It’s better to err on the side of providing too much information about your study plans to the Immigration Officer in order to secure your visa.
Angelo was always drawn to the Arts. He finished his undergraduate degree in Humanities and dabbled for many years in various artistic roles. He had some experience working in television, radio, and theatre, but he always wanted to try more. He then ventured into some still photography. His work was so engaging that he started receiving invitations to host talks, present his work, and teach. He travelled extensively all over the world and shared his talent with those eager to see it.
As Angelo’s professional career grew he realized that he wanted to explore other artistic paths. He searched for the right study program to fit his aspirations, and found one in Canada. It was very different from anything he pursued before, yet with his usual enthusiasm he managed to get accepted into the Canadian college.
Angelo applied for a study visa on his own and was refused. Immigration Canada was not satisfied that Angelo was a tue student in light of his previous work experience and his potential work prospects after graduation. Devastated, Angelo applied again with some explanations about why he wanted to attend this Canadian college. Once again, he received a rejection of his visa.
Since Angelo (as many other artists) always worked as a freelancer, he did not have a consistent employment history. His income was also sporadic and varied based on the contracts he would sign. Immigration Canada was not sure that Angelo would have reasons to return back home as he did not have a permanent salaried job.
Angelo came to Legally Canadian with a request to help him with his Motivational letter. Angelo already requested a copy of his ATIP file to understand the reasons for the visa refusals. This ATIP helped us to tailor his Motivational letter about his reasons for coming to study in Canada. We helped Angelo by: a) detailing the purpose of his studies (since his chosen program was very different from his previous career path we helped Angelo to emphasize why he decided to take this new path in his artistic career); b) why he selected this particular institution in Canada and not another one close to his home country, and c) by showing how this education will improve his further career development. Angelo’s motivational letter was more than 10 pages long. We also made recommendations with respect to various supporting documents to strengthen the statements in the motivational letter. As a result, Angelo’s new study permit application answered every previous concern that an immigration officer had about the application in the past.
So what happened?
Angelo is coming to Canada to begin his studies in January. His visa was granted in record time without any further inquiries from Immigration Canada.