An applicant with a master's degree, a 7+ year study gap, and a job-relevant 1-year project management program was refused ('will not leave Canada after studies') and asked whether to reapply immediately for the next intake.
What members advised:
- A refusal with a gap is recoverable — same college, same course. One member's spouse was refused for the same reason with a similar profile (master's + post-bacc diploma) and was approved on reapplication without changing college or course — the difference was a substantially stronger SOP.
- Long gaps are not disqualifying by themselves. Another member reported getting a study permit approval with a 12-year gap. What matters is whether the SOP turns the gap into a coherent story: what you did during it, and why this program follows logically from your recent work.
- Don't wait for GCMS/CAIPS notes if timing is tight. Notes 'may come in 10 days or take infinite' — with an intake deadline approaching, members advised reapplying with a strengthened SOP rather than holding the application for the notes.
- On consultants: one member suggested a large chain's head office for refused cases, but others in the thread reviewed SOPs peer-to-peer for free. Treat paid help for refusal cases with care; the SOP content is what changes outcomes.