A 37-year-old restaurant manager from India asked whether a study visa was advisable after a 15-year gap.
- Members floated the work-permit route as the stronger option for an in-demand hospitality occupation: an employer-backed (LMIA) restaurant-manager job offer uses your 15 years of experience instead of asking a visa officer to believe you're restarting as a student. (Thread note: restaurant manager sits in the managerial NOC 0 group.) Securing one from outside Canada is the hard part - it requires a genuine employer and LMIA, so treat any paid 'guaranteed LMIA' offer as a red flag.
- If you do study: gap tolerance varies by institution. Agents claim study gaps are 'not really a concern', but members countered with specifics - e.g. one college reportedly wouldn't accept a gap over 7 years - and suggested a public university improves both admission odds and credibility.
- Province matters less than institution type for this profile - members said all provinces are possible; pick the school that accepts your gap and a program that clearly extends your management career.