Everything You Need To Know About Applying To Study In Canada

Applying for higher studies in Canada is a major ambition of many students around the world. Especially in Pakistan. Canada not only provides a wide range of high-quality universities and academic qualifications, it also manages to provide great work and career opportunities for students during and after their degree. This is why Canada has become one of the top destinations on a student’s bucket list. It is the first country students tend to inquire about. Of course, it isn’t easy to get into a Canadian university and then even harder to land a Canadian student visa. Below is everything you need to know about applying in Canada.

How to apply to a Canadian University?

Determine what you’d like to study and where. Look at your interests and your future goals. Do some research on industrial demands globally and within Canada. This can be a confusing process and in many ways it can result in a lot of misunderstandings and mistakes. One way is to create an excel sheet where you organise the universities, their fees, their requirements etc. Another option is to contact a higher education consultant in Pakistan, these professionals can actually help you organise and short list options in the quickest time possible. In many cases these professionals act as an essential guide for international students. These professionals not only assist you but also provide a step by step guide on how to apply to a Canadian university.

Find out about each location. This is something students don’t tend to understand much. When applying to universities the location is a major part of your career development goals. What students tend to do is look at the cost of living and the sights of the area. What they forget about is the economy. How many jobs are available? How many part time jobs? How many full time? These are just a couple of questions you need answered in order to determine whether or not this location will facilitate your ambitions or not.

Eligibility is the key to make sure you meet the requirements of the universities you short list. In Canada each university has its own entrance requirement. There is no set standard in terms of a criteria. Make sure you note all this down. If there are any entrance tests required like GRE or SAT then make sure you prepare and attempt them before the application due dates.

Documentation is also a lengthy process. This is the part where you need to start arranging all the required documents. Everything from your transcripts, test scores, English language requirements and identification documents all need to be arranged on time. These documents need to be certified, the copies need to be scanned and of course you need to make sure every document provides the information required by the university you are applying to.  

Prepare and Submit an Application

This is the part of the process where the clerical work starts. You have to write down all the requirements of each university and really make sure you are being diligent during the entire process. Because one mistake and your entire application is going to be rejected. Remember one thing: you are not the only one applying for this spot. There are probably hundreds of students from all over the world applying to these universities. Therefore your mistake isn’t going to be overlooked in any way. There is a high chance a lot of those students have qualified professionals managing their applications. It is vital you approach this part of the process with care and planning. You will have to note down all the requirements, pay the application fees on time and fill in the forms and submit them as soon as possible. The clerical nature of the process makes it very time consuming, confusing and also tiring. It can be very difficult to tackle this and your existing studies at the same time.  

Once you are done going through the stringent process of applying to a university, you will land in the ultra boring and important part of visa applications. Not only is this part super boring but also complicated. This is the part of your application which requires you to deal with all the legal ramifications of Canada’s immigration regime. 

How to get a Canadian student visa?

First of all you need to obtain a letter of acceptance. The letter has to be issued by a recognised higher education organisation (university). There are plenty of small time colleges which do not come under this umbrella. Students which apply to universities in Quebec need to provide a certificate of acceptance from the regional government of Quebec. You cannot move forward in the process unless or until these letters are issued to you.

Next step is to attain a Canadian student visa package. This is essentially a form you need to fill in before you can submit your application. Filling in the details can take a lot of time and remember if there is any mistake it will jeopardise your visa attempt which from a Pakistani’s point of view will affect your passport history.

The form will have a way of making sure you are eligible to apply for a Canadian student visa.  

For Pakistani students wishing to apply for a Canadian Visa other steps will include biometrics, police checks, and medical examinations as well. 

Throughout the entire process, you need to understand the authorities will try to look for anything which proves you do not plan on coming back to Pakistan. The whole point of a student visa is you are able to prove you want to come back to Pakistan and not stay in Canada permanently. Your financial requirements need to show you are able to pay the fees for the university and provide proof of funds to stay in Canada for the duration you require. 

Canadian student applications can be extremely tricky, a lot of students make mistakes and end up being rejected by the visa authorities. This places quite a lot of burden on them and their travel history. If you want to minimize the risk of this happening then you should consider a higher education consultant.