An applicant asked whether full-program fees paid from a relative's Canadian bank account could cause a study permit refusal. The thread surfaced a genuine nuance:
- The optimistic view: only the receipt matters. One member argued you upload a fee receipt, not the payer's bank statement, so the source "doesn't matter" — the college confirms payment and that's what the checklist item is for.
- The correction: the fine print asks for more. Another member pointed out that hovering over the tuition-fee upload's help icon reveals it asks for a bank statement showing the fee payment along with the college receipt. If a relative paid, their name appears on that statement — so the third-party payment is visible to the officer if you follow the instructions fully.
- The resolution: disclose and explain. The thread's practical landing point — raised by the closing question about the SOP — is to address it head-on: state in your SOP or letter of explanation that a relative/sibling in Canada is paying the tuition, who they are, and that your overall financial plan is sound. Family financial support is common and acceptable; an unexplained third-party payment is what invites doubt.
- Check your school allows third-party payment. A side note from the thread: colleges have their own rules about who may pay fees — confirm yours accepts payment from a relative's account.
Transparency beats optimism here: assume the officer will see the payer, and make sure the explanation is already in the file.