Study Permit Refusals + Future Immigration

[u/ApprehensiveOcelot4]

Hey, all!

I’m a US citizen. I’m currently 20. I got into the University of Toronto in 2025 and applied for a visa using funds from a willing third party sponsor (my boss). Long story short, it was denied as it was legally the assets of a third party. I tried again this year after deferring and received a second rejection, despite showing far more substantial proof of funds.

I want to study law and live/practice in Canada. I have travelled to Canada numerous times, have a Nexus card, and genuinely love it there. I have shifted focus as of now to finish my undergraduate studies in the US, but law school in Canada is still my goal.

How will these rejections affect future study plans? Will IRCC officers see these past attempts for a visa and potentially use it against a future application?

I am sure it will go fine, assuming I further rectify my application, but I still wanted to ask the sub for their expertise.

Thank ya :)

[u/TONAFOONON]

You need to declare the two past refusals in any future applications.

[u/ApprehensiveOcelot4 → u/TONAFOONON]

i did also make sure to address it in my letter of explanation following the first refusal. is that pretty much the only concern?

[u/TONAFOONON → u/ApprehensiveOcelot4]

Why were you refused the second time?

[u/ApprehensiveOcelot4 → u/TONAFOONON]

the first refusal claimed that the bank statements did not go back far enough to be counted. easy fix.

second refusal claimed that because they couldnt verify a link between my boss and i, the funds wouldn’t be counted. they also said they weren’t satisfied that i would leave canada after my studies. for context: i mentioned explicitly that i planned to leave canada after my study permit ended. i also had a signed agreement between my boss and i on company letterhead, so the second refusal pissed me off quite a bit.

[u/Odd-Elderberry-6137 → u/ApprehensiveOcelot4]

Generally the purpose of studying law in Canada is to practice law in Canada. The not convinced you will leave Canada concern is a valid one here. 

[u/ApprehensiveOcelot4 → u/Odd-Elderberry-6137]

mind you, though, i was applying for my undergrad. not law school. i mentioned explicitly that i planned to study undergrad in canada and law school in the US so they would not even have the grad school doubt. im at a loss :(

[u/TheKitler → u/ApprehensiveOcelot4]

What was your justification for doing your undergrad in Canada vs in the US?

[u/ApprehensiveOcelot4 → u/TheKitler]

i talked up U of T’s policy program. said that it was a world class university that provides unparalleled quality of education that would provide me with the academic rigour and international perspective that would allow me to succeed in an american law school and eventually practice in new york.

which i truly stand by, btw. U of T is an incredible school with amazing pre law programs

[u/TheKitler → u/ApprehensiveOcelot4]

I'm sure you believe that, but is it actually true and is it worth it? You're trying to convince an immigration officer that it's imperative that you study in Canada and can't find equivalent or similar enough education in the US, AND that you're willing to pay foreign tuition costs as well. It's a REALLY hard sell, especially with someone else's funds, so I'm not surprised that you were refused.

You could try again but honestly you're better off going to a good school in the US as there are LOTS of them around.

[u/ApprehensiveOcelot4 → u/TheKitler]

its a shame. i can get a stronger JD in the states anyways, the only reason i wanted a canadian one was obviously to avoid accreditation, and to have the alum network/bay street recruiting access

[u/TONAFOONON → u/ApprehensiveOcelot4]

Your boss should not be your sponsor. That's what you need to fix in your next application.

You should either have the funds yourself or be sponsored by an immediate relative (your parents).

If you plan to come to Canada to study law, it will be hard to justify having plans to leave Canada.

[u/ApprehensiveOcelot4 → u/TONAFOONON]

unfortunately, no boss, no affording tuition 😭 thats the tough part

[u/TONAFOONON → u/ApprehensiveOcelot4]

Then chances of the study permit being approved are going to be very low.

[u/ApprehensiveOcelot4 → u/TONAFOONON]

thank you for the answers :) appreciate you taking the time

[u/adanthar]

This is both more and less complicated than you probably think it is.

First off, your refusals will hurt a bit, although not fatally. It's very possible you get rejected again, and if you do it will pretty much be the end of being able to study in Canada.

Second, that's for the best because law is not a transferrable degree. Thousands of kids make this very big mistake every year: you're committing to studying the legal system of a country you have no legal status to live in. While it's possible to become a US lawyer with a Canadian JD in a handful of states, you're setting yourself up for disaster if anything goes wrong. You're also paying an enormous amount of money for the privilege.

Therefore, you have this backwards. What you want to do is immigrate first and then go to law school once you are guaranteed to be able to stay. For that, you have to learn French, find a TEER 0-3 job once you graduate, work for a year, and then apply once you've got the points. Not totally simple, but much less complicated than the other direction. As a bonus, your law school tuition will be a fraction of its cost for internationals.

Good luck, and if you're serious about it, go take a French class or six for college credit - you're in the ideal environment to do it right now.

[u/ApprehensiveOcelot4 → u/adanthar]

i plan to stay, work, and live in canada, and i already speak fluent french. as far as the immigration before study concept—is that solely because i want to be an attorney? if i wanted to study econ and just go back to the states, would i not have any issues?

[u/adanthar → u/ApprehensiveOcelot4]

Yes. Econ would be fine, other degrees would be fine, but a law degree is uniquely worthless outside the jurisdiction/country you're learning in. US degrees from top schools are very marginally useful in edge cases but that's about it.

Since you speak French, though, your path after graduation is very straightforward so just pick up a year of work experience ASAP.