tommee:


Hello Bro,

To the best of my knowledge i think i did i added various rent receipts of payments and the 4.6mill was included added C of Os of all buildings and the picture print out of this particular building i think its because the money came in july and i submitted my app in august i actually waited for that lump sum to come in so it can boost my financial credibility after the money came i paid half a year tuition fee. Am planning of paying the balance of 1 year please would be right to open a dom accoount and move all cash into the account in dollars wont it be seen as lump sum too? or would you suggest i re-open my my case like someone here as suggested? am really confused right now

If you aren't 100% sure that your sources of lumps sums were explained in your SOP or your sponsor letter, then go back and check again so that you can fix it in your next app or however you plan to get CIC to reopen your app.

As a rule of thumb, always keep in mind that VOs are not mind readers. If an important part of your application is ambiguous and up to arbitrary interpretation, then best believe that the VO's decision may not favor you.

Once again, sorry about the visa refusal.

tommee:
Hello Gurus,

Good Evening,My 1 year tuition is 15,445CAD for a 2year PGD intended study i was delayed 30th of last month for with all financial boxes ticked so i applied immediately for my GCMS note. After seeing the notes i think my case is a clear example of V.Os not checking all documents submitted please i really need your input and advise because i want reapply immediately. Apart from paying the tuition fee balance for 1year what other things do you think i can add to tackle this denial. Please see attached GCMS note stating Lump sum from an unknown source and below the history of the financial statement submitted.

Sponsor Mum
GT Bank - 7.8 million (Mum received rent of 4.6 million in July for a whole building she letted out to a school she also paid 7,500 CAD half of 1 year tuition in August
UBA- 2.3 million (her salary account with monthly income of 285,000)

My Bank Statement
GT Bank- 2.5 million (Mum transferred 1.5 million to me and she stated it in the letter addressed to V.O)

Please note that i included rent receipt of the 4.6 million and all documents of the building but obviously the V.O did not check the document and still denied me on lump sum from an unknown source. The v.O also stated i included a third party sponsor which is false. There two statement from my mum and my GTBank LOA

Sorry about the denial. Did you write a short summary (either in your SOP or your mom's sponsorship letter) explaining the source of the lumped sums (and refer the VO to the receipts)? If not, it's very difficult for the VO to make the connection on his/her own -- especially in the midst of a large stack of submitted documents.

In your next application, do what you can to make everything as obvious as possible.

dogice:
Hello, if you have decent amount of experience in C/C++, embedded system with an RTOS, and you know all those Debugging jargons of a thing. You will be fine as per jobs. But one thing for sure that I know is that the trick to IT in US and Canada is Certifications, Certifications and Certifications. Do not be embroiled in this Masters and PhD of a thing if you're into IT. Certification is the way to go. They look good on your resume.

I know this is a really old post, but I'm responding for the sake of future readers.
First off, IT is a very broad category and it is not exactly the case that certifications are what you need to get into "IT" in the US and Canada.

For example, if you want to be a developer/programmer, employers couldn't care less about what certifications you have. What is important is the projects that you've done. E.g. did you build an app that you can demo? do you have good code on GitHub? did you implement a machine learning algorithm for a unique application? do you have a strong background in data structures and algorithms and can you prove it?

Certifications mean close to nothing when it comes to building software systems.

The only area of IT that I know is certification heavy is networking network administration, other than that certifications play a near-zero role when it comes to being a developer, or being a circuit designer, etc.

The skill that one demonstrates is way more important than the degree that one has. This is especially true for software development.
Having said that, for candidates who did their BSc in Nigeria, having a masters degree in Canada or the US helps to increase the credibility of your educational background and puts you on equal footing with those who did all their schooling in the US/Canada.

mexzony:

i am in thesame boat as i have a bsc in pure and applied physics and i want to do masters in software engineering in canada and i am in the hunt for schools too and maybe those that can allow one work too i guess.
any ideas.

It's not clear what your question is.

My suggestions:
1. Make Google your close friend and/or
2. Read the thread.

Once you know what you want, come back and ask your question.

More resources:
https://www.nairaland.com/3948393/canadian-student-visa-thread-part/285#61562660

@tunemike, since you are also considering a master's then I'd suggest you try to get accepted into a thesis-based MSc in Canada or the US. This should increase your probability of getting full funding.

Personally I'd suggest you focus on Canada for now. If you get high GRE scores, then also look into the US.

Start by going through the Nairaland Canada Student Visa threads and these links specifically:
https://www.nairaland.com/2367106/travelling-canada-part-8/28#34729512

https://www.nairaland.com/3649314/canadian-student-visa-thread-part/197#56305272

https://www.nairaland.com/3649314/canadian-student-visa-thread-part/58#54706122 (ignore the part about WES transcript evaluation)

Your CGPA is really high and if you play your cards right you should be able to get accepted into a thesis-based MSc with full funding. But it requires a willingness on your part to do a lot of painstaking work. Application for Fall next year are will be opening soon, so get started ASAP.

Also, please don't put all your eggs in one basket. Continue to look for jobs and maybe even applying to schools in Germany as well; tuition is free in Germany and many of their master's programs are taught in English. Go to the Nairaland German Student Visa thread to find out more.

Best of luck.

hansmond93:
Hello everybody, i am new here I am 24 years olde. I already secured an advanced diploma program in software engineering at Centennial college canada, I am to pay 2300 Canadian dollar as deposit. It is a 3 year program with co-op/work placement. I would like to know how I can make the payment from here in Nigeria. Also, i have an undergraduate degree in physics from unilorin 2013. I have been in and out of some jobs but I have been unemployed since I resigned in February. After paying the deposit, do i begin 2 apply for TRV or study permit or does the two mean the same. Also btwn online route and paper route, which is more advisable. My program starts January 2018 and I know time is not on my side but I strongly believe I ll get it done. In my SOP, i plan to let d VO know that I wud have gone for MSc but I need these background in software before going for my MSc and hopefully in the United States before settling for a well paid IT job in my country. Thanks alot.

If you want to do a masters in computer science you don't need to do a PGD first.
You can apply directly especially since you already have a physics degree, which should already give you a strong math & analytical background.

Many (most?) CS (or software engineering) programs in Canada & the US accept MSc applicants with an undergraduate background in engineering, math, physics, statistics, etc. Here's an example: http://www.concordia.ca/academics/graduate/software-engineering-masc.html

From the VO's perspective, if you want to do a masters in the United States then why are you going to Canada first? Why not go straight to the US? Think like a VO.

Since you already have a BSc, it may be difficult to convince the VO that you plan to spend your next five years (3 years adv dip + 2 years MSc) studying just to get a masters in computer science, spending at least $25k per year! If you claim to want to do a masters thereafter, why not do a one-year or two-year PGD instead? Why a 3-year advanced diploma if you already have a BSc in physics?

jnyuwa02:


Hey TheSoj, I have looked at some schools in Germany as plan B for myself and others I am helping. Almost all absolutely want one to demonstrate proficiency in German and if one can't, they have referred me to certain German schools ranging anywhere from 6-months to one year crash course of learning to speak and write German as a prerequisite for admission.

Hey bro, click on the daad.de link and search for programs and you'll see that many MSc programs are offered in English, exclusively. You can filter your search to only programs offered in English. For programs offered in German however, yes one would need to learn German.

Hop over to the Nairaland German Student Visa thread and you'll see that most of the applicants start MSc programs without having to do a year of German. As a back up plan, my bro (who is now in Canada) did get an MSc admission to an english-based computer science Masters in Germany. He ended up going to Canada when that visa arrived a week before he was supposed to go to the German Embassy.

By the way, those who go to Germany still have to learn basic to intermediate German at some point, at least to integrate well or get a good job. But many on the German thread who are now in Germany say they love Germany.

I also have a few American friends who have moved to Germany and have loved it. But what I consistently hear is that the western part of Germany (old West Germany) is more conducive (more people speak English, lots of jobs, less racism, etc) compared to eastern Germany (old East Germany, with the exception of Berlin).

jnyuwa02:

Sorry to hear of your predicament. Please apply again a third time and see. Defer to fall term. Meanwhile, I will suggest you have a plan B. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. USA student visa is not unnecessarily stringent like Canada. A lot of schools give out scholarship to internationals. Many German universities are free by and large. B[b]ut you have to spend one year in a crash German language class before starting[/b]. Australia is good too. Best of luck.

I like your advice that applicants shouldn't put their eggs in one basket, particularly those that are complex applicants and those denied at least twice. Those who really really wanna get out of Naija asap should definitely also apply to another country like Germany. Or Ireland. Getting a work permit and then PR in these countries after schooling is similar to Canada.

Per Gemany, many MSc programs in there are taught in English and you are absolutely not required to spend one year in a crash course in German before starting. [url=daad.de/international-programs]daad.de/international-programs[/url] and the Nairaland German Student visa thread are gems full of information.

For Ireland, view this previous post of mine.
Also international students can work while school is in session.
Read more here about working in Ireland after your studies.

cc: OmalichaUC

There's been so many recently denied applicants asking how to tackle their reasons for refusal.
Read the thread. I can't say this enough. I don't think there's any new thing many of the gurus here can say that they haven't said already.

Read the thread. Read from page 0 of Part 13, for instance. If you've been denied before, read at least two parts. Read the posts of people like @maziude, @austinpee, me, @ayooluwatoni @onyeoma3, @Team12, @osemigho, @yemdogg, and many more.

I personally don't understand how someone can say they really want to get a TRV but they aren't at all motivated to read the thread. This is extremely contradictory. For newbies too, read the thread.

I second @maziude's post above so strongly. Getting a TRV isn't magic, though it may appear so. There is a method to CIC's madness, guys; you need to demystify it and your probability of approval goes up significantly. But you have to not be lazy.

abestine:


Not everybody have most of the required things that could validate/proof that an application will return. That's why the addition of an affidavit isn't a bad idea.

I added it to my documents and it worked for me, more reason for sharing. However point taken... Ire o

I don't believe that the affidavit ever works. VOs are definitely not stupid, knowing that these affidavits are created out of desperation to escape Nigeria. I'm happy that your application got approved, but it likely wasn't because of the affidavit.

eldee365:

Been a silent reader for sometime now, the person with 2.2 did he go for msc or pgd or pgc, Am curious!
What university?

you stated you did graduate studies in the USA, can you please explain how you ended up in Canada, is it through phd? is it possible incase one didn't succeed in the Canadian dream, can such person try Usa, come to Canada to do Phd and still end up with PR

don't mind my numerous questions!!

Thanks

The person went for a PGC. No I don't live in Canada and have never lived in Canada. I live in the US. I stumbled upon this thread some years ago while trying to help a sibling get her TRV after she had been denied the first time. After she got approved, I helped two other siblings as well and they got approved.

Yes you can go from the US to Canada, or Canada to US if you want, so long as you get a visa.

jnyuwa02:
I couldn't agree more and well said. However, I differ in one way that Canada makes visa decisions on who is more likely to contribute to Canada. I highly doubt this is part of the calculus that goes into such decision making in approving a visa. Quite to the contrary, the visa laws requires them to treat everyone as a potential immigrant, except proven otherwise. Meaning to exclude everyone regardless of skills set, with the slightest ideas of wanting to come to their country and stay. I think this why you see so much denial including fully funded prospective students. The calculus of who is likely to contribute most to Canada in determining approving decisions on who comes to Canada, the burden of law permits, is the EE route.

I think you misunderstand my comment. I am not saying that visa decisions are primarily driven by who is more likely to contribute to Canada, my argument is that being a well put-together applicant increases the chances of getting the visa. VOs are humans and are less likely to give a visa to an applicant with a shoddy application, even if the applicant technically meets all the requirements. Don't forget that while VOs should follow Canadian immigration law, the government gives them significant latitude and discretion on these decisions.

jnyuwa02:
Ps: your friend who answered that he doesn't know whether he is coming back and the visa office approved him nonetheless, I think visa officers respect honesty and have a knack for seeing it in one's application and statement of explanation. If I were a visa officer, I would approve the guy too. Apparently he came back to Nigeria and applied to go back again. On Nigerian ground. That is coming back and reason leads me to believe such people are the most likely to come back. People who will never come back don't come back like that to Nigeria on expired visa. His action came off as not desperate.

I agree that VOs respect honesty. But then people get denied after having returned home to get a visa, so I don't think it's as cut-and dried as you say.

jnyuwa02:
Plus just to add from my experience, Nigeria is the best place to come back and enjoy your hard earned foreign money. You will be highly respected here. In foreign land, not so much. Nobody gives a damn about you. You are on your own.

Many would disagree with you on this point. In Silicon Valley, it is primarily foreigners that are driving the cutting edge of technology. And they are highly respected. Think Satya Nadella. Think Elon Musk. Think Sundar Pichai. I have Nigerian friends in top roles in Silicon Valley and are highly respected. Please don't take this the wrong way, but I think you see Nigeria with rose-colored glasses because you are visiting, and haven't lived the experiences of most young Nigerian graduates who are mostly unable to get jobs, and also don't have foreign experience as you have. I am not asking to be pessimistic about Nigeria, I'm just a realist.

I think there are opportunities in Nigeria and there are people doing well in Nigeria, but that doesn't undermine the reality of things. Edited: Where I agree with you is that in Nigeria, we respect people with money even if said people plundered society to get said money. In more developed societies, people are respected [mostly] based on contributions to society. I don't think it is a thing to be proud of that Nigeria respects people with money even if the source of the money is unclear. Having money, by itself, shouldn't be a reason to be respected.

flosure:

- Express Entry route seems to be a bit far off. You need a minimum of BSc to meet the basic requirement to be in a pool. And there are other factor that would work against me. So for now,that is a bit far off. Moreso I am not a fan on IELTS

- Me and you know, most students intention is to work after studies. And I would say Canada is a bit of double standard, they claim they are the world most attractive place for students, And they also post often their graduate retention program. So I get so confuse when they reject student saying they are not returning back to their country.

Actually it isn't a double standard. The VO knows that most Nigerian study permit applicants are likely to apply for PGWP and then get PR after their studies. They aren't stupid.

What the VO needs to know is whether you are the kind of person that would leave Canada "at the end of an authorized stay", e.g. will you go back to Naija if you don't get PGWP? will you go back to Naija if you don't get PR?

Since your application is for a study permit TRV, the VO is looking to you to convince him/her that you have very strong ties to Nigeria that would incentivize you to return to Nigeria if you can't legally stay in Canada anymore. At the time of your application, "end of authorized stay" is end of your studies. The onus is purely on you to convince the VO; this is how Canadian immigration law is written.

It is my opinion that the VO is more lenient with applicants who present themselves as organized, brilliant*, and visionary. You can have a third class and impress the VO mightily with the way you think and present your ambitions on how you would use your Canada education in Nigeria. Canadians want to keep improving their country, and would be more likely to approve a visa for an applicant that would be an asset to Canada.

Quick story: when I was in grad school in the US, a fellow grad student friend of mine went back home to the US embassy in Naija to renew his student visa. The VO asked him if he was coming back to Nigeria after his studies, my friend said "I don't know". The VO still approved his visa. While this is an extremely risky thing for an applicant to have said, my friend was at the time simultaneously a medical student and a PhD student (Google: "MD-PhD" ) at a Top-10 US university. The VO knew that my friend would be a significant asset to the US, so he still approved the visa.

Make it very difficult for the VO to deny you. It's a lot of work to pull this off if you are a complex applicant, but it's possible. Edited: I know someone, with a low 2:2, no job & no personal assets, who got approved for a TRV this year. He put together an amazing application. You can too.

*By brilliant, I'm not referring to your CPGA. I am referring to the way you present yourself to the VO.

abestine:

Even in most numerical analysis in mathematics and statistics now uses python it gives them better control over their data.

True!

GREGORIAN:
write more professional exam, there is an exam that gives you 78% chance of convicing the VO, itz called TOGAF Foundation level , very important exam.....spice it up with MCITP or MCSE to better your chance....then to back up geoscience ur course write ITIL foundation and PMP....for python language itz now obsolete and can not be compared to java and c sharp so write visual studio microsoft...this is the road to successful career

To add to what maziude said, Python is absolutely not obsolete. In fact, most of the new research and advancements in deep learning and artificial intelligence (by Google, Facebook, Amazon, etc) is done in Python via open-source deep learning software libraries like TensorFlow, Caffe2, MXNet, etc.

Drdeee:
Thank you very much. The agent is not registered with IRCC, we just got to know. If she reapplies herself does she have to explain or defend anything? Or all she has to answer NO in her study permit questionnaire.

Furthermore, can she mail CIC that the agent is a family friend and not a compensated one, explaining it was an omission not filling the representative form.

I dont have a problem with her applying but whats the assurance she will get it, and it will not take 10months again. I just dont want her on that rollercoaster of emotions again. Pls enlighten me.

I highly doubt that CIC would reopen the case if you proceed with the line of argument in bold. And if they did, I'd expect any rational VO to demand a copious amount of evidence to demonstrate that you are telling the truth. Do you have unambiguous and plentiful evidence that the agent is a family friend? Being caught in new lies will risk the applicant getting the dreaded five year ban for misrepresentation.

I also personally don't think that any rational VO would accept the explanation that "it was an omission not filling the representative form". VOs are inundated with this type of excuse all the time particularly by Nigerian applicants and I wouldn't consider it credible if I were the VO.

This is not to discourage your efforts in any way though. I just wanted to share my perspective.

jnyuwa02:
True talk. The online presence GCMS notes really stopped me in my tracks and is beyond me. @Thesoj might know. Do VOs google information about applicants? Is this even legal and not out of the parameters of the law for an administrative review to be conducted based on the record? Given the Internet can even be hijacked by a 5 year old for postings, why is online presence a dependable way of fishing out information about applicants?

I automatically assume that an online search of a visa applicant is the most basic stage of a "background check" done by the Consulate. When each of my siblings applied, we definitely made sure that their online presence didn't paint them in a bad light. In fact, I would find it shocking if the Canadian consulate didn't conduct such a search. This canadavisa thread also discusses the topic.

There is no law, as far as I know, that prevents a VO from doing a simple Google search of an applicant. As a matter of fact, the US for sure has been doing this for a while, and they plan to escalate it even further. I think the difference between the US and Canada is that Canada has all the time in the world to do a background check on you before the visa is issued while the US issues the visa after a 30-second interview though they can later revoke it at the port of entry if they find incriminating or inconsistent information during any secondary interrogation.

If your LinkedIn profile doesn't match the job experience you provided on your visa application, then this would create credibility issues. Also, those who post misogynistic or violent messages on Twitter should expect scrutiny if the consulate (or PoE officer) has any reason to do an online search on you!

My unverified opinion is that the Canadian Consulate does an online search on applicants in some but not all cases. But I think every applicant should just automatically assume that such a search will be done on him/her.

Edited: Another thing I'd like to add is that it is well known that if you go through secondary interrogation at the POE, Canada border officers sometimes do all kinds of social media searches, search your phone, go through your WhatsApp, etc. to determine if you are legit or not. If POE officers can do that, I have no reason to believe that VOs or the Consulate can't do a similar online search.

ayeopare:
To the gurus in the house, please am trying to deal with the issue of home tie, please will birth certificate of my family members be good enough. If so, their birth certificates are not NPC certificate but local birth certificates and court declaration of age, please will it be acceptable.

More so, can I show a court document stating my dad's has been transferred to me after his demise or just the house document with my dad's name is ok.

Birth certificates of your family members are not quite a home tie. Think from the VO's perspective: how many Nigerians stay abroad even though they have lots of family in Nigeria? Very very many, probably a majority! I'm not saying you shouldn't include them, but don't for one bit think birth certificates make a strong case for home ties. They don't. (The exception may be if said family members are your spouse & kids. But even in this case they aren't a magic wand.)

The topic of home ties is discussed like every 20 pages on this forum -- go back and read the last 50 pages but preferably from page 0 of this part. Many applicants are denied because they treat their TRV application in a very formulaic way: put this document, put that document, etc. While documents can add value to your application, their value is minimized if they communicate only very little meaning to the VO.

What the VO needs to clearly understand is why would you come back to Nigeria after your studies? Your family's birth certificates alone do not answer this question in any way whatsoever.

SpeedndAccuracy:

Oga thesoj...I don pm u o. Pls respond when you can.
Thanks/eshe/nagode/daalu

Hello SpeedndAccuracy! This your username funny gan o.
Please ask me your questions on here. I can rarely accept PMs these days because I am super busy.
I will respond quicker on this thread. Thanks

jnyuwa02:


There is nothing alien about it. Quite comprehensive I must say. Coming from an overachiever and ambitious new VO perhaps. Went past the normal mold of three, four lines that VOs routinely issue. I know English is not our first language. But seriously, people really need to learn how to write. Any mistake on your Statement of Explanation probably has a VO shaking his/her head on what kind of subpar school the person went to. I actually seen this in people with full scholarship and first class honors from Nigerian universities admitted to Canadian schools. Those who send me their SOP for review. It has me wondering all the time how these people obtained admission. We need to be better my fellow compatriots. English is Nigeria's official language.

Dude you are spot on.

I've probably read at least 70 SOPs from various monikers on this thread since the past two years. At least 80% were very poorly written with grammatical errors everywhere, with incomplete sentences that obscure meaning, with logical & factual inconsistencies that undercut the applicant's credibility, and more.

A VO is likely to view such substandard SOPs as a sign of unpreparedness & unseriousness, which may lead to the conclusion that the applicant's purpose of visit is not credible. The larger point here is that the VO will also not be inclined to let such a "low quality immigrant" into Canada.

It makes little sense to the VO why an applicant would claim to want to leverage the high quality Canadian education when said applicant hasn't even leveraged the resources in his/her home country.

There are so many resources online on how to improve grammar. Anyone writing an SOP to a VO should take this extremely seriously. So far, it appears that many candidates on this thread don't do this. It is actually better to not write an SOP than to write a horrible one.

jnyuwa02:
You can prove ties without family, business and land. Sometimes statements you make on your letter of explanation, a VO may be convinced you would return. That is how scholarship recipients who have no spouse children or landed document to show, meet the tie requirement. They are automatically viewed as bright and promising and the most likely to come back to their homelands and make a difference. All it requires is convincing the VO. You won't know what is possible until you go through it. Don't be discouraged. Be strong! Go for it! Do your best and leave the rest to God's infinite wisdom and plans for you.

I want to super like this post! All my siblings that got their study TRVs didn't have business or land. In fact, two didn't have any funds of their own or full-time employment (they did freelance work and provided lots of verifiable proof to the VO).

It is completely true that ties aren't just things like land and a business. Even if you have such ties, your ambition as expressed on your SOP and throughout the rest of your application (especially if other evidence in your application buttress said narrative) is your most powerful weapon.

On several GCMS notes I saw the VO write "applicant has not shown enough social, professional, economic, or family ties to home country". Social, professional, and economic ties can be strongly demonstrated by your professional ambition & passions and any evidence to buttress how you have (and by extension intend to) use those passions in Nigeria.

Btw: this is not to discourage adding land docs, and fat account statements, or business ties or family ties o! If you don't include any of this, then your application better be spectacular.

deolutolu:
...I was denied last month based on purpose of visit and travel history. I already ordered my gcms note. On seeing this letter of clarification, I thought to myself if I can adopt same, however streamlined to my situation.

You are free to use whichever format that you feel best presents your case to the VO. Do keep in mind though that here is no silver bullet formula. In whatever you do in your next application, make sure that your explanations to the VO are crisp and clear.

deolutolu:
Also, my application was 3 months old before I was delayed last time, will I get a faster response this time as I have a winter resumption date? If you can give me tips on how to get a fast response, I will appreciate. Though I plan to do upfront medical. Thanks

I don't think you'd get a faster response because your resumption date is soon; CIC doesn't seem to operate this way in most cases.

jnyuwa02:
Hmnnnn. I have never been a proponent of PGD, its interesting you volunteered me. By the way, why do you call it a SOP? CIC asked for Statement of Explanation (SOE). Where did SOP emanate from?

I volunteered you because of your enthusiasm. And also because your suggestions on how the applicant can package an MSc application can also be used to package a TRV application. Strategy is same, just maybe different content.

The name of the letter isn't really a big deal. SOP, LOI, LOE, etc... c'est la meme chose. You just want to convey your story/intent to the VO.

Zlatimi:

Thank you so much am grateful already started my application will hope for the best plss help me out with a good sop this is my mail orimoloyeoluwatimilehin@gmail.com

If you are invested in getting your TRV, then I'm sure that you've been reading quality posts on this threads about how to prepare a good application. Read up on all posts by @austinpee4, @yemdogg, and all my posts on this specific page and any or all of my other posts.

Also, Google is your friend. Once you have prepared an amazing application, then you may contact me to proof read. I won't respond to your email if you ask me to send you an SOP format or if you send me an SOP that hasn't sufficiently leveraged the information on this forum.

You can PM me if you want but only after you have read and implemented the advise all over this forum (I rarely respond to PMs these days). There's a ton of others like @austinpee4 that can help maybe faster than I can, once you've already showed that you actually are willing to put an effort into justifying in an SOP why you want to go get a PGD in Canada.

@jnyuwa02 also should be able to help you with your TRV SOP (@jnyuwa02, since you sort of already volunteered yourself, abeg help our friend here to facilitate expressing to the VO his passions, why he wants to get a PGD in Canada, and how he plans to use his PGD to both profit in and revolutionize a sector in Naija)

jnyuwa02:
I may not understand the Nigerian university grading system, but I know damn well about admission criteria in the west, having been part of that system for many years. It is not Nigeria where everything rests on grades alone. It depends on the big picture you paint before an admissions committee, than simply your grades. With the right essay and sterling recommendations from past professors and employers, reaearch proposal and justifications of why he didn't perform too well in college, I can assure you this person would be placed well on Canada's least competitive university/college for an engineering program. I feel he would better positioned for his TRV application than going before a VO with a third class and PGD. Anyways of this person contacts me and I am able to help, maybe this can be a precedent for the house. Anything is possible, the crime is not in trying.

Your enthusiasm is commendable bro.
But do keep in mind that your having lived in the west doesn't mean that your opinions about western topics/contexts should automatically be considered as credible. Having lived in the west doesn't grant anyone authority on all things western. E.g. most Americans don't know anything about how to get into an engineering graduate program in the US or Canada. International engineering grad students schooling in the US/Canada (or even well-read applicants) would know much more.

I should generally add that your observation that it's not only grades that matter is indeed correct, and this is something so many people on here have hammered on repeatedly (myself included). But a research proposal won't fix a third class. A research proposal sounds great on paper, having the skills to execute it is a different story altogether.

I would advise anyone reading this to not automatically take advice from anyone just because the person says they lived in America or Canada and therefore they are correct. Do your own research, and listen to people who have intellectual humility and are open to changing their minds if they find that their assumptions are incorrect. This includes me. Analyze what I say to see if it makes sense. Also, credible sources on the internet (e.g. CIC website, school websites, admissions officers, etc) are just a few clicks away.

jnyuwa02:
Let's not argue for the sake of arguing here. I will take on the challenge. Please this person should pm me and pretty confident I can help them. It's all about how you assemble your application, a not strong showing in grades can be offset with other important admission criteria even in the engineering admission arena.

You've stated that you don't understand the Nigerian grading system, so you don't exactly know what a third class translates to in CGPA yet you've made proclamations about what you can do for the applicant.

You need to first scope a problem before proclaiming a fix. I wish the applicant the best.

jnyuwa02:
I promise you that I can get admission for this person into a masters degree from Canadian school with his third class. Schools do not look only for grades, they also look at personal statements and other intents and these are great cause for hope. He has to try himself and the word is not out yet on his admission till he gives up. Wasn't some girl testifying and revering here the other day getting accepted with significant scholarship with a 2.1? I don't know the designations in Nigeria, but a 2.1 has got be low!

I don't disagree that it's theoretically possible. It's just extremely unlikely given that the applicant wants to do an engineering program

Engineering is different from other fields in that a perfect SOP does not change the fact that the applicant is unlikely to be able to cope in classes that require advanced math. A great SOP or excellent intent does not compensate in any way for the applicant's lack of quantitative skills (as measured by grades on the transcript). This is why I mention that a high GRE score (or research publications or successful engineering projects, with evidence) can be the saving grace.

Even though a school might be impressed by the applicant's perfect SOP, that won't translate to them being able to admit him/her knowing that he/she would have to go back to take freshman or sophomore math classes in order to merely cope. (No offense intended to the moniker who brought this up, just being realistic here.)

Edited:
PS: A 2:1 isn't low (it spans from 3.5/5.0 to 4.49/5.0). I'd recommend you do some more reading on the Nigerian CGPA system. This would help you comment more knowledgeably on this topic.

jnyuwa02:
I think someone applying before a VO with a PGD acceptance and less stellar third class degree is a recipe for getting tagged with the "purpose of visit" designation. I would feel much comfortable advising the person go before the VO with a masters admission. While hard to get accepted with a third class for a masters, it's not impossible. There are many schools in Canada too interested in you simply for your money. Lol.

The applicant, with a third-class BSc, has a much higher change getting into a US (or UK) school for a masters than to a Canadian graduate school. The reality is that there are just wayyy more schools in the US, and US schools can be more money greedy because they want to you pay their super-expensive international student tuition (particularly private schools). (Btw, I love US schools & Canadian schools in general so not dissing either country)

Most Canadian graduate departments have a 2:1 requirement, getting admission with a third class would be a near miracle unless the applicant is truly spectacular in other ways. The fact that the applicant is in engineering makes it even tougher cos engineering graduate departments are typically more competitive to get into.

Btw, I helped someone (with advanced diploma admission) work on his TRV app and he got a TRV to Canada after a BSc CGPA that was almost a third class. The applicant was able to show the VO that he was spectacular, and he/we didn't need to bring attention to his poor CGPA (even though we attached his transcripts). We brought attention to his passions and how they translate to his plans for what he'd do in Nigeria with his Canada education (we were very specific, with citations of his economic research into the area he plans to shape in Nigeria). We also explained the side projects he'd been doing in Nigeria already (to demonstrate his passion), and provided lots of evidence to prove it, etc. The goal was to credibly paint the applicant as a visionary (which was true), and we did so. Now I was skeptical that the applicant would get the visa, but I felt the chances weren't bad given how spectacular the application was. And voila, visa approved. It took a whole lot of work though.

In my view, the probably of getting a TRV with a third class is equal to or better than the probability of getting into an engineering MSc in Canada with a third class. Now if the applicant takes the GRE and scores above the 90th percentile, his/her chances of getting MSc admission goes up.

jnyuwa02:
They don't convert it. They support you in applying with issued form I-20 and supporting letters to USCIS why you would be a good candidate for conversion from B-1 to F-1. Not easy, but possible and a lot of people do it and are successful

I just wanted to correct the person's misconception that the school has a role to play in the B1-F1 visa conversion. As you already know, all the school does is what they do for everyone else, give you an I-20 and *maybe* write a letter to USCIS to support your application but that letter probably won't increase your chances (because USCIS knows that it's just a routine letter).

Having said that it is possible but in this day and age unlikely (used to be routine before though) and also risky.

If s/he gets denied and comes back to Naija, s/he is unlikely to be issued another US visa in Naija again.

BRANDYAK:

Hello @thesoj, Mazi, Austine4pee and all please what about the case where my sponsor is my elder sister who resides in the US she wants to sell a piece of land back home worth about 30000cad she is about to sell this land and let the buyer pay the money in to my account for my studies and also present her personal account to the VO, will this be a red flag?

N.B We will provide sale documents.

Why not she sell the land and the buyer deposit the funds into your account? You attach proof of the sale documents, attach proof of transfer from buyer's account into yours. Your sister in her sponsorship letter explains that the land was an investment and she sold it and authorized the buyer to deposit the money into your account.

If there's clear & concise proof and the explanation is clear and not sketchy, it won't be a red flag. Since she's also attaching her personal account then you'll be good. The key thing is making everything clear and unambiguous to the VO. Any excessively complicated explanation or unclear documentation increases your risk of denial for insufficient funds (at least this is what I'd do if I were a VO).

hoeludayo39:
Guys please I need your candid advice:
I don't have a sponsor that bears my surname. Someone now told me I can use my cousin's company account provided he can write affidavit that he knows me and he can submit his statement of account, tax clearance account, etc. He has enough money in his account.

I got admission to University of manitoba to study Electronic and computer engineering with 5,400CAD fund from my supervisor...

If you are gonna use your cousin's company account, you would also need to show VO proof that he has complete ownership of the company and he has authority over the company' accounts. He may also have to explain why he is using the company account to sponsor you. It's doable but your cousin's sponsorship letter has to provide clear explanations to the VO.

Proof showing that your cousin (or whoever your sponsor is) has prepaid your tuition already will also go a long way to convince the VO. Tho it's not compulsory, I usually suggest this when the sponsorship may not appear credible to the VO. You'd have to show proof that it's said sponsor that did the paying though.