“Can you apply for a study visa in Canada after a gap of 10 years? »
Yes you can. It doesn’t matter if you apply for a Canadian study visa after 7 years, 10 years or even 25 years. However, most universities allow a study break of two years for undergraduate courses and five years for postgraduate courses.
This does not mean that applicants with long educational gaps are not qualified. Many people pursue higher education later in life due to exceptional circumstances.
These individuals may be interested in studying at colleges and universities in Canada as part of a study permit. The Canada Student Visa allows students to enter and study at one of the country’s prestigious educational institutions.
Let’s explore the challenges of applying for a Canadian student visa after a gap of 5 to 25 years and find possible solutions.
Is a Canadian student visa rejected due to academic gap?
IRCC aims to attract the brightest international candidates to study in Canada’s educational institutions. For this reason, it tends to be extremely strict about approving study permits and student visas that do not meet its criteria.
It is estimated that Canadian immigration officials reject 30% of the study permit applications they receive each year.
Some of these refusals may be due to the lack of funds or the failure to convince a visa officer that he will leave Canada after completing his studies. Canadian visa officers may also reject applicants due to a study gap.
For example, someone applying for a Study visa in Canada after a 10-year gap will be at significantly higher risk of rejection than an applicant who completed high school in the same year.
Learn more: Reasons for rejection of Canadian student visa
An individual may have a gap in their education for a legitimate reason. It is essential to note these reasons because they can be used to convince a Canadian visa officer to approve a study visa or application for a study permit. Some of these legitimate reasons include:
1. Medical reasons (health problems and treatments)
Many people interrupt their studies to resolve significant medical issues they are facing. For example, someone diagnosed with cancer may need to postpone their education for several years until they have completed treatment.
These individuals may not be able to travel abroad due to their health conditions and the fact that treatment is more affordable in their home country.
Medical problems tend to be unavoidable and are therefore considered a legitimate reason to discontinue studies. Once their health returns to normal and they are fit to live abroad, these individuals can apply for a study permit or study visa.
2. Family responsibilities
Some may also interrupt their studies for family reasons. It is not uncommon for people to be forced to put their education on hold to care for aging family members. This may be a common reason in cultures where nursing homes are rare.
3. Relationship problems
Other family reasons include marriage breakdowns and the Legal issue they train. Some family reasons may not be considered important enough to be considered legitimate reasons to interrupt your studies. You will therefore need to specify in your application exactly how the event disrupted your studies.
4. Preparation for language exams/tests
Some people may dream of pursuing higher education in Canada but might not achieve it due to external tests. For example, you might have been interested in applying for a study permit in the past, but you performed poorly on your English proficiency exam.
IRCC generally requires applicants to have a minimum score of 6.0 on their IELTS to apply for a Canadian study permit for an undergraduate or diploma program. Applicants who scored below this requirement may have chosen to submit their application later, once they have improved their language proficiency score.
In other cases, applicants may have delayed their student visa application to take other educational tests. For example, they may have chosen to write their SAT, LSATOr MDCAT after completing their secondary education.
Such tests require several months or even years to prepare. For these reasons, external testing can be considered a legitimate reason for interrupting studies.
5. Poor financial conditions
One of the most common reasons for discontinuing studies is poor financial circumstances. Many people dream of pursuing higher education in Canada, but may not have the funds to start and complete a degree program.
It is not uncommon for tuition fees for educational programs at Canadian universities to exceed $30,000 CAD per year. Prospective international students must demonstrate on their study permit application that they can cover this amount as well as their living expenses. Those who fail to demonstrate that they have sufficient funds will likely be rejected.
For this reason, many prospective international students choose to work in their home country after completing high school. They then pursue higher education in Canada after saving enough money several years later.
6. Career Development (Job Certifications/Courses)
Some students may postpone studying abroad until they gain work experience. This reason is valid because many graduate programs in Canada require students to have certain work experience to qualify for the program.
What is the length of study accepted in Canada after 12th grade?
You may be wondering if a break from studies is acceptable in Canada after grade 12 of high school. This gap is considered quite long. However, it may be acceptable if there is a legitimate reason for it. It is essential to ensure that the reasons for the educational gap are real and valid, as Canadian universities may require documentation to justify this.
Justify a study interruption on a Canadian student visa application
There are many ways to fill an education gap when applying for a Canada student visa or study permit. This includes:
Potential applications for study permits must ensure that they choose the right field of study for their studies in Canada. For example, if you mainly studied science in high school, it is better to pursue science-related studies in Canada.
It is essential to ensure that your next field of study matches your previous one, as it demonstrates that you intend to continue building on your current educational path. Applicants who pursue a new field of study without prior education or corresponding work history are likely to be rejected.
The most important method of filling an educational gap is to indicate the reason for the gap in the cover letter accompanying your application.
This cover letter is essentially a letter of explanation that describes your educational and professional background. It must also include your reason for coming to Canada and a statement that you intend to leave after completing your studies. You can also use this cover letter to explain your study break.
For example, you can indicate what you studied in high school and that you were unable to pursue higher education in Canada because you did not have enough funds. You can then discuss where you worked and how you managed to accumulate enough savings to finally attend a Canadian college or university.
There is no guarantee that your student visa application will be approved if you have a long gap in study. As mentioned previously, IRCC can be incredibly strict on approving applications from prospective international students.
Visa officers will look for any potential red flags that indicate you are not telling the truth about your intention to study in Canada and that you might be using the study permit to enter and stay there. You can try to present a good case for yourself by including a detailed account of your history and why you came to Canada.
For this reason, the cover letter is considered one of the most essential parts of your application. Our unique guide will help you create the perfect cover letter.
A perfect cover letter for a Canada student visa application
What should I do before applying with a study interruption?
Answer: Before applying, make sure of the following:
- Research: Check the specific requirements of the colleges or universities you are interested in.
- Documentation: Gather relevant documents (such as work experience certificates, exam results and gap year activities) to support your application.
- Transparency: Be transparent about your gap in your studies and provide a clear explanation.
A number of senior students with long study breaks have requested our assistance with complex Canadian study visa cases. The oldest person who successfully applied for a study permit under our guidance is over 60 years old.
Our team is led by Keshav Sharma (Regulated Canadian immigration consultant). The entire process, including writing a cover letter, choosing the right field of study in Canada, applying for a study permit and your arrival in Canada, will be managed by us. You can contact our experts here to get started with your study visa.
Work with a team of regulated Canadian immigration consultants who understand the ins and outs of the application process and can help you submit a stronger application with a greater chance of being approved.