When a study permit decision is delayed close to program start and a tuition refund deadline is approaching, this is a genuinely stressful judgment call — group members treated it as a calculated risk rather than a clear yes/no.
What group members advised:- Applicants from the same intake month were starting to see results come through, even if a specific file hadn't been decided yet — a signal that decisions were actively being processed, not stalled indefinitely.
- Budget roughly two additional weeks after a positive decision for visa stamping and related processing before you can actually travel — so even a same-day approval doesn't mean immediate travel.
- Booking tickets before a decision is a calculated risk: weigh the refund deadline, evidence that your intake is being processed, and the buffer time needed after approval, and decide whether the financial risk of a non-refundable booking is worth it versus missing the flight availability/pricing window.
Historical note: this thread refers to 2022 intake processing times, which fluctuate significantly year to year — check current IRCC processing time estimates for your intake before applying this timeline as a rule of thumb.