblackroad

Aguila:


Thanks am still searching for a school that will accept for January intake the September intake seem too close considering the 14 weeks too.

EJIZY:


@Austinpee4 and Justhelping

I really appreciate your response, if I can raise up to 6m do I really need a sponsor, what exchange rate do they use because based on my calculations it about that amount for $30k I just want to know what I can provide to make them understand that she is just like a back up incase am in need of assistance not necessarily a sponsor. Also am actually the last of 4 so she doesn't have any dependants because they are all adults and working.

mesh2003:

I can only comment on your 2nd question. There are jobs in every country including Nigeria. You have to prove that you are the most qualified and the best candidate each time you apply for a job. The truth is that each hiring manager is different. I finished in December, moved to Vancouver on January 15th and by the 18th I had a job offer letter. I did a PGD in global business management also. I still have friends that did masters but have not found a good full time job. So my dear, it all depends on what you are looking for after school. In the cause of my job search, I hardly saw any job Ad that asked for a Masters degree. If you have previous work experience from Nigeria, it helps a lot. The course I did gave me an opportunity of doing a 4 months internship which helped me secure the job I have today. So my dear, the job prospects are level. Most people use their previous experience to secure jobs here and not even PGD or masters qualification.

duchesstyo:
Hello Gurus,

Please how did you guys pay for visa fee online? I'd been trying to pay but transaction has been declining. I used both Naira and Dollar card but no success.

Kindly advise

naijaent:
Please everyone, i'm trying to kill two birds with a stone but i want to know if it's possible...

I'm about to write IELTS for the Canadian Skilled Immigration program. I also want to apply for a masters program in Canada and the US, what i want to know is if it's the same IELTS that is being used for workers and student. I also want to know if WES evaluates the same transcipt for both US and CANADA so that i don't have to start paying separately for each one.

Emmane:
Austinepee1, can u please attempt this query. Thanks

Austinpee4:
@CaptainCanny, While reading your post i was lost in your term "Technicalities" and was wondering what it actually means in the light of the subject matter. All the same, i feel folks here have shared and given sufficient info regarding the 'Cameroun' issue same as your valid points too. It's actually left to the applicant to proceed however he/she deem reasonable.

However, i'll be particulary interested in the outcome as it concerns 'Immigration status in country of residence' if the applicant will be kind enough to share with us should he/she apply from there with a visitor's visa.

Regards.

CaptainCanny:

C
I have raised up this issue before you, it was about a friend had intention to apply from the UK just like you have intention to apply from Cameroon to exploit the 3 weeks lee way. I was told to advice my friend against it that it is not possible. @Austinpee4 said it will be rejected on the ground of status of country applying from and that if my friend insist, he should proceed with it at his own cost. I gave my friend the advice exactly as the honorable members of this forum who were willing and able to comment on it shared. I told him that it is his decision to made, my friend quietly returned back to Nigeria to apply.

I am really glad you brought it up because this is a grey area. I did not let the issue rest, I did extensive research on it and my findings show that it is possible but technical. Among the forms you will fill, one of the questions is what it your status in the country that you are applying from and "Visitor" is one of the option. If it is not possible for a visitor to apply, it will not be stated there as an option. The catch is this, you have to have an address in the country where you are applying from(You can use the address of family or friends). Also, one of the questions in the form you will fill will ask for your country of residence, state your country of residence as NIGERIA and not Cameroon(This is one of the reasons many people get rejected on the basis of legal status in country of residence.) Further, you should add a photocopy of your visa page which shows you are a legal TEMPORARY RESIDENT(Note: Ignore anyone that tells you that a visitor has no status, that is ignorance, look at what is written on your old visa page or current visa page of any country you have visited then tell me I am wrong ) to your application. The visa has to be valid and it needs to have sufficient time on it within which your application for Canadian Study Permit will be decided otherwise you will get rejected on legal status on country you are applying from. I beg you to take your time to go through the forum of International students on canadavisa.com, after a painstaking search, you will see accounts of visitors that applied for study permit from outside their country of residence. Most of them applied while on US tourist visa and some others on Canada tourist visas. The ones that applied from Canada could not do it because study permit for most has to be made outside of Canada, so they exploited the loopholes in the law by sending their applications to the LA office of Canadian VAC(they went for biometrics when called upon) which handles study permits. The ones that stated country of residence as Canada got rejected on the ground of Status in Country of residence. The ones who understood the technicalities got their application approved. They had to leave Canada and flew back in so they could get their study permit at point of entry.

My advise to you is; if you can overcome the technicalities and you have strong ties to your home country, you can proceed to Cameroon. Also you can explain your status and reason for applying in Cameroon in your SOP(An sop takes the place of a physical interview, say whatever you know will help your case in your sop but it should be formal like an interview.Emphasis on your legal status in the sop to the VO Your application should leave no unanswered question in the mind of the VO, use your sop to address it without repetition like MichV always say.) Also remember to get your police report from Nigeria.

DISCLAIMER: I am a prospective applicant waiting for admission response. Advise given are from my research on this site and elsewhere. I have not successfully done this neither do I know any one personally who have other than those who shared their experience on canadavisa.com When I eventually get my admission I will apply outside Nigeria. History has always smiled at brave explorers.

jnyuwa02:
Thanks for your very thorough, well researched and intelligent response. You indicated not wanting to apply from Nigeria yourself. Why is that?
I did my undergraduate studies in the United States and returned to Nigeria only a year ago to see my ailing mother. I am still Nigerian with an expired student visa. While in the United States, I saw many people apply for study permit while on a U.S. visitor's visa. So it is totally possible to do. Heck, I have seen people even without status, apply for a Canadian study permit in the U.S.. Those that came to the United States with a visa and overstayed it. I think the requirement in the United States for Canadian visa applicants that overstayed their visa in the United States, is that you must prove you have not been out of status in the United States for more than one year, at the time you are applying for Canada visa.

You mentioned those in Canada on a tourist visa sending their applications to the Canadian embassy in LA? Do you mean Los Angeles by LA? If so, why Los Angeles instead of any American embassy in the U.S. I remember a Canadian embassy been present in the city I lived: Seattle.

That said, thanks for all your recommendation. I will be checking Canadianvisa.com and doing the painstaking work of reading up. If I do decide to apply from Cameroun due to time factor, you can put your money down on the fact that I would be supporting my application with the best SOP possible. Yes history and God is on our side on this lonesome road less travelled. It's not a shortcut route and I am not trying to hide anything as some have suggested here. Just that my application will be late if I apply from Nigeria. I was awarded full scholarship on the recommendation of the academic unit, just waiting now for final approval papers from the college of graduate studies to apply for my permit. I cannot apply with just a recommendation, I need the official thing. Am I right here? Can take another two weeks just to get that to me. And assembling documents to prove my ties to Nigeria and buying a land and getting a deed made out in my name is going to take time too. I am not married and have not lived in Nigeria for many years. Hence the need to establish ties to Nigeria so I am not rejected. By the time I apply, it's gonna be in late July. So time is not on my side as you can see.

Sure thing, I would have my police report.

Any further knowledge and advice is most certainly welcome and appreciated in anticipation.


[b][/b]

olahtunhy:
Hello greatest housemates!
Please I wanna make an enquiry.
Do I need to wait for cic message for biometrics or I can go ahead and have it done as Im given admission for September fall 2017 and I just submitted my online visa application on 3rd June and it seems I don't have much time left!
Please I need your expert advice on this

McOsheBaba:


You should have gotten you invite now. If not, wait till tomorrow evening then fire a letter.

cyberlink1:
Will they notify us through email about the biometrics and please can you share a snap shot ?

McOsheBaba:


They will send you a mail requesting that you log into your account and view your messages. Then you login to your CIC account view the message and download your IV for the biometrics shikina. Take the IV and your passport to the Visa office closer to you.

I did submitted on 31st of May. Got and invite for Biometric on 2nd of June in the evening. I did it on 5th. So I don't think it is late yet.