Can middle-aged people receive Canadian student visas?

Is there an age limit for obtaining a Canadian student visa?

No, there is no age limit for obtaining a student visa in Canada. As a person can study at any age. However, individuals in their 40s or 50s must provide a valid justification for the significant gap in their education.

What kind of justification is required for older individuals applying for a student visa?

Older applicants need to demonstrate career progression during all the gap years and present a compelling reason for resuming their studies after a gap of 10, 20, or even 30 years.

How common is it for middle-aged people to obtain student visas in Canada?

People in their 40s or mid 40s quite rarely try to obtain student visas in Canada, according to experts in India. They mostly get work visas.

Usually, people in their late 20s, early 30s, or mid 30s with a 5 to 10 year gap in their education, obtain student visas. However, most commonly, students with no study gap go to Canada from India.

Who are the typical middle-aged applicants for student visas?

They are mostly onshore applicants who are already staying in Canada — they either have a work visa or a visitor visa — and want to extend their stay by pursuing higher education.

Why might someone already residing in Canada apply for a student visa?

A student visa offers a pathway to continue the applicant’s stay. It can eventually help in getting a post-graduate work permit (PGWP), which enables international students, who have completed programs at designated learning institutes in Canada, to work and gain experience in their respective fields. PGWP is the first step to get permanent residency (PR).

On the other hand, a visitor visa or work visa is only granted for a limited period, and once it expires, the person has to leave the country.

What does the spouse open work permit (SOWP) mentioned in the viral video suggest?

The SOWP visa suggests that the man enrolled either in a Master’s or such Bachelor’s programme in which the spouse visa option remains open. Recently, Canada restricted SOWP for most of the bachelor’s courses. But master’s degree courses are exempted from it. SOWP is only permitted in a handful of the Bachelor programmes.

Are middle-aged Indians getting student visas to other countries?

According to the experts, similar practices have been observed in countries like Australia and various European nations. However, Australia has implemented stricter measures to limit middle-aged people getting student visas.