Study permit help!

[mexicostudent]

I'm a Canadian female, living in Toronto.  My boyfriend is Mexican, living in Cancun.
We are planning to apply for a study permit for him to come here and study English for six months, with the option of extensions.
Our ultimate goal would be to apply for permanent residency by way of family sponsorship (conjugal partner), but thought that a study permit would be the best way to prove that we've lived together.

We would appreciate any tips that would help ensure that his permit is approved... and advice on any of the obstacles we may face.
Muchas gracias!

[scylla]

Spend some time reading through the threads in the International Students section of this forum. They will give you an idea of what to expect:

http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/international-students-b2.0/

As a first step, your boyfriend will have to apply and be accepted by the school he wants to attend. He will have to show that he has sufficient funds to cover his studies (first year tuition + $10K living expenses to cover a year + travel costs). He will also have to prove that he has strong ties to his home country and has no plans to remain in Canada long term.

To be honest, I think he will fact challenges being approved for a study visa to study English for only six months. CIC will probably suspect he wants to immigrate. He would be better if he applied for a course or diploma that takes at least a year to complete.

On a different note - you really should apply as either common law partners (common law = you have lived together for at least a year) or get married and apply as a married couple. Conjugal is for people who cannot get married and cannot live together - and it is the most difficult of the spousal classes to prove. Given that you can travel freely to Mexico - I think you would have trouble being approved via conjugal.

[mexicostudent]

Thanks for your reply.   

As my boyfriend and I have never lived together, we thought a trial period would be a better idea than diving in headfirst to marriage.  Our resulting options were either a Visitor visa or a Study Permit, from what I could determine...
From what I have read, a Visitor visa would be more difficult for my boyfriend to obtain than the Study Permit... and the Study Permit has the added benefit of possible extensions.

We also decided on the Study Permit route because two of my Colombian brother-in-law's cousins have come to study English in Canada for six months in the past, one arrived last January and returned to Colombia last summer. 
They were both in their early 20s with no property in their names in Colombia, just family... so their ties were pretty much the same as my boyfriend's are.  What's more, he should be able to get a letter from his job to state they will hire him back once he has finished his English studies here...

When we apply for the Study Permit, we plan to include a receipt for four months of English courses at Hansa Language Centre in Toronto, and a balance in his bank account that will cover six months of living expenses (I read that you need $833/month) and coverage for return airfare.

The only thing I am still unsure of is his medical insurance... is it best to get that through his school or privately?

Any further informed thoughts on our situation would be greatly appreciated!

[mexicostudent]

bump!   

[scylla]

Try posting your question to the International Students section of this forum. You will get far more views and answers there:

http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/international-students-b2.0/