Son of a Canadian citizen, attempting to become an international student as well -> Help!

[IWantToBeACanadian067]

Hello everyone! (long post, summary at the end)

I'm 21 yo, visiting Canada and applying to become a PR under the family sponsorship, my dad is a citizen here. (My 22nd birthday is in the 31st of August, if that's relevant)

I sent an application to be sponsored.

I'm concerned that my family sponsorship application might be rejected (for whatever reason), and am considering becoming an international student in Canada, in order to apply later on under the Canadian Experience Class, in case I won't get my PR through the sponsorship.

Not only that I'm worried about waiting for 10 more months - for my sponsorship approval, only to be rejected and fly back to my country of origin,
I'm also worried that my visitor visa (which expires in 3.5 months) won't be extended.

My solution to my worries is to attempt to become an international student, and increase my chances of obtaining PR that way -> through the CEC route.

The problem is, I noticed that colleges require me to register for the course early on - with courses only open for international students (on my subject of preference, as of 02.23.18) in September -> 6 months from now, at the same period of time where I might find myself without a legal status in Canada. (If my visitor status is not extended).

So I'm caught in a situation - where I don't know what to do next, which document should I send to the IRCC?

Do I ask to extend my visitor status? and/or

Do I ask for a student visa instead? - What if the studies begin after my current visitor status expires (which they are likely to)?

Can I ask, or do I need to ask for both at the same time?

This is all important so that I avoid any situation where I find myself as an illegal immigrant, or having to leave Canada, even temporarily.

If I simply wait for my sponsorship application result for 10 months , and it is rejected -> I fear I won't be able to become an international student quickly,(because of the need to register for courses early) and will be forced to leave Canada and apply from outside, and wait for months until my studies begin.

This is why I want to plan and figure this out ahead of time.

To summarize:

How do I compensate for the risks of not having my visitor status extended, and having my sponsorship application rejected -> via the CEC route, as an international student?

Current status: visitor - expires in 3 months.
College admissions: only in 6.5 months, in September.
Processing time for my family class application (not yet opened) - 10 months.

What do I send? Request for student visa, visitor extension, or both?

Thanks in advance, I know this is long and I tried my best to be clear and provide the necessary information.

 

[scylla]

When did your father become a citizen? Was it before or after you were born? (Assuming after?)

Assuming your father immigrated to Canada as a PR after you were born, were you included in his PR application as a dependent and medically examined?

You can certainly apply for a study permit. To to be approved, you'll need to show a bank balance of at least $25K to cover first year tuition and living expenses.

 

[IWantToBeACanadian067]

When did your father become a citizen? Was it before or after you were born? (Assuming after?)

Assuming your father immigrated to Canada as a PR after you were born, were you included in his PR application as a dependent and medically examined?

You can certainly apply for a study permit. To to be approved, you'll need to show a bank balance of at least $25K to cover first year tuition and living expenses.

He told me he mentioned me in his PR application, so I assume so..
I got the money.

I'm confused about the study permit:
Does it require a visitor status before it? Or does a study permit automatically grant the visitor status with it?
How long does it last? Do I have to commit to a certain school or program?

My idea is to have my visitor status extended up to the point of attending the school with a study permit...

So do I have to request both visitor extension and study permit following it?
Should the visitor status and study permit time period overlap?

edit: no so sure my dad included me as "medically examined", only that he mentioned I exist.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

He told me he mentioned me in his PR application, so I assume so..
I got the money.

I'm confused about the study permit:
Does it require a visitor status before it? Or does a study permit automatically grant the visitor status with it?
How long does it last? Do I have to commit to a certain school or program?

My idea is to have my visitor status extended up to the point of attending the school with a study permit...

So do I have to request both visitor extension and study permit following it?
Should the visitor status and study permit time period overlap?

edit: no so sure my dad included me as "medically examined", only that he mentioned I exist.

You were required to be medically examined for your father's PR app. If you weren't, then you were not included and can never be sponsored by him.

 

[IWantToBeACanadian067]

You were required to be medically examined for your father's PR app. If you weren't, then you were not included and can never be sponsored by him.

My father is currently a citizen, and mentioned me (no medical examinations for me, since I was in a different country completely out of his life) in the documents that he required to sign when he got married to his wife about 15 years ago.

Are you sure I can't just do a medical examination right now, as an adult?

Seems like an odd restriction, but I remember some parts of my application mentioning that if I don't mention certain family members in the forms, I will not be able to sponsor them in the future...

So, it's not enough to declare a dependent child, but the child must undergo a medical examination prior to the sponsoring parent receiving the PR?

edit: just to be clear, my father came to Canada without me, by himself - and claims that other than asking whether I exist, there was no requirement for any medical information about me in his PR process.

 

[scylla]

My father is currently a citizen, and mentioned me (no medical examinations for me, since I was in a different country completely out of his life) in the documents that he required to sign when he got married to his wife about 15 years ago.

Are you sure I can't just do a medical examination right now, as an adult?

Seems like an odd restriction, but I remember some parts of my application mentioning that if I don't mention certain family members in the forms, I will not be able to sponsor them in the future...

So, it's not enough to declare a dependent child, but the child must undergo a medical examination prior to the sponsoring parent receiving the PR?

Yes we are sure. If you weren't medically examined then he can never sponsor you. Mentioning you isn't sufficient. This is a hard and fast rule. Doesn't matter that you were in a different country. Medical exams can be done anywhere in the world and are required for all dependents. Since you weren't medically examined, you are excluded as a family member which means he can never sponsor you. So if you are certainly you weren't medically examined, you should absolutely be expecting the PR sponsorship application to be refused.

 

[IWantToBeACanadian067]

Is there somewhere I can verify whether I was checked medically back then or not?
Most likely not, but perhaps 15 years ago this requirement was not required like it is today? - My father would have likely heard of it or had it be mentioned to him...

Plan B for me is to get my PR through international studies - what's the best way to get that path going for me?

• complete my high school education (dropped out in my home country)
• I have to apply to a school, and get accepted
• extend my visitor status,
• apply for a study permit,
• stick around in Canada long enough, and work - to be eligible for PR

and make sure I don't end up with

- too many applications sent ( I read somewhere it's a bad idea to be applying for study permit / visitor extension / sponsorship at the same time - true?)
- no period of time where I'm an illegal immigrant

Can someone advise me, taking into account the info I provided in the first post?

Some concrete steps to maximize my chances of getting PR through education (perhaps followed by work) in Canada would be appriciated

Thank you very much for taking the time to help me!

 

[scylla]

To get PR through a study permit, you'll need to complete post secondary studies (i.e. university or college). High school won't be enough to achieve this. You need work experience to qualify for PR. And to get a work permit after you complete your studies, you have to be studying at the university or college level. You don't qualify for an open work permit after completing a high school diploma (and also don't qualify to work while you are attending high school). So I would say for your plan to be realistic, you not only need to complete high school, but must also complete an additional college degree or university diploma after that. You should ensure the degree or diploma is at least two years in length so that you qualify for a three year work permit and have the highest chance of qualifying for PR.

 

[IWantToBeACanadian067]

To get PR through a study permit, you'll need to complete post secondary studies (i.e. university or college). High school won't be enough to achieve this. You need work experience to qualify for PR. And to get a work permit after you complete your studies, you have to be studying at the university or college level. You don't qualify for an open work permit after completing a high school diploma (and also don't qualify to work while you are attending high school). So I would say for your plan to be realistic, you not only need to complete high school, but must also complete an additional college degree or university diploma after that. You should ensure the degree or diploma is at least two years in length so that you qualify for a three year work permit and have the highest chance of qualifying for PR.

Thanks, I was aware that highschool won't be enough, just a prerequisite for going into college.

Will I need a study permit to complete my highschool education in Canada? Or are there things I can do as a visitor to be approved into a college? - Some sort of international adult program or world wide recognized test? ( English and Math are usually required, and some highschool scores..)

 

[scylla]

Thanks, I was aware that highschool won't be enough, just a prerequisite for going into college.

Will I need a study permit to complete my highschool education in Canada? Or are there things I can do as a visitor to be approved into a college? - Some sort of international adult program or world wide recognized test? ( English and Math are usually required, and some highschool scores..)

Yes - you need a study permit to attend high school. If you're asking whether you can be admitted to a college program directly, then you'll need to research the programs you're interested in to see what their entry requirements are and if there's a bridging or other option for those who haven't completed high school. Unfortunately there's really no short cut to extensive reading and research.