Advantage of travelling with your family during your studying in Canada

The advantage of travelling with your family is that if your spouse is coming along with you, he or she can apply for an open work permit to find a job in Canada to help alleviate some of your educational expenses while you are studying.

The disadvantage of travelling with your family while you are studying in Canada

You will need to show more money on your bank statement if you are taking your family with you while you are studying. The visa officer will want to know that funds are readily available to pay for your tuition and living expenses for yourself and any additional family member accompanying you. Therefore, if you do not have the money to take your entire family, it is best to leave your family and travel alone.

Realistically, if the money in your sponsor’s bank account is the exact amount that you need for your educational expenses, the visa officer may wonder why this person would save up all their money and give it to you. When your sponsor gives you all the money in their bank account to study in Canada, what will they do if an emergency situation arises and they need some cash? Therefore, it will be more believable if your sponsor’s bank account reflects more than the required amount for your tuition and living expenses.

Likewise, it is best when your sponsor is your parent/s, spouse or a close relative. The reason for this is the visa officer may wonder why someone who is not a close relative would give you their life savings to study in Canada. Additionally, you must provide documentation to show your relation to your sponsor. For instance, if your mom is sponsoring you, you will need to submit your birth certificate so that the visa officer can see that your sponsor is your mom. In the event the relationship with your sponsor is not clearly established, the visa officer may ask himself, is it believable that this person who is a family member, friend or employer would give all this money to you to study in Canada?

When you are ready to submit your study permit application, your sponsor must give you a bank statement showing the amount of money they are sponsoring towards your educational expenses. Your sponsor will also need to provide a signed sponsorship letter that is notarized or stamped by a Justice of the Peace (JP). The purpose of the sponsorship letter is to show a commitment that your sponsor is willing to cover your tuition or living expenses while you are studying. If your sponsor cannot provide you with a bank statement with the required amount of money that they are paying towards your tuition or living expenses, it is unwise and often futile to apply for a study permit as it will be overlooked. Why would the visa officer grant you a study permit when it is not clear as to how you will be paying for the tuition and living expenses? Many applicants state that someone is sponsoring them, but fail to produce a bank statement.

When someone is sponsoring you, the visa officer will thoroughly review your application. The visa officer wants to make sure that funds will be available for the duration of your studies. Advisably, though someone will be sponsoring you, it is best to have savings available in your bank account, especially if you are traveling with your entire family. Please don’t rely on your sponsor for the entirety of your educational expenses. At least try to have some finances of your own, especially if your sponsor is not an immediate relative or extended family member.

The sponsor will need to provide a photocopy of the following documents:
• Bank statement/ 4-month transactional history.
• Passport (front page)
• Sponsorship letter
• A job letter, if employed
• Payslips for the past four (4) months (optional)
• Business registration, if the sponsor has a registered business.

When applying for a Canadian study permit, the best option is when you can pay for your tuition and living expenses without having to rely on a sponsor. The amount of money available in your bank account should cover at least one (1) year of tuition and living expenses as stipulated by The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). However, it is good to show the tuition and living expenses for the entire duration of your studies or show more than the amount stipulated by the IRCC for your first-year tuition and living expenses. When you have more money than what IRCC stipulates, this will better convince the visa officer that you can finance your educational expenses without relying on a sponsor. If you cannot show the funds for the entire duration of your studies, there should be a clear indication as to how you will finance the remaining tuition and living expenses if you’re pursuing a two (2) or three (3) years program-whether it will be from a sponsor or personal savings.

Based on experience, most persons do not have the full amount to show at once, especially those pursuing a two (2) or three (3) years program. However, showing the exact amount of your first-year tuition and living expenses without any clear indications about how you will be able to finance the remaining two (2) or three (3) years of your studies may leave the visa officer with questions and uncertainties about how you will finance the remaining two (2) or three (3) years of your studies, resulting in application denial.

Though you will be working while studying in Canada, this should not be heavily relied on to offset your educational expenses as you are only entitled to work twenty (20) hours per week. Some programs may take up a lot of your time depending on the workload and you might not get to work the full twenty (20) hours per week, thus earning less money. Finally, before considering applying for a study permit, it is paramount that you have sufficient funds available to pay for your studies and living expenses