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Study permit rejected for 'will not leave Canada': what likely went wrong

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

Timeline

Applied
2023-05-29

Documents Needed

  • Statement of Purpose (SOP)

    Needs to strongly demonstrate ties to the home country to counter a 'purpose of visit' refusal.

Step-by-Step

A Non-SDS study permit application (SSC in 2010, BSc in 2016, MBA, plus 3 years of supply chain work experience, applying for a Post-Baccalaureate Diploma at Cape Breton University with an IELTS overall of 6.5 but a reading score of 5.5) was rejected on the grounds that the officer wasn't convinced the applicant would leave Canada after studies, despite showing financials of 65 lakh INR.

What the thread identified as likely causes:
  1. A 'will not leave Canada' refusal is typically about family ties, not finances. The advice was to focus on convincing the visa officer of strong family ties back home through a well-prepared Statement of Purpose (SOP) — having sufficient funds alone doesn't address this concern.

  2. The IELTS score was flagged as a separate, likely contributing issue — the reading band of 5.5 fell below the commonly cited minimum of 6.0 in each section required for study visa applications, which may have compounded the refusal.


The practical takeaway: if your study permit is refused for 'intent to leave Canada,' strengthening your SOP with clear evidence of family ties and home-country commitments matters more than proof of funds — and separately, check that every individual IELTS band (not just the overall score) meets the minimum required, since a low band in one section can be its own rejection reason.

Dos, Don'ts & Tips

  • Do: Build a strong SOP that clearly demonstrates family ties and reasons to return home — proof of funds alone won't address a 'will not leave' refusal.
  • Don't: Don't rely on your overall IELTS score alone — check that every individual band meets the required minimum (commonly 6.0).

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