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Choosing a course after two study permit refusals ('will not leave Canada' and 'stay not consistent')

Canada • Study Permit • study 0 views
By VisaBuddies Communityvia community — compiled from public visa forums

Documents Needed

  • GCMS notes from prior refusals

    Review the officer's stated reasoning from your first refusal to understand exactly what undermined your case.

Step-by-Step

After two refusals — one citing doubts you'd leave Canada, another citing an inconsistent study-then-work narrative — the course you pick for a third application matters more than usual, especially given an existing Bachelor's in Electrical/Electronics, a Master's in Aviation Management, and work experience as a site/project engineer.

What group members advised:
  1. Pick a course that clearly builds on your existing qualifications, not one that appears disconnected. One suggestion was an MSc in Project Management from a recognized university, reasoning (drawn from language reportedly used in the applicant's own GCMS notes) that the combination of an existing master's degree plus solid work experience already makes the applicant appear highly qualified — meaning a modest college-level graduate certificate can look like a step backward or an unclear fit, which is part of what may have triggered the earlier refusals.

  2. Match the new program explicitly to both your studies and work experience — the connection between the target course and your Electrical/Electronics + Aviation Management + project engineering background should be obvious on paper and reinforced in your SOP.

  3. Be cautious with 1-year, lower-cost programs at colleges if your profile already shows advanced qualifications — a mismatch between your credential level and the program you're applying to was flagged as a specific risk factor here.


Given two prior refusals, it's worth having your SOP and course choice reviewed by a regulated consultant before a third submission, since a third refusal can make future applications even harder.

Dos, Don'ts & Tips

  • Do: Choose a course level and specialization that clearly matches your existing masters and work experience, not a lower-level generalist program.
  • Tip: Review your GCMS notes from prior refusals closely — the officer's own wording often explains exactly what to fix.
  • Do: Get your SOP and course choice reviewed by a regulated consultant before a third application, given the history of refusals.

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