A friend in need...

[LinBin]

Hi guys!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post. I have a friend with a Palestinian passport who is desperate to come to Canada to study interior design and hopefully make Canada her home in the future. She is stuck in a difficult marriage with a husband from another Arab country and 2 young children. She is willing to do anything, legally of course, to make her dreams come true but she does not know where to start. Can someone move to Canada as an international student and apply to become an immigrant later on? Should she apply as a refugee? Should she come to Canada to do IELTS courses in order to do the IELTS exam?
She lives in the Emirates and is completely dependent on her husband's visa, without it, she has no where else to go. She is fluent in English and is desperate for the freedom that Canada affords its citizens, and of course the ability to work as an interior designer. I would love any kind of feedback! Thank you so much once again.

 

[scylla]

Hi guys!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post. I have a friend with a Palestinian passport who is desperate to come to Canada to study interior design and hopefully make Canada her home in the future. She is stuck in a difficult marriage with a husband from another Arab country and 2 young children. She is willing to do anything, legally of course, to make her dreams come true but she does not know where to start. Can someone move to Canada as an international student and apply to become an immigrant later on? Should she apply as a refugee? Should she come to Canada to do IELTS courses in order to do the IELTS exam?
She lives in the Emirates and is completely dependent on her husband's visa, without it, she has no where else to go. She is fluent in English and is desperate for the freedom that Canada affords its citizens, and of course the ability to work as an interior designer. I would love any kind of feedback! Thank you so much once again.

Yes - she can come to Canada on a study visa first and then try to qualify for permanent residency through an economic immigration program like Express Entry.

Yes - she can apply for refugee status once she reaches Canada (she cannot apply for refugee status from outside of Canada). She will want to make sure she has a very strong case otherwise she will need to leave Canada once refused and it will be difficult to return.

No - coming to Canada to take IELTS courses is not a good plan. Taking language courses is regarded as a very weak reason for coming to Canada on a study permit or on a TRV and will have a very high chance of refusal. If she wants to study in Canada, it should be a full time college or university program (not a language program) that is at least 8 months in length. The best option is to come to Canada for 2 years of study since she will then qualify for a 3 year post graduate work permit once she completes her studies and this will give her the best chance of qualifying for PR.

In order to qualify for a study permit, she will first need to apply and be accepted into a program in Canada. She will then need to apply for a study permit and show a bank balance of at least $25,000 to demonstrate that she has enough funds to cover first year tuition and living expenses.

Note that she will need her husband's written permission to take her children with her to Canada - or sole custody of her children through the court system in her home country.

 

[LinBin]

Thank you

Yes - she can come to Canada on a study visa first and then try to qualify for permanent residency through an economic immigration program like Express Entry.

Yes - she can apply for refugee status once she reaches Canada (she cannot apply for refugee status from outside of Canada). She will want to make sure she has a very strong case otherwise she will need to leave Canada once refused and it will be difficult to return.

No - coming to Canada to take IELTS courses is not a good plan. Taking language courses is regarded as a very weak reason for coming to Canada on a study permit or on a TRV and will have a very high chance of refusal. If she wants to study in Canada, it should be a full time college or university program (not a language program) that is at least 8 months in length. The best option is to come to Canada for 2 years of study since she will then qualify for a 3 year post graduate work permit once she completes her studies and this will give her the best chance of qualifying for PR.

In order to qualify for a study permit, she will first need to apply and be accepted into a program in Canada. She will then need to apply for a study permit and show a bank balance of at least $25,000 to demonstrate that she has enough funds to cover first year tuition and living expenses.

Note that she will need her husband's written permission to take her children with her to Canada - or sole custody of her children through the court system in her home country.

Thank you so much for your incredibly detailed and clear response. I honestly did not know about any of this and this will truly provide her with a very clear idea of how to proceed from here. I truly appreciate the time you have put in to respond! It means the world to me!