Starting 2nd program, permit extension and gaps over 150 days.

[Faraz42]

Hello,

I am an international student who started his studies from Summer 2025 (May intake), May 6th to be precise. My program was a 1 year graduate certification with an optional co-op which I enrolled in. Its December now and my studies have ended and I was supposed to start my co-op from January but so far, I haven't been successful in landing any internships. At this rate, it is highly likely that I won't find any co-ops and my institution (Seneca Polytechnic) would give me a graduation letter by first week of January.

I wanted to start my 2nd program (masters degree) from Fall 2025 but because I found no internships, now I have to start my next program from May. I wanted to work part time from till I start my 2nd program in case I couldn't find any internships and so, I have to start my 2nd program from May to be eligible for that. Anyways, I applied to University of Guelph for May and now I am waiting for a decision from them. I got to know that Guelph usually takes a long time to make decisions and so, I might have to wait till March/April for a decision to be made. So now, I've kinda scrapped the idea of working part time through this "break" i have.

The issue now is being able to study from May. If I receive a offer letter in March/April which is highly likely and I apply for study permit extension immediately after that, I don't think my extension would come before my classes start because I've heard that the processing time has increased to 4/5 months. So, does that not mean that I won't be able to study at my university?

Alternatively, let's say I defer my semester to Fall intake, would I be able to stay in Canada till august because the gap between the end of my 1st program and the start of my 2nd program is more than 150 days? Wouldn't I lose the status as a student?

I also thought of a 2nd option. Instead of applying to May intake (2025), I could just start my studies from Fall intake (2025) at any university. Submit my masters application, receive an offer letter, apply for study permit extension, leave Canada and come back before my studies start from Fall 2025. Is this feasible? What would I need upon my re-entry to Canada?

So, that's my whole story till now. I know its a lot to take in lol. If you have any questions or you are confused at something I've mentioned above, please let me know and I'll try to explain it as clearly as possible

 

[Gineshhh]

Hey Faraaz, I think I am about to get myself in similar situation as yours. Did you found the answer to your question?

 

[Faraz42]

Well.. I changed my plans. I've applied to a different university for September intake. Regarding the gap from now till my new program starts, I'll probably leave Canada and come back.

 

[Gineshhh]

I see. Will you be leaving Canada before you get decision for study permit extension?

 

[Faraz42]

Yeah. So i researched into this and I am allowed to leave Canada after applying for my study permit extension as long as I have a valid TRV.
In my opinion, it's not worth it to wait for the decision and then leave Canada because you don't know how long will it take.

 

[Gineshhh]

I see. Have you not considered applying for visitor status? Also, will it not affect the PGWP eligibility after the second course due to 150 days threshold? I tried finding a solid answer but couldn’t get it anywhere.

 

[Faraz42]

I did consider applying for visitor status which is visitor record basically but what am I going to do till August? I cannot work or study because the gap is around 8-9 months so it's better to leave and come back.
Regarding the affect on pgwp, I don't know a lot about this so If you could explain it to me how can it affect then I would be grateful.

 

[Gineshhh]

Apparently, while applying for the study permit, we will have to choose extension option although our study permit will be new with a different DLI number and the name of the institute. IRCC may not be kind to us regardless of our reason being valid for the gap being more than 150 days, it may see that as not complying to initial study permit conditions and violation of it which may lead to problems with PGWP. This might be considered as not meeting CONTINUOUS STUDY REQUIREMENT FOR PGWP. I did try to find the answer for it on the internet but failed. I will shortly contact with a RCIC and try to get the correct answer. I will let you know what they say about it. I advise you to do the same.

 

[Faraz42]

Wait.. how are we violating initial study permit conditions?

Personally, I am looking at my situation in a different way.
They might look at my timeline and notice that the student started his program and completed it. After completing it he stayed until his status was valid as a student. Didn't work or do anything which was not allowed. Applied for an extension and left Canada. Then he came back before his new program started.

I feel like me staying in Canada till August/September might raise some questions. They might think that okay.. what did this student do for the next 6-7 months while he was in Canada? And the fact that I am not allowed to do anything during that time might raise some eyebrows. They might wonder how did the student/applicant pass their time? 6-7 months is a long time.

Do let me know whatever feedback you get from RCIC regarding this.

Thank you.