iamuchenna:


Congrats. What did you use to prove home tie for the sowp

Thanks. See previous post.

HonWise:



Congratulations

Kindly help with the list of documents submitted to help other prospective applicants.

All the best in your new home

Thank you.

See detailed list of documents below.

List of Applicant's Supporting Documents

Pictures
• 1 Court marriage
• 1 Traditional marriage
• 1 Church Weeding
• 1 Pregnancy photoshoot
• 1 Dedication photoshoot
• 1 of dad with daughter
• 1 Canada departure picture
• 1 Family picture
• Business assets picture

Professional Profile Documents
• BSc certificate
• All other certifications
• NYSC certificate
• Employment and Promotion letters
• CAC registration certificate
• NSITF certificate
• DPR license
• Tax clearance certificate

Home Ties
• Affidavit of Consent temporarily transfering company managment to brother
• Land documents (power of attorney and survey plan)
• Gift deed and valuation

Financial capacity
• Bank statements and reference letter

Personal
• International passport
• Driver’s license
• Birth certificate
• IMM forms
• Letter of Intent
• Upfront medical assessment slip

Spouse Supporting Documents
• International passport data page
• Marriage certificate
• Birth certificate
• Change of name documents
• Study permit
• Enrollment letter
• Proof of funding letter
• Nigerian and Canadian Statement and Reference letter
• One-bedroom apartment rental agreement in Canada

Daughter’s documents
• International passport data page
• Canada immigration document
• Birth certificate
• Proof of daycare enrollment and payments

Hi All,

I've been silently following this thread. I benefitted from the study permit thread and also got a lot of information here that helped me in packaging my husband's SOWP application.

This post is to encourage someone out there.

Submitted: December 3, 2019
Route: Paper with upfront medicals
Background check: December 8, 2019. The day application was linked online
Eligibility review: About a week later
Medicals update and BVL: January 8, 2020
Approval: February 12, 2020.

Thanks to you all for the rich information you share on this platform. Tons of thanks to @girllikeme.

I'm available next week for any question. Shoot me an email and I will respond as soon as I can.

Goodluck to all hopefuls

Good evening all. Please is there anyone starting school at McMaster University this September or anybody already studying there?

Hello all. Please is there anyone living in Hamilton who will be available to help me view a house this Thursday or Saturday? Thank you in advance for your kind assistance.

joo2018:
Waves hand.

Unless it is personal, you can ask the question here.

Thank you for responding. I'm very happy to meet you. I just sent you a pm.

Hi all. Is there anyone living in Hamilton, Ontario here? Please I would like to connect with you.

Josade69:
Congratulations, the joy that comes with getting admitted to McMaster is huge especially because of the competition involved. PS: I'm also a prospective student in your faculty, still waiting on my visa.

Hi Josade. Please let me know when you get your study permit approval. I would like to connect with you since we will be studying in the same faculty. Praying for a speedy and positive outcome.

yacha77:
I know its hard but if u get delayed also indicate so the gurus can help...

All approvals, kindly confirm it was handled in Nairobi.

Yea, Nairobi still processing study permit applications

Higihaga:
Hello , I greet everyone in the house
Please I need your urgent advise on this

I booked medical appointment with IOM during the middle of last month July, they gave me appointment date on August 5th which is this coming Monday
I just booked the appointment in the hope that CIC would have send me Medical Request as it can faster my application because class start on the 3rd of September
My application is 8 Weeks old now and I haven't received any message from CIC
I don't want to miss this appointment on Monday and I don't know what I can do about it
Should I go there and do upfront ??
If I have to do the upfront medical, what are the stuff should i bring along when going for the upfront medical ??
Moreso, Is it advisable to do upfront as there is no enough time again ?? Or I should wait till CIC request for the medical .
Also if I do the upfront medical, how would they send results to CIC on behalf of my application
Please I'm confused , I need your advice and opinion on this , kindly assist please


PS: I don't have know my application number,but only UCI number I know because my application is reapplication paper route.

Go ahead and do your medicals. I did mine a month after submission because I didn't have much time left. I think it facilitated the decision on my application. Go with your Intl passport data page and you can log onto your GCkey account to get your application information. IOM called me the following day to inform me that my result has been sent, so I didn't bother sending the medical slip to CIC, even when I emailed them to update my profile in the 7th week of my application.

Josade69:
Congratulations, the joy that comes with getting admitted to McMaster is huge especially because of the competition involved. PS: I'm also a prospective student in your faculty, still waiting on my visa.

Wow, that's good to know. I wish you success in your visa application.

MY TESTIMONY

First Time Applicant
Type: Paper
Date submitted: June 6, 2019
Linked online: June 9, 2019
Background check start date: June 9, 2019 ( noticed it had started when I linked my application online)
Background check end date: June 6, 2019 (surprisingly that was what was stated in the final update on my profile when it was approved)
Eligibility review start date: Between July 29, 2019 and August 1, 2019 (not sure when it started because I didn't check my profile that period until August 1st when I checked and noticed it had started)
Eligibility review end date: August 1, 2019
Upfront medicals: July 8, 2019 (done about a month after submission)
Medicals updated to passed: August 1, 2019
Approval update: August 2, 2019.

My Background
Bachelors: Microbiology 2009
Masters: Public Health 2013
Intended program: PhD Health Research Methodology (Fully funded)
School: McMaster University

Documents submitted

Personal
-All CIC forms
-4-paged SOP
-My Intl passport data page
-Travel stamps and visas to 6 countries
-BSc certificate
-Masters certificate
-NYSC certificate
-Marriage certificate
-Birth certificate
-Change of name documents
-Front pages of 7 publications (4 journal articles and 3 conference abstracts)
-CAC documents of NGO I cofounded
-Pictures of NGO activities from facebook and other sites
-French A2 level certificate
-Awards and professional certificatons
-Employment letters from a previous job
-Recommendations from past and future research collaborators
-Email exchange between me and a renowned indigenous research institute for possible research collaboration during my PhD
-Email exchange between me and my potential supervisor
-Email evidence of daycare spot secured for my daughter
-Email evidence from Lagos CIC indicating that my daughter does not require a visa

Sponsors
-Parents Intl passport data page
-Parents joint account statement
-Marriage certificate
-Birth certificate
-Affidavit of support
-Letter of support
-Pension documents
-Company documents
-One family picture
-Certificate of Ownership of 4 lands

Family
-Spouse Intl passport data page
-Daughter's Intl passport data page
-Birth certificates
-2 family pictures
Company document
-Survey plan and power of attorney of 2 lands co-owned with my husband
-Letter of support from my husband for my daughter's upkeep and visa application expenses
-Affidavit of consent to travel with my daughter


Uniqueness of My Profile
-Haven't worked for about 18 months. Only been doing volunteer academic manuscript writing and related research work.
-No money in my account because I hadnt earned in a while only been spending. But my parents and husband had to make lump sum transfers of 3m and 2m respectively, so I had 5m in my account which I explained in my SOP)
-Travelling with a toddler who's a US citizen ( I was initially confused about how to include her in my application)

Now My Story
I made the decision to go back to school last year September while on maternity break. Then I had only 6 weeks to the admission application deadline. I had not gotten a supervisor yet. So, night after night (because I'm nocturnal), I went through hundreds of profiles of potential supervisors until I came across an exceptional one whose interests aligned with mine. I dug deep into his profile and research history to learn more about him. Then, I wrote a well-written, succinct email to him. In my mind, if this man replies me within two weeks then I must apply. I sent the email at 8:30am (Canadian time) so that it will be one of the first emails he reads when he logs in. He replied in less than 2 hours that he would be happy to supervise me. Then the application process began.

My program required IELTS so I had to write it but that was done after the application deadline. I was lucky to get an extension for that. I submitted the application an hour to the deadline while caring for my sick child in the hospital. I was so stressed that period so I couldn't package the application well enough, as a result, I almost didn't want to submit. The program is competitve and I also needed funding. Then I remembered that my potential supervisor would be expecting my application, so I went ahead to submit it like that. It was the only school and program I applied to so that meant all my eggs were in one basket.

Having started 2019 with a serious challenge, I got the happiest news of the year in March that my application was successful. It took me about 2 months to gather the requisite supporting documents for my application. When I got confused about how to package my application, I resorted to this Nairaland platform which had helped me in the past. I met two amazing persons here who assisted me through it all. Shout out to the Jays - @justmellow and @juleskiki. These people were very instrumental to the success of my application. They were my support system throughout the 8weeks of silence from CIC. I'm sorry for all the rants guys. Massive gratitude to you. I owe you @juleskiki a lot in addition to a good pot of soup in Ontario, just name the soup and it will be done. @Justmellow, I no wan give you an open cheque before you go name the kind things wey dem dey use bury Benin monarchs. But any which way we go still settle.

In all, my application took 8 weeks during which there was no update until the day that marked the 8th week. It was a very trying period for me. Sometimes, I had doubts about it scaling through, however, I learnt a lesson of patience. Prayers, prayers, prayers, need I say more? I even embarked on a spiritual program (July 6th - 31st) not just for this but to get to know God more. At the end of it all, I have become a better person.

All glory to God, honour to my Mother Mary!

Come and join me sing Alleluia,
Jehovah Jireh has done me well (2ce)

O Mama carry us dey go (2ce)
Wherever better dey carry us dey go(2ce)

Approval Alert

Stay tuned for details.

MsJu:
Approval Alart........
See what HE has done for me!!!!!

Matured applicant
College diploma
Change of career
Family application

Indeed there's a God that hears and answers prayers.

Big congratulations Ms Ju. I'm so happy for you.

Ayodeji786:


Relax dude, we are there together. Mine will be 5wks also this Thursday.

Someone needs to wake the VO sleeping on June paper applications o. Mine will be 6 weeks on Thursday but still on background check. I pray it ends in praise for us.

k997bomb:
Hello is there any paper applicant from June 11 upwards.. any updates?

It appears there is a delay with June paper applications. I applied on June 6th and have been on background check since then. Let's keep the hope alive.

JustMellow:


Gbam! Big big congratulations. Your limit pass sky. @4evaco You're next.

Amen!!! Thanks Justmellow

Juleskiki:
Wow, Approval oooo... God is Good..
I am preparing my full time line and testimony... will be right back guys...

Congratulations dear. I'm so happy for you.

Hello house, good evening. Please I would like to know if any June paper route applicant has received any update on their applications. Thank you.

hiambenson:
I reapplied on June 21st with upfront medicals and my medical has just been updated to pass on my CIC account regardless of the fact that I didn't get any email notification from them. Eligibility review and background check are both running concurrently.

God willing, it will end in praise!

Amen to your prayer. Did you apply via Online or Paper route?

Schonebaby:
Good morning my lovely people!
My husband and daughter just got approved.
God has done it again hmmmm....

Huge congratulations dear. I'm very happy for you and your family. Maple land all the way...

Good morning house. Please is there any Lambton College Ontario student, prospective student or applicant here?

Urgent Help Needed Please

4evaco:
Hi all, good evening. I intend to apply together with my toddler who is a US citizen. Please does anyone know how I can add her to my application? I don google tire abeg I need your help. Thank you.
.

Hi all. I have still not been able to get a clear direction on how to go about this issue. I have contacted Lagos CIC and I was told my daughter doesn't need a visa. I sent another email asking them if she needs to do medicals since she has been in Nigeria for more than 6 months but no reply till now.

My cousin who lives in Canada helped me contact CIC there and was also told that my daughter doesn't need a visa, however, she will need ETA -electronic travel authorisation because she will be staying longer than 6 months which is the maximum duration an American can stay in Canada without a visa except he/she applies for extension. The CIC customer service agent sent one IRCC link about ETA for more details. I have gone through the link but when I entered my daughter's information, I got the feedback that she doesn't need ETA as a US citizen. As it stands now, I am confused. So, I am desperately seeking guidance from anyone who has had a similar case as I intend to submit my application this week. Thank you.

Juleskiki:

@4evaco, I just noticed we have a similar profile, sent you a PM.

Wow, great! Happy to know that.

Juleskiki:

If it is an online application, when answering the questionnaire indicate you will also be applying for your toddler. It will automatically generate an application form (TRV if < 5 or study permit if >5) for him/her.

Hi, I am not sure I'm going about this the right way. Which questionnaire are you referring to? The reason I'm asking is because after filling relevant information in the questionnaire I saw when I logged into my account, I got the feedback that my family member does not require a visa.

sillysassysally:
Oh i must have skipped it. Please send to my email.

Thanks a lot. I just sent you a pm.

Juleskiki:

If it is an online application, when answering the questionnaire indicate you will also be applying for your toddler. It will automatically generate an application form (TRV if < 5 or study permit if >5) for him/her.

Thanks a lot.

sillysassysally:
Hi,

Unfortunately, i may not be the best person to ask this question as i am not well enlightened on how best to add a toddler to one's study permit application. I would refer you to @ Ify85 on this one.

Thanks Sally for your reply.

I actually tagged you as a gentle reminder about the message i sent to you earlier, where I asked for your help to skim through my SOP to see if I'm on the right track. Thanks.

Hi all, good evening. I intend to apply together with my toddler who is a US citizen. Please does anyone know how I can add her to my application? I don google tire abeg I need your help. Thank you.

@frankrobben please I sent you a pm @sillysassysally please I'm still awaiting your reply to my request. Thank you.

sillysassysally:
Nairaland Fam!
Thank you all for the congratulatory messages
The past couple of weeks has been an emotional rollercoaster! But knowing that we were all on a similar journey - each one at a different stage - was some sort of comfort.

My Timeline
Applied with upfront medicals – April 14th
Medical Request – May 6th (I was surprised when I got this medical request because I did upfront medicals, so I was wondering why they were still telling me to do medicals). I sent a web form with my e-medical slip attached and I also sent emails to Lagos, London, and Kenya. On May 7th (the day after receiving medical request), I went to the hospital to see the doctor who attended to me and doctor told me that he sent IRCC a message to link my upfront medical ID to my medical request ID.
Medicals passed – May 8th
Correspondence letter and Passport request – May 9th
Overall, my study permit took less than a month to be approved! Specifically, it took 25 days!

Things I believe that worked in my favour
1. The Grace of God that covered all my errors and colored all my efforts.
2. My resumption date (June 17th). I sort of feel that they give priority to people with nearer resumption dates. If you look at the timeline we have, you’d all notice that people resuming closer tend to get their decisions quickly – this does not mean that you should intentionally delay your application. At the end of the day, no one really knows the minds of these VO’s.
3. I have a strong international travel history (USA, UK, Brazil, South Africa, etc)
4. I made my submissions as organized as possible. Infact, I did a table of content for each pdf I merged so that whoever was working on my application would easily understand it.
5. I explained all lump sums with proof… (Sometimes, I see people saying things like “they’ll increase the money in their account from 5 million to 10 million” and I feel this raises eyebrows as it would question whether those funds are really available to the applicant.
6. I wrote a banging SOP… details below
7. I was truthful in my application. I have like 5 half-siblings (one living in the US and one living in the UK). I mentioned all of them in my family information form even though I was scared that it could potentially weaken my home ties.

Things I believe were the weak points of my application and how I addressed them
1. This was what I perceived to be the main weakness of my application. I was using student loans as proof of funds for my tuition. Mind you, these loans were from a reputable and internationally recognized company called Prodigy Finance. I addressed this perceived weakness by using a sponsor who was financially capable of paying off all my loans (even though most of her asset were illiquid (land and truck). Also, I believe I was able to show a strong academic and professional track record that indicated that I was financially capable of personally paying off the loans on an installment basis.
2. The name of my sponsor across all her documents was not consistent because she is a divorcee. I addressed this by submitting an affidavit of change of name with a newspaper publication

My advice to prospective PO’s
The truth is that you have to do the hard work yourself... Even though you can easily get guidance here, you still have a lot of homework to do yourself... Understand your profile – its weakness and its strengths and address them.

Documents I submitted
CAQ (Mandatory for students schooling in Quebec)
CIC Forms
Digital Photo
My passport showing all previous visas and stamps
Proof of upfront medical exam
Evidence of work requirement in study (my program comes with co-op)
Letter of Acceptance (Unconditional – though I sent the conditional one via a web form. I also begged them to process my application speedily considering my close resumption. However, my web form was never acknowledged). The other documents I merged with my Letter of Acceptance includes; acceptance deposit receipt, academic qualification documents (such as my certificate, transcript, WAEC certificate and TOEFL results), professional qualification documents (such as my CFA level 1 badge, letter of introduction from current employer, my bio page on my company’s website, work ID, and letters of employment from internships I had done in the past), then other documents (such as my NYSC certificate and my birth certificate).
Proof of financial support – Prodigy Finance loan of about CAD 36k (30K for school fees and 6k for living expenses), Paid acceptance deposit of CAD 5K, Scholarship of CAD 8.5K, Dorm account statement with living expenses of CAD 11K… These were the funds that were budgeted for my studies. Apart from the aforementioned, I had about NGN 1m in stocks, NGN 100k naira in T-bills, NGN 250k in RSA, and NGN 70K in my salary account – all of which I showed. In addition, my sponsor (who was my mother) also had NGN 1.9m in her account, NGN 5m in T-bills and NGN 4 m in RSA. I also showed my sponsors illiquid assets such as landed property with valuation worth NGN 40m and sponsors business asset ownership (trucks) worth NGN 20m. The essence of all of these other funds and documents was just to show that my sponsor could actually pay off my loan. Someone (an Indian) told me that if I was using loans as proof of funds, it was important to use a sponsor whose financial situation showed that they could handle the loan.
Finally, under client information, I included the birth certificates of my siblings, as well as the international passport data page of my sponsor (mother). I also included a letter and affidavit of sponsorship, Sponsors business certificate of incorporation and memorandum of association, and sponsors affidavit of change of name with newspaper publication. Finally, my “banging” SOP was in this section.

SOP
Unfortunately, I cannot share my SOP on this forum because I don’t want a case of copy and paste. My SOP also contains personal information… Nonetheless, I can share the structure.
- I started out with an Intro about myself, as well as my academic and professional trajectory.
- Then I moved to another paragraph I called “my purpose” where I spoke about my motivation for the course I wanted to do
- Then I moved to another paragraph I called “Why I chose McGill University” where I spoke about why I decided to opt for Mcgill as opposed to other options in Nigeria and in other countries.
- Then I moved to another paragraph called “Justifying the cost of my program”. This was important for me to do because – as I mentioned earlier, I was using student loans to finance my education and my school fees is freaking expensive (CAD $ 47,500) so it was important for me to “justify” the cost of my studies to the VO.
- Then I moved to another paragraph called “Family & Economic ties to Nigeria” where I spoke about my home ties being all my family in Nigeria. I also explained things that would make me return to my home country such as the amazing career I had started in Nigeria (evidenced by all the documents I submitted in my Letter of acceptance). I also spoke about specific things I wanted to use the Msc to achieve in Nigeria.
- Then I moved to another paragraph called “Funds available” where I showed a table of funds I had available.
- Finally, I finished with a section called “My responsibilities as a student” where I explained that I fully understood my responsibilities as an international student in Canada – bounded by the conditions of my student visa and by McGill University. I also wholeheartedly committed to abiding by all the rules and responsibilities that would apply to me as an International student in Canada and at McGill University.
- Then I ended SOP by telling them that their support is very essential to my dreams. I also humbly requested for the issuance of a study permit that was effective on or before the 1st of June 2019, as I wanted to travel to Canada by the 10th of June 2019 to acclimatize and get ready for my schools’ orientation on the 17th of June.

I have gotten so many emails today alone and I’m afraid that I may not be able to reply all in due time, but I would encourage us to share the questions here. There are so many amazing people on this forum that are committed to helping people! Special shout out to all the people doing this! Cc JustMellow, Bracha, etc. I can’t mention you all, but it gives me great joy when I see how selfless you all are to helping out willingly! Only God can reward you all!
On this note, I want to especially thank Frankrobbn1 - this guy is so amazing! He was so interested and committed to helping me that I started to think he was working for IRCC as a spy… I want to also specially thank AAO7 – amazing person! First time I sent her an email, we moved to WhatsApp and chatted all through the night to about 1 am. It was nice having someone to gist with and to both share all the frustrations we faced with the entire process.

Finally, I want to say a word of prayer to all TRV hopefuls…
Dear God,
You are in control of every situation of our lives and you know every one of our needs, as well as the dear desires of our heart.
I pray that in your grace, mercy, favour, and love, you would allow the application of the hopefuls of this thread to be approved quickly and without delay.
Thank You because you are a God who hears and answers the prayers of your children when we come to You with open hands and a humble heart.
I pray in Jesus name, Amen.

IT SHALL END IN PRAISE!

Wow! This is very impressive Sally. The express study permit is well-deserved. I'm now more motivated to package an exceptional application like yours. Thanks for all the tips and prayer.

Please would you have chance to help me take a look at my SOP? I understand you will be busy with your travel preparations, but please even if it is to quickly scan through it to see if I'm on track, I will sincerely appreciate. Thank you.

sillysassysally:
PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Congratulations Sally! Been looking forward to this great news.

Oluwaseunbd:
Approval alert !!!
Update later....

Thank you nairaland family for the advice and words of encouragement

Big congratulations!