I came in canada in 2023 as a student - did a 8 months course - got 1 year PGWP - it got expired in February 2025 - got in the hands of wrong consultants and they had put me visitor status - got a LMIA - they applied for my work permit on that bases and obviously my work permit got rejected. Now I am planning on applying for masters programmes from within Canada , but I am not sure if I can do that or no ?
Can I apply for masters from within canada on visitor status ?
- Thread starter TanishkaB
- Start date
Yes, you can apply for a master’s program while on visitor status. There is no restriction on submitting university applications from inside Canada.
However, if you receive admission, you must apply for a new study permit. Being on visitor status does not allow you to study. In most cases, you will need to apply for the study permit from outside Canada unless you meet one of the in-Canada eligibility exemptions.
Before moving forward, confirm you currently have valid visitor status. If you are out of status, restoration timelines are strict.
Given your previous refusals, make sure your next study permit application clearly addresses purpose of study, career progression, and ties to your home country. That will be critical.
However, if you receive admission, you must apply for a new study permit. Being on visitor status does not allow you to study. In most cases, you will need to apply for the study permit from outside Canada unless you meet one of the in-Canada eligibility exemptions.
Before moving forward, confirm you currently have valid visitor status. If you are out of status, restoration timelines are strict.
Given your previous refusals, make sure your next study permit application clearly addresses purpose of study, career progression, and ties to your home country. That will be critical.
Yes, you can apply for a Master’s while in Canada on visitor status, but you’ll first need admission from a Designated Learning Institution. In most cases, the study permit application is still processed as if it’s from outside Canada. Just make sure your visitor status remains valid while your study permit is being processed.
Hi everyone,
I would really appreciate honest insight from people who have experience with Canadian study permit cases.
Here is my situation:
What I am trying to understand realistically is:
I understand nobody can predict the result with certainty. I’m mainly trying to understand how officers may realistically view a profile like this in 2025/2026.
Thank you very much for any honest feedback
I would really appreciate honest insight from people who have experience with Canadian study permit cases.
Here is my situation:
- I am an Egyptian citizen currently inside Canada as a visitor
- I have been living in the UAE with my family for around 29 years
- My husband has stable long-term employment in the UAE for approximately 20 years
- Our financial situation is strong and bank statements are excellent
- I am 40 years old
- I have 4 children
- I do not currently work and have been focused on family responsibilities for many years
- I previously received a study permit refusal
- The refusal mainly related to concerns about temporary intent / leaving Canada after studies
- I am now considering reapplying for a Master’s program in an engineering-related field
- The program is specialized and related to opportunities available in the Gulf region after graduation
- I may receive a conditional admission with ESL/prerequisite requirements because I do not currently have IELTS
What I am trying to understand realistically is:
- Have people seen approvals in similar situations (visitor inside Canada + previous refusal + family situation)?
- How heavily does IRCC weigh long-term residence and strong financial stability in the UAE as home ties?
- Does the lack of recent employment make a Master’s application significantly weaker even if finances are strong?
- In your experience, does applying from inside Canada as a visitor seriously hurt the application compared to applying from outside?
- How risky is conditional admission with ESL for a Master’s level application?
I understand nobody can predict the result with certainty. I’m mainly trying to understand how officers may realistically view a profile like this in 2025/2026.
Thank you very much for any honest feedback
1. Study permit is processed from home country so need to show ties to return. As a visitor with 4 children in Canada, it weakens your profile.
2. You are not a citizen of UAE so not home ties.
3. Absolutely. You cannot show career progression if you haven't been practicing in the field.
4. Yes, your profile seems like PR intent which probably will not happen. Also you are 40 and IRCC doesn't want to see a wide education gap, no job and no experience. Your husband having a good job is not relevant. Plus bringing 4 children and who will care for them if you are in school?
5. If you need ESL for a Masters then shows you are not proficient in the language. No school should be accepting a Masters level student who is not fluent in English. Guessing it is a low tier school.
2. You are not a citizen of UAE so not home ties.
3. Absolutely. You cannot show career progression if you haven't been practicing in the field.
4. Yes, your profile seems like PR intent which probably will not happen. Also you are 40 and IRCC doesn't want to see a wide education gap, no job and no experience. Your husband having a good job is not relevant. Plus bringing 4 children and who will care for them if you are in school?
5. If you need ESL for a Masters then shows you are not proficient in the language. No school should be accepting a Masters level student who is not fluent in English. Guessing it is a low tier school.
Hi Aysha,
I think it helps to look at this in two separate tracks: your Master’s admission and your IRCC study permit application.
From my experience:
- We’ve had a client (I was helping her with a resume & LinkedIn) who got their study permit approved while they were already in Canada on a visitor visa. That said, every case is different; if your situation is more complex, it might be worth speaking to a licensed immigration consultant. If you don’t have anyone in Canada, I can share a registered consultant with good standing and verified credentials.
- In my own case, I received my study permit while working in a different country (not my home country). I just made sure to clearly explain the situation in my Letter of Explanation, which helped provide context.
- For Master’s admission, your finances mainly matter in terms of showing you can cover tuition and living costs, along with having an academic and professional background that aligns with the program. If you need support with admissions, I can also point you to someone who offers paid application assistance for universities.
- Just to reiterate, we’ve seen approvals even when applicants were on visitor status, but again, it really depends on the overall profile and documentation.
- Ideally, try to secure an unconditional offer letter before applying for the study permit. IRCC has been applying stricter screening lately, so having a strong, complete application upfront really helps.
It is Windsor university and also York which accepted me what do you think ?
I have a question regarding if Ircc know that my husband and my children with me inside canada even they are not included in my new application !
My children were in my previous refused one .
I really appreciate your feedback thanks
Kindly note that if you have been residing in a country for more than 6 months, your study permit application is usually processed by the visa office responsible for that country, not necessarily your home country office.
For example, if your home country is Türkiye but you have been living in Thailand for more than 6 months, then your application will typically be processed by the Canadian visa office that serves Thailand.
This is why it’s important to clearly show your current legal residence (having a work permit, etc.) and provide valid proof of stay when applying, as IRCC will assess your file based on where you are actually living at the time of application.
If your whole family is in Canada then they know you are all in Canada. Why would you lie? To IRCC, it may seem like you are going to settle in Canada and not leave. You should have applied for study permit with unconditional offer before you entered Canada. Now there are no ties to return and you have no experience or job.
Thank you for your reply I really appreciate it
I heard chinook (software tool used by Ircc ) can summarize all information about my profile and make red flags is that true ?
SOP made by professional consultants may help ?
My application will be processed by visa office in uAE ? So there is no benefit for applying inland application ?
It was an advise from a professional consultant to come as a visitor and apply from inside canada .
Now I have to return back or apply from within canada ?
Please advise
Bad advice. You are a visitor so it is processed outland from either UAE or Egypt. You are now showing no ties to return and no intent to return. If you were all approved you would have to leave to get passports stamped.
You already have a refusal so now have to address reasons for refusal and you aren't even in home country. So if ties to return were reason for first refusal then your profile is even weaker and your family is with you.
How long have you and your family been visiting Canada? If you already had a study permit refusal but chose to come to Canada for a long visit and apply for a study permit that is highly unusual and indicates you were never a true visitor and misrepresented your intentions on your TRV. How long has it been since you were working in your field? You would be at least better off had you shown you had returned to work and then were trying to upgrade your skills.
I have visited canada twice with my family without overstaying .my study permit refusal from outside canada 7 months ago . Unfortunately I have no work experience I never work since my graduation but I decided to start my career ( I know long gab) .
Now I have a job offer once I finished my masters degree as I need to renew my skills through co op .
But I haven’t started yet ( no recent job )
I got conditional acceptance ( Esl +master ) at winsdor and York university
