If your / your client’s study permit application is refused, the most probable subsection that IRCC will impose is subsection 216(1).

Let’s see the contents of this subsection:

That means the office will not issue the study permit if any of the above conditions are not met. To avoid refusal, you should attach a great Statement of Purpose (SOP) / purpose of your visit. My personal recommendations to write a great SOP are as below.

First paragraph:

• Write in brief about your previous academic and professional (if any) background.
• Mention about the program you have been accepted for at a designated learning institution (DLI).
• Correlated how your previous academic and/or professional background is aligned to the program you have been accepted for.
• How this study will benefit you in the future in terms of developing your career / knowledge.

 

Second paragraph: 

• Write about your back-home ties (Job/parents/assets/sibling/spouse/kids etc. as applicable).
• Explain why you will leave Canada by the end of the period authorized for your stay.

 

Third paragraph:

• Explain the financial plan for your study and living expenses for yourself and your family members (if they are accompanying).
• Explain the source(s) of your fund. Showing your tax documents for previous years is highly encouraged.

 

Conclusion: 

Write a summary of all the 03 paragraphs and conclude with an appeal to accept your study permit.

 

Pro tips:

• Please avoid using generic statements like Canada is a beautiful country, Canada’s education is one of the best etc.
• Try to be as specific/unique as possible which is relatable with your situation.
• Try to make the whole letter within 1- 1.5 pages.
• Better to enclose as much evidence as possible to support your statements / explanation. You can attach all the evidence with the SOP as enclosures. Please make sure to translate if any of the documents are not in English / French.
• If you have had any previous refusal, try to address the concerns of the previous refusal, and explain very clearly about the improvements you made in the current application in comparison with the previous application.  
• The entire letter cannot exceed 2.0 MB in size.     
• Not mandatory but please seek legal advice if there is any catch in your profile and/or if you are not sure about how to submit the application properly.

 

Disclaimer: The above writing is not intended to be a source of legal advice. Please seek legal advice and use your own good judgement before choosing to act on any information provided above. If you choose to rely on this article, you do so entirely at your own accountability.

If you find any information is untrue or misleading or think you deserve the credit for the write-up, please reach out to me at: [email protected] and I will adjust as per your request when you are right.