Can I Use My Student Visa for a Different Time and School?

[ifatani]

Hi everyone,

I have a specific question that I have not been able to find an answer for elsewhere.

I issued an S-1 visa and a study permit on 14/05/2015 that expires on 31/08/2017 to attend an MBA program at Concordia University starting September 2015. However, I didn’t start the program because my sponsor rejected Concordia as an eligible university for the scholarship.

Now, I got another acceptance from Simon Fraser University, which my sponsor approves, and I am planning to go to study there starting September 2016.

Can I use the S-1 Visa and study permit that I issued to attend the program at Concordia University, which I did not attend, in 2015 to study at the Simon Fraser University in 2016 instead? Please note that my study permit says “any designated learning institution” when it refers to the name of the learning institution.

Thanks,

 

[scylla]

No - your study permit is no longer valid since you failed to attend school. You'll need to apply for a new one.

 

[ifatani]

I just got an answer from my visa office and they answered a contradicting answer, should I go ahead and travel to canada based on the below answer?:

Dear Sir,

You can travel to Canada and study with you current study permit as long as it is valid, please make sure to have a copy of the new acceptance letter with you, when traveling to Canada.

Regards,

Visa section,

Embassy of Canada to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Ambassade du Canada auprès du Royaume d'Arabie saoudite
Diplomatic Quarter/Enceinte diplomatique
P.O. Box 94321, Riyadh 11693/CP 94321, Riyad 11693
Fax: 966-1-488-9657
Email: riyadh.visa@international.gc.ca