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21 weeks study permit processing time!
Hi all,
I am in a state of freaking out. Due to commence study mid August 2019. Cannot submit study permit application until mid March due to funds from house sale required for proof of funds. Current processing time states 21 weeks! I have checked the processing times quite regularly throughout the last year and have seen an average of around 8 weeks. It seems to have jumped up massively for the London office processing times. At this point, before I pay the money to hold my seat, I'm wondering if there is any point at all in submitting my application for a permit. As it likely won't be issued in time for classes to start. Then we are in a position of losing thousands. Looking for some constructive advice, really don't know what to do now. Thank you in advance. |
Re: 21 weeks study permit processing time!
Originally Posted by Teal2019
(Post 12642744)
Hi all,
I am in a state of freaking out. Due to commence study mid August 2019. Cannot submit study permit application until mid March due to funds from house sale required for proof of funds. Current processing time states 21 weeks! I have checked the processing times quite regularly throughout the last year and have seen an average of around 8 weeks. It seems to have jumped up massively for the London office processing times. At this point, before I pay the money to hold my seat, I'm wondering if there is any point at all in submitting my application for a permit. As it likely won't be issued in time for classes to start. Then we are in a position of losing thousands. Looking for some constructive advice, really don't know what to do now. Thank you in advance. One other quick comment - you mention selling your house but do you have another residence in the UK (or wherever your home country is)? Remember that to get a study permit you have to show ties to your home country and proof that you will return at the end of your studies, if the house you are selling is your only property, that's a huge red flag. Plus ever so risky given it's only a temp visa! |
Re: 21 weeks study permit processing time!
Originally Posted by christmasoompa
(Post 12642996)
Not really sure what anybody can advise you to do tbh. If processing times remain as currently stated (remember they tend to be longer this time of year, as everybody applies for the start of the academic year) then it's a risk you'll have to take unfortunately. Would you be allowed to start a little later if you don't get the study permit in time? Might be worth asking the university.
One other quick comment - you mention selling your house but do you have another residence in the UK (or wherever your home country is)? Remember that to get a study permit you have to show ties to your home country and proof that you will return at the end of your studies, if the house you are selling is your only property, that's a huge red flag. Plus ever so risky given it's only a temp visa! My husband and I planned to travel North America and don't come from a wealthy background with parents to help us out etc. So we bought a house that needed work. Have spent 18 months doing it up for sale and worked that around our jobs and we've now sold it and complete in March. The plan was always to use the money to travel, then we looked into study abroad options as I didn't want to have nothing to show for it. So studying a course that enables me to still work towards long term career goals while being able to experience living abroad became the plan. All of our family is here, we have no family in Canada at all, we do not have intentions of staying in Canada after I'm done studying. Not everyone can fund such a venture without selling their property. I don't know many people my age with two properties either. Not only that, but the majority of young people I know, rent. I'm not worried about that aspect of the visa process. I'm worried about how long it will take. I appreciate your reply, however in the most respectful way, we know it's risky selling up for a temp visa but we come from nothing, have worked hard and want to travel. That's simply it. I was hoping that someone who had maybe been through to process could shed some light on their experience of processing times and if theirs fell in line with averages. It's a risk we are willing to take but thought it wise to seek some advice too. |
Re: 21 weeks study permit processing time!
Originally Posted by Teal2019
(Post 12643007)
I will enquire with the college about starting later if that is allowed.
My husband and I planned to travel North America and don't come from a wealthy background with parents to help us out etc. So we bought a house that needed work. Have spent 18 months doing it up for sale and worked that around our jobs and we've now sold it and complete in March. The plan was always to use the money to travel, then we looked into study abroad options as I didn't want to have nothing to show for it. So studying a course that enables me to still work towards long term career goals while being able to experience living abroad became the plan. All of our family is here, we have no family in Canada at all, we do not have intentions of staying in Canada after I'm done studying. Not everyone can fund such a venture without selling their property. I don't know many people my age with two properties either. Not only that, but the majority of young people I know, rent. I'm not worried about that aspect of the visa process. I'm worried about how long it will take. I appreciate your reply, however in the most respectful way, we know it's risky selling up for a temp visa but we come from nothing, have worked hard and want to travel. That's simply it. I was hoping that someone who had maybe been through to process could shed some light on their experience of processing times and if theirs fell in line with averages. It's a risk we are willing to take but thought it wise to seek some advice too. Whether it takes 8 or 21 weeks (or possibly longer) will be down to the processing officer, the number of applications received - not just study permits, the hundreds of other visas being processed at the London office (or where ever you have applied to). Nobody can really offer you any advice nor guarantees unfortunately. It's one of those things that you just have to be patient about.. perhaps having sold your property you could stay with friends or in a rental and reapply for the following semester if all else fails... these things do take some careful planning, it's never simple is it! :) https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration...dy-permit.html Good luck regardless :) |
Re: 21 weeks study permit processing time!
Originally Posted by Siouxie
(Post 12643260)
With respect, unfortunately the advice you have been given by christmasoompa (who is very knowledgeable and experienced in visa and immigration matters) is valid. Without ties to the UK you may not be granted a study permit at all, it's up to you to show proof that you have ties to the UK and without some kind of residence, job to go back to or whatever, you may struggle to show proof. Not just to the issuing officer but potentially also to the officer at the port of entry who must be satisfied with your intent to leave Canada at the end of your visit. Do also ensure that the college is on the approved list and that the course is relevant.
Whether it takes 8 or 21 weeks (or possibly longer) will be down to the processing officer, the number of applications received - not just study permits, the hundreds of other visas being processed at the London office (or where ever you have applied to). Nobody can really offer you any advice nor guarantees unfortunately. It's one of those things that you just have to be patient about.. perhaps having sold your property you could stay with friends or in a rental and reapply for the following semester if all else fails... these things do take some careful planning, it's never simple is it! :) https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration...dy-permit.html Good luck regardless :) ​​​​​​Th e course is at a DLI and is on the list of eligible courses, should I want to apply for pgwp. But that isn't something we are planning at this stage. We have rental accommodation here in the UK lined up, so if we have to stay on in that, that's OK. But this risk lies in putting the fee down for securing a seat and potentially not being able to go because the permit is taking such a long time. The IRCC processing times specifically for study permits are excessively high in comparison to everywhere else in the world, at this moment. I wasn't looking for guarantees, I know that it is down to officers processing the forms, but I was hoping someone may be able to provide some reassurance. I wondered if perhaps some people on the forum had applications being processed currently or recently approved and could offer advice regarding timeliness specifically. What their experience was, did their timelines match the averages, applications advice etc. I have no idea if I apply online that my application will even be processed in London. These are the things I'm trying to gauge and put feelers out for. As said previously it is a big decision and a risk no matter what but the more information we get before 'putting money down' the better. While I appreciated the concern, showing ties to the UK is something I'm taking very seriously and will factor into my application. However for those applying for study permits, I am sure the demographic is usually under 25 (not me, I wish) I suspect most won't own property or have jobs lined up to go back to, in this economy. I do have a job to come back to, so that's not what I'm worried about. That isn't what I was asking for advice for in my post as I feel that base is covered. |
Re: 21 weeks study permit processing time!
Originally Posted by Teal2019
(Post 12643304)
Hi Siouxie,
​​​​​​Th e course is at a DLI and is on the list of eligible courses, should I want to apply for pgwp. But that isn't something we are planning at this stage. We have rental accommodation here in the UK lined up, so if we have to stay on in that, that's OK. But this risk lies in putting the fee down for securing a seat and potentially not being able to go because the permit is taking such a long time. The IRCC processing times specifically for study permits are excessively high in comparison to everywhere else in the world, at this moment. I wasn't looking for guarantees, I know that it is down to officers processing the forms, but I was hoping someone may be able to provide some reassurance. I wondered if perhaps some people on the forum had applications being processed currently or recently approved and could offer advice regarding timeliness specifically. What their experience was, did their timelines match the averages, applications advice etc. I have no idea if I apply online that my application will even be processed in London. These are the things I'm trying to gauge and put feelers out for. As said previously it is a big decision and a risk no matter what but the more information we get before 'putting money down' the better. While I appreciated the concern, showing ties to the UK is something I'm taking very seriously and will factor into my application. However for those applying for study permits, I am sure the demographic is usually under 25 (not me, I wish) I suspect most won't own property or have jobs lined up to go back to, in this economy. I do have a job to come back to, so that's not what I'm worried about. That isn't what I was asking for advice for in my post as I feel that base is covered. Regardless of whether it was what you were asking for advice on, unless you can show ties to the UK the length of time of processing is a mute point as you may not be approved anyway if you don't show those ties! That is what christmasoompa was trying to explain to you. Most foreign students under 25 still live with their parents - perhaps are going back to school when they return home - return flights booked - so have ties to their home country. Nobody said you need to OWN property to show a tie.. you could have a rental agreement.. or you could be living with parents... those are ties. Having a job to return to - showing that you have a leave of absence for longer than the length of the course (which must be 8 months or more to get a PGWP) or a contract perhaps to start work on a set date in the future - or a college course booked - would be another tie. Things that show you have a reason to return to your home country is what they are looking for. Do you have your offer letter (proof of acceptance) from the college already? Is there any way to submit your application any sooner to give you a little leeway? If the course is less than a year, could you start it at a later date, perhaps? May be worth asking the college... hang in there, things have a way of working out.. don't give up. Did you check if there's any other colleges with the same course that start at a different time of year perhaps? :) |
Re: 21 weeks study permit processing time!
Originally Posted by Siouxie
(Post 12643335)
Unfortunately, it's irrelevant how long other countries may take to process a student application - Canada is very popular (and a very big country) and there are always a lot of students applying... and during the peak application times processing takes much longer... just as everything does... nobody can give you any reassurance because processing times are like pieces of string... nobody knows how long it will take at any given time.. what may take 19 weeks today might take 28 weeks in a months time and 10 weeks a month after that! That's why it's important to have everything set up and apply as early as you can, whether for a study permit, a visa, a work permit or permanent residency. :)
Regardless of whether it was what you were asking for advice on, unless you can show ties to the UK the length of time of processing is a mute point as you won't be approved anyway! That is what christmasoompa was trying to explain to you. Most foreign students under 25 still live with their parents - perhaps are going back to school when they return home - return flights booked - so have ties to their home country. Nobody said you need to OWN property to show a tie.. you could have a rental agreement.. or you could be living with parents... those are ties. Having a job to return to - showing that you have a leave of absence for longer than the length of the course (which must be 8 months or more to get a PGWP) or a contract perhaps to start work on a set date in the future - or a college course booked - would be another tie. Things that show you have a reason to return to your home country is what they are looking for. Do you have your offer letter (proof of acceptance) from the college already? Is there any way to submit your application any sooner to give you a little leeway? If the course is less than a year, could you start it at a later date, perhaps? May be worth asking the college... hang in there, things have a way of working out.. don't give up. Did you check if there's any other colleges with the same course that start at a different time of year perhaps? :) I have followed christmasoopma's advice and sent an email off to enquire about starting late and deferring entry, should I need to. So fingers crossed there is some leeway there . The course I will be doing is two years long, so not sure I can book a return flight at this point but we will be returning anyway for my sisters wedding in summer 2021. It times it nicely for coming home. Would you recommend submitting a statement of purpose with the visa application? Because I'm not sure how else they would know about ties to UK or plans etc without that. Or is that taken care of at POE? Although we are selling our property, all of our family is here, I can't have children and my niece and nephew I am extremely bonded with. I am the oldest of four girls and they depend on me quite a lot. Hence why we aren't planning a permanent move. Also, it's too early to apply yet but the plan is to come back in 2021 and I am then applying for my specialism course at Nottingham University. We have a plan but anything can happen I suppose. Is this the type of thing I should write in a statement? |
Re: 21 weeks study permit processing time!
Originally Posted by Teal2019
(Post 12643304)
​​​​​​Wh at their experience was, did their timelines match the averages, applications advice etc. |
Re: 21 weeks study permit processing time!
I am considering changing from job hunting to gain TFW permit to a study permit initially then a TFW then hopefully PR. We have sold the 2 properties we owned as we eventually hope to gain PR but the proof of returning with the study and TFW permits is something that is worrying me so I am very pleased with these replies as they've helped me. Thanks!
|
Re: 21 weeks study permit processing time!
Originally Posted by ahughes
(Post 12654907)
I am considering changing from job hunting to gain TFW permit to a study permit initially then a TFW then hopefully PR. We have sold the 2 properties we owned as we eventually hope to gain PR but the proof of returning with the study and TFW permits is something that is worrying me so I am very pleased with these replies as they've helped me. Thanks!
As a UK citizen (low risk) then it’ll be slightly less stringent than for somebody from a high fraud country, but even so the requirement is there. I thought you had a job offer and sponsoring employer already? If so I’d definitely stick to the TWP route, that’s far preferable to a study permit for many reasons. HTH. |
Re: 21 weeks study permit processing time!
Hi,
Sorry to bump the thread but curious how this has gone for you. I have been in a similar situation, I applied for student visa first week of Feb and have had no updates. Was given 14 week processing time and am now at 15/16 weeks. Did you apply and have you had any progress? Cheers |
Re: 21 weeks study permit processing time!
Originally Posted by unstirling
(Post 12689875)
Hi,
Sorry to bump the thread but curious how this has gone for you. I have been in a similar situation, I applied for student visa first week of Feb and have had no updates. Was given 14 week processing time and am now at 15/16 weeks. Did you apply and have you had any progress? Cheers We applied the first week of April. No updates yet. The processing time dropped to 2 weeks when we submitted and did biometrics. It's been 1 week ever since. I realise that's likely to be for straight forward cases with no accompanying family members etc. We are at almost 8 weeks since we applied. we already submitted a case specific enquiry to see if there had been any updates but they provide no case specific updates, just a generic response. We sent some extra documents in a few weeks back as we paid the full tuition and thought having the receipt added for that might help. All we can do is wait. It's frustrating because they have sections online for application progress but they don't seem to update that so you never really know what stage you're at. |
Re: 21 weeks study permit processing time!
Hi Teal2019,
I completely empathise with your situation, we are in a similar position, not for a study visa but for a temp work visa, we are a family of 4 and have had our application in since the beginning of April this year. The processing time kept getting pushed back when I applied at first the wait time was 5 weeks, then 7 now 8 weeks, which would be the end of this week. I have no doubt that it won't get processed in the next few days since it doesn't appear to have been looked at for the past 7 weeks. At least I should be able to open a case specific enquiry, which would be something. The waiting seems to be the hardest part as far as I can tell, we have been in limbo for the last few months, not knowing makes planning a head very difficult and not receiving adequate information about where you are in the process, who your application is with, even how many other applications in the pipeline would be useful info. I hope you get your study visa through soon. :) |
Re: 21 weeks study permit processing time!
Originally Posted by luketarplin
(Post 12689891)
Hi Teal2019,
I completely empathise with your situation, we are in a similar position, not for a study visa but for a temp work visa, we are a family of 4 and have had our application in since the beginning of April this year. The processing time kept getting pushed back when I applied at first the wait time was 5 weeks, then 7 now 8 weeks, which would be the end of this week. I have no doubt that it won't get processed in the next few days since it doesn't appear to have been looked at for the past 7 weeks. At least I should be able to open a case specific enquiry, which would be something. The waiting seems to be the hardest part as far as I can tell, we have been in limbo for the last few months, not knowing makes planning a head very difficult and not receiving adequate information about where you are in the process, who your application is with, even how many other applications in the pipeline would be useful info. I hope you get your study visa through soon. :) The inability to plan is really frustrating. We do have flights and an airbnb booked, but that's purely because I just can't abide last minute planing and rushing. There may have been nowhere available and August is peak travel time. I hope you hear something soon and your visa comes through. Take care. |
Re: 21 weeks study permit processing time!
Originally Posted by luketarplin
(Post 12689891)
Hi Teal2019,
I completely empathise with your situation, we are in a similar position, not for a study visa but for a temp work visa, we are a family of 4 and have had our application in since the beginning of April this year. The processing time kept getting pushed back when I applied at first the wait time was 5 weeks, then 7 now 8 weeks, which would be the end of this week. I have no doubt that it won't get processed in the next few days since it doesn't appear to have been looked at for the past 7 weeks. At least I should be able to open a case specific enquiry, which would be something. The waiting seems to be the hardest part as far as I can tell, we have been in limbo for the last few months, not knowing makes planning a head very difficult and not receiving adequate information about where you are in the process, who your application is with, even how many other applications in the pipeline would be useful info. I hope you get your study visa through soon. :) https://britishexpats.com/wiki/TWP_:...o_apply-Canada |
Re: 21 weeks study permit processing time!
Originally Posted by Siouxie
(Post 12689962)
Have you considered applying at the Port of Entry (i.e. at the Airport) when you arrive in Canada? It's much the easiest way... info in the link :)
https://britishexpats.com/wiki/TWP_:...o_apply-Canada |
Re: 21 weeks study permit processing time!
Originally Posted by Siouxie
(Post 12689962)
Have you considered applying at the Port of Entry (i.e. at the Airport) when you arrive in Canada? It's much the easiest way... info in the link :)
Just going to have to play the waiting game and hope it comes through before deadlines. Will be a shame if it does not happen as we were looking forward to a couple of years in Canada. Thanks for help, I've been lurking around alot of threads for while and everyone is super helpful. Great place to get opinions form people who have already been through this experience. |
Re: 21 weeks study permit processing time!
Originally Posted by unstirling
(Post 12690178)
Hi, thanks for the response. Problem is we are also waiting for my partners work visa. If it was just myself then I would just do it at POE but unfortunately we come as a pair plus dog :lol:
HTH, good luck with yours. |
Re: 21 weeks study permit processing time!
Hi Christmasoompa & Siouxie,
Thanks for the pointer, I looked at that originally since it would certainly be quicker, but as I went through a PNP nomination under a strategic recruitment initiative I don't have an LMIA I kind of thought I wouldn't be eligible. Also felt a bit weird the idea of just turning up at a POE and going hey... Here's me and my family I want a work visa.. sure we'll leave once it expires. Seemed like the sort of thing you would want to get sorted up front if I'm honest. Currently I am on week 7 + 2 days out of a stated processing time for 80% of 8 weeks. So I'm hoping either to hear something back by the end of the 8 weeks or be able to submit a case enquiry to get some more info about what is happening. Teal2019 massive apologies for hijacking your thread... my original comment was meant to give an empathetic PoV, but there are so many helpful people on this forum :) Luke |
Re: 21 weeks study permit processing time!
Originally Posted by luketarplin
(Post 12690423)
Hi Christmasoompa & Siouxie,
Thanks for the pointer, I looked at that originally since it would certainly be quicker, but as I went through a PNP nomination under a strategic recruitment initiative I don't have an LMIA I kind of thought I wouldn't be eligible. Also felt a bit weird the idea of just turning up at a POE and going hey... Here's me and my family I want a work visa.. sure we'll leave once it expires. Seemed like the sort of thing you would want to get sorted up front if I'm honest. Currently I am on week 7 + 2 days out of a stated processing time for 80% of 8 weeks. So I'm hoping either to hear something back by the end of the 8 weeks or be able to submit a case enquiry to get some more info about what is happening. Teal2019 massive apologies for hijacking your thread... my original comment was meant to give an empathetic PoV, but there are so many helpful people on this forum :) Luke That's fine you don't need to apologise! I'm glad you were able to get some helpful info and hope that you get your permit soon. We are still waiting and it's been 9 weeks almost at this point. We sent a case specific enquiry last week and have not had a response. When we did get a response a few weeks back. We just got a generic copy and pasted response and the info received was nothing to do with our specific case. It is frustrating when the processing time is still at 1 week for London. We are just waiting in hope 😂 |
Re: 21 weeks study permit processing time!
Hi Teal2019,
Ok so I am still waiting an update on my Temp Work Permit application (currently 9 weeks processing time now), however I did hear back from the case specific enquiry I submitted on 31st May (4 working days response). They mentioned that the application was passed on to the VAC centre in London, which is run by VFS Global. I don't have much hope that they will process it in a timely manner since they are a private company with a shady track record according to trust-pilot and less than impressive customer service. It does however at least let me know where in the world my application is, it's the first time anybody has said to me where the application is, so that's something I guess. Also I have noticed that the processing times on the CIC website haven't been updated since 21st May, I'm starting to think that these processing times are just made up! While I know they are not hard and fast times, they do say that they expect to process 80% of work permits within 8 weeks so that means that I am one of those lucky 20% that is taking longer. We did have some movement on our PR application, which is being processed by an office in Canada and provided our biometrics on Tuesday this week and have an estimated processing time of 4 months remaining. At this rate the PR will be done before the TWP :( The never ending visa saga continues... |
Re: 21 weeks study permit processing time!
Hi Christmasoompa & Siouxie,
I know I was a little dismissive of your advice given on the 28th of May about just turning up at a POE and applying, but I am seriously considering giving this a try now, since it looks like my TWP application in London is likely to take a lot longer than anticipated. I have read the information on the link you sent through about TWP; Where to Apply Canada and would appreciate some clarity on the following points if possible. 1) Can I apply at POE if I don't have an LMIA? I do however have an offer of employment number according to Can I apply for a work permit when I enter Canada? 2) Because I already have an TWP application open at the moment, will this affect the ability to apply at the POE? 3) Will I have to withdraw the current online TWP application if I apply at POE? 4) Are all international airports a POE or only specific ones? Thanks in advance. Luke |
Re: 21 weeks study permit processing time!
Hi Teal2019,
Did you manage to get your study permit at all? I hope you did or have at least heard something by now. For our part we decided not to wait for the work permit through London as mentioned earlier in the thread it was taking ages and didn't feel like we were progressing at all. So we decided to turn up at Toronto Pearson International airport and apply for a work permit at the POE instead. It is a bit more of a risk turning up and asking for a work permit at the POE as they can always refuse entry. We had as much documentation as we could think of including photocopies of all documents and passport photo's etc... After about 2 hours in secondary processing we cleared immigration with a 2 year work permit, my wife also managed to get an open work permit and my two children got visitor visa's for the same amount of time. The CBSA officer didn't ask for a lot of the documents that we had with us and there was some confusion on my part when I mentioned that we had dual intent as we also have a PR application going through at the moment. I thought for a moment that we weren't going to be allowed in as the PR is still in progress, but the CBSA officer was just being explicit that we were dealing with ONLY a work permit at this time NOT a PR landing, which was fine with me since that is why we were there. We arrived after business hours so my contact at the company I will be working for was unavailable and the offer of employment letter that I had was "not in order" as the CBSA officer put it due to the fact that I only had the original one (starting 1st April) at that time not the one with the updated start date. The CBSA office managed to verify details via other channels as she put it, which I can only assume means she contacted the Manitoba Government official who issued the support letter for details. Any way we are here now and hopefully the PR is approved but if not at least we have 2 years working and experiencing life in Canada. Hope this helps somebody. |
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