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Dismissed Charges in the U.S. - Will It Affect My Study Permit Extension and PR Application?

bichijiaolin

Newbie
Mar 25, 2023
8
1
Hi all,

Five years ago while I was an F-1 student in the U.S., I ran into an unfortunate incident that resulted in my arrest and two computer-related charges, one class-E felony and one class-A misdemeanor. Long story short, I accidentally discovered a glitch within the university’s student portal, which allowed me to log in to someone else’s account while resetting my own password. Out of curiosity, I tested the glitch with several random student IDs. I reported the security flaw to the IT department a few days later, and was subsequently investigated, arrested, and charged. The investigation took a year, and both charges were dismissed without conditions and ordered sealed. The FBI Identity History Summary also reveals no prior arrest data.

Two years ago, I earned my undergraduate degree and applied for a U.S. F-1 visa for master’s study, but was refused twice under INA section 214(b). I then applied for the Canadian study permit and disclosed my entire criminal and visa refusal history, along with the criminal disposition report and the FBI Identity History Summary. My first application was rejected based on "the purpose of your visit.” Unsure about what had caused the rejection, I submitted a second study permit application with a more detailed study plan, additional financial support documents, and a detailed timeline and explanation of the incident with my reflections. The second application was approved.

Last year, I entered Canada and began my master’s study. As my study permit and co-op work permit will expire this August, I need to submit another application to extend my status. I plan to submit the same documents as before, namely the criminal disposition report, FBI Identity History Summary, detailed timeline and explanation of the incident, along with other required documents.

I was wondering how likely the incident will cause trouble for my study permit extension, such as increased scrutiny, a longer process, or even rejection? Furthermore, is it likely that the incident will affect my PR application in the future?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
 

canuck78

VIP Member
Jun 18, 2017
52,969
12,771
Hi all,

Five years ago while I was an F-1 student in the U.S., I ran into an unfortunate incident that resulted in my arrest and two computer-related charges, one class-E felony and one class-A misdemeanor. Long story short, I accidentally discovered a glitch within the university’s student portal, which allowed me to log in to someone else’s account while resetting my own password. Out of curiosity, I tested the glitch with several random student IDs. I reported the security flaw to the IT department a few days later, and was subsequently investigated, arrested, and charged. The investigation took a year, and both charges were dismissed without conditions and ordered sealed. The FBI Identity History Summary also reveals no prior arrest data.

Two years ago, I earned my undergraduate degree and applied for a U.S. F-1 visa for master’s study, but was refused twice under INA section 214(b). I then applied for the Canadian study permit and disclosed my entire criminal and visa refusal history, along with the criminal disposition report and the FBI Identity History Summary. My first application was rejected based on "the purpose of your visit.” Unsure about what had caused the rejection, I submitted a second study permit application with a more detailed study plan, additional financial support documents, and a detailed timeline and explanation of the incident with my reflections. The second application was approved.

Last year, I entered Canada and began my master’s study. As my study permit and co-op work permit will expire this August, I need to submit another application to extend my status. I plan to submit the same documents as before, namely the criminal disposition report, FBI Identity History Summary, detailed timeline and explanation of the incident, along with other required documents.

I was wondering how likely the incident will cause trouble for my study permit extension, such as increased scrutiny, a longer process, or even rejection? Furthermore, is it likely that the incident will affect my PR application in the future?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
If you were approved the last time and nothing has changed I would assume you will be fine
 
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bichijiaolin

Newbie
Mar 25, 2023
8
1
If you were approved the last time and nothing has changed I would assume you will be fine
Thank you for your reply!

There have been no changes since my last application, except that I have now been studying in Canada for a year. I had requested deferred enrollment for a year from the university though, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic at that time, and as a result need to apply for a study permit extension.

Do you think I should resubmit all of the documents that were included in my previous application?
 

canuck78

VIP Member
Jun 18, 2017
52,969
12,771
Thank you for your reply!

There have been no changes since my last application, except that I have now been studying in Canada for a year. I had requested deferred enrollment for a year from the university though, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic at that time, and as a result need to apply for a study permit extension.

Do you think I should resubmit all of the documents that were included in my previous application?
No I don’t think there is a need to resubmit the documents. You are just applying for an extension. Other issues have already be dealt with.
 
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Hummingbird89

Hero Member
Mar 18, 2023
348
44
Toronto
Category........
CEC
LANDED..........
2019
Thank you for your reply!

There have been no changes since my last application, except that I have now been studying in Canada for a year. I had requested deferred enrollment for a year from the university though, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic at that time, and as a result need to apply for a study permit extension.

Do you think I should resubmit all of the documents that were included in my previous application?
Focus on the renewal and only submit the documents related to your "criminal" history if they asked you about your visa rejection and criminality in the mandatory extension docs. If the mandatory documents don't mention it, neither should you. Sorry those people involved the police in a trivial matter.
 

bichijiaolin

Newbie
Mar 25, 2023
8
1
Focus on the renewal and only submit the documents related to your "criminal" history if they asked you about your visa rejection and criminality in the mandatory extension docs. If the mandatory documents don't mention it, neither should you. Sorry those people involved the police in a trivial matter.
Indeed, sometimes an honest mistake made on a whim can haunt you forever...
Thank you for your input!