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Course deferral and refund rules if your study permit gets refused

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

Documents Needed

  • Institution's deferral/refund policy document

    Review carefully — group members found contradictory statements within the same policy and had to email the school directly for clarity.

Step-by-Step

If you're worried about losing your fees after a visa refusal, general deferral/refund logic shared by the group was:

  1. Deferring before your course start date typically qualifies for a full (100%) refund.

  2. Deferring after the course has already started usually means a partial refund, with the college deducting some fees before returning the rest.

  3. Don't rely solely on the general policy summary — read your specific institution's written policy carefully, and if it contains ambiguous or contradictory language (as one member found with York University's continuing studies policy), email the school directly to get written clarification before you commit to deferring.


Since refund policies vary by institution and can be updated, always confirm the current policy with your specific school in writing before assuming a refund percentage.

Dos, Don'ts & Tips

  • Do: Defer before your course start date if possible — this typically qualifies for a full refund versus a partial one after the course begins.
  • Tip: If a school's refund policy language seems contradictory, email them directly for written clarification before deferring.

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