Lawyer or by myself Study Permit request?

[CANStudent]

Hi,
I am from Venezuela, and live in Venezuela; My sister lives in Calgary.
I would like to study English for a year, and travel with my commun-law partner. I am a experienced professional in my country and have 33 years old.
Probably, later, I will apply for an extension to study an undergraduate program.

The immigration Canada page, seems pretty clear on the process to request the study visa; however, reading here that some requests are refused and not sure now, if Should I request it by myself or hire the professional services of an immigration consultant?.

Thanks and Regards

 

[PetCoke]

Hi there,
Speaking from my experience, there is not rocket science behind it. We filled our application online by ourselves, paid the fees etc...Didnt use any lawyer services and our visas were approved. No problem at all. Im from Venezuela too.

 

[CANStudent]

Thanks PetCoke! . A couple of questions more, please:
1) You are mentioned "ourselves"' are you going with your partner? - If yes, what kind of Visa did you selected for him/her in the application form? - Open Work Permit?

2) By considering the known Venezuela's situation, which arguments did you include in your explanation letter (if any) to explain that you would come back home after finishing your studies?

Success in your Project, and Thanks in advance for your reply

 

[scylla]

FYI - Study permits to study English in Canada have quite a high rate of refusal. You would be far better off to apply to complete either a diploma or degree that makes sense in light of your previous education and experience.

The fact you have a sister in Canada will make it more difficult to get the study permit approved. So all the more reason not to go the English language program route.

 

[CANStudent]

Thanks Scylla the point is that to recive the acceptance letter from an University/ Institute to complete either a diploma or degree, I need to meet the language requirements first which I have not yet; that is why I need to start with English, and I am estimating more than six months for that.

I am not sure if I should expose in the letter of explanation full disclosure of my study plan, by saying that I will complete the English program to later proceed with the diploma or degree; and increase my chances for the visa approval.

Thanks for your comments

 

[scylla]

You'll have the highest chance of approval if you apply for a study permit to enter the diploma or degree directly (no language course). Again, given you have a sister in Canada, your chances of refusal are already high. If you need English courses - take them in your home country. Then get admission to the diploma/degree directly and apply for the study permit. This plan has the highest chance of succeeding.

 

[Frisk]

It's pretty easy, you don't need a lawyer. However, they'll likely refuse your application if you only want to study English. I recommend you to enroll an ESL course in a public college or university and then enroll the program.

You WILL need a very strong SOP