Dear all:

A friend of mine is currently studying in Canada; her Study Permit will expire on March 31, 2004; visitor VISA has just expired. It's still undetermined whether she would choose another school to pursue further, but she kind of needs more time to explore different options.

I've heard some people were able to renew/extend Study Permit for 90 days without "school documentation" (such as Letter of acceptance, etc), is it true? Could anyone advise what's the best way/approach to extend her stay for 60~90 days?

Thank you for any help!

Best Regards,

Helen Thompson

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kit...s/IMM1249E.PDF

She needs to send it now because she is out of status.

Thank you very much for your kind help CalgaryAMC !

Given the FORM has 5 options (A~E) to choose from, it seems that we should choose "(B) An initial study permit or renewal of study permit."

But if her primary purpose is to explore more options of study (thus can NOT provide any Documentations from schools, etc.), would she be able to perform said "Renewal of Study Permit"? / by using this FORM & choosing option (B) (with only bank account balance, but without any school Docs) - & be able to gain an extra couple months of stay?

Excuse me if the above question seem too inexperienced.

Best Regards,

Helen Thompson

You're welcome. I was an international student once myself.

Your friend will not be able to renew her study permit without evidence that she is continuing her studies. They are very strict about this.

I don't know anything about her situation, but if she has just completed a university degree or some other significant course of study, she may be entitled to a work permit for a prescribed period of time. After completing a university degree in Canada, for example, an international studnet is allowed to work in Canada for a year, and has 90 days to find a job. She may be able to utilize this to give herself some time. So, even if she has no intention of working in Canada, she would at least have that 90 grace period before she's once again out of status.

If this is not available to her - again, I have no idea what studying she has been doing in Canada - then I can only think that she would have to return to her home country, even for just a short vacation, and get a tourist visa to come back and continue sorting out her affairs.

The study permit was not designed to be an open-ended visa so sadly the predicament your friend finds herself in is by government design. Very unfortunate. I have many foreign friends from university who were reluctant to leave, but ultimately their permits expired and their options ran out.

She should also examine how many points she would score in an application for permanent residency. It will take quite some time to process a permanent resident application, but it might provide her with some light at the end of the tunnel if she does have to return home.

One final thought: if she has been attending a university, then there will almost certainly be some sort of international students' centre. These are generally staffed by extremely knowledgeable people who can provide very good free advice on matters exactly like this. She should take advantage of this if she can.

Dear CalgaryAMC :

Thanks so much for your detailed help!

As I know, my friend is obtaining a diploma from a local college (film school); not quite sure if she qualifies for the "to work in Canada for a year, and has 90 days to find a job" offer, but it's definitely a great direction to pursue further!

Sincerely,

helent