Many Nigerian students have fallen into the wrong hands because they wanted to travel to Canada to further their studies.  In this article, we have made a list of the things you will need before applying for your Visa.

Do you dream about studying in Canada but cannot seem to find enough information online to help you get through the process? Then, this article is for you.

SEE ALSO: 10 INTERESTING FACTS I BET YOU NEVER KNEW ABOUT WAEC

1. Educational documents:

• Waec/Neco.
• Degree/HND/Masters certificate as the case may be.
• NYSC certificate.
• Intending school admission letter & invoice and school fees receipt as the case may be.
• Relevant professional certification(s) if applicable.

 2. Identification documents/others:

• Birth cert. and sibling(s) birth Cert.
• International passport and its photocopies of data page only
• Passport photograph
• police report
• previous visa(s) to satisfy travel history if applicable. If you don’t have don’t necessarily worry.

3. All four (4) required Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) Forms:

• IMM1294 form/study permit form; fill on the computer don’t use PEN, validate and sign. If you have been refused visa(s) in any country, you MUST answer YES to it in a section provided for it in this very form. Failure is 5 YEARS BAN.
• Lagos visa office instruction form: Included checklist from page 1-5 (tick documents submitted) and Study Permit Questionnaire page17-18 (fill this very questionnaire with pen).
• Family information form. This is filled online.
• Click here to see the current CIC application fee for both visa & biometrics.4. Financial document/source of income

Financial documents are necessary, and this shows if you will be able to sustain your studies in Canada over the period of your stay.

a. If your sponsor is an entrepreneur, then he/she must provide the following:
– 6 months bank statement of with adequate funds and a reference letter attached to it by the bank (on bank letter head, signed and stamped).
– CAC documents/certificate of registration, tax clearance certificate(s), if the already mentioned is not available, invoices, transaction receipts and rent receipts can play here to prove sources of income.
– Land documents if available.

b. If your sponsor is a staff of any organization i.e. an employee, he/she must provide the following:
Employment letter of sponsor, 6 months’ Pay-slip, work Id and Introductory letter if possible.
ii. 6 months bank statement of with adequate funds and a reference letter attached to it by the bank (bank letter head, signed and stamped).
iii. Any asset of the sponsor e.g Land documents (optional in some cases).

5. Proof of relationship:
You must go with what works for you. What is your relationship with the supposed sponsor.

• Marriage certificate
• Birth certificate/affidavit of age

Also, do not forget to include a detailed sponsorship letter written and signed  by the sponsor and an affidavit of sponsorship which would be taken to and signed in a High court.

6. The Applicant:

The Applicant refers to you. Things to note:

a. For those employed, List of requirements are:

• Employment letter(s)
• 4/6 months’ payslips and if your account statement indicates your monthly salary and allowances, point that to the VO via your SOP if pay slips are not available to you. In some cases, I assume that the VOs point such out on your bank statements and may not bother about payslips.
• Introductory letter.
• Your Personal Bank Statement and a reasonable amount is expected if you are a mature applicant and having worked longer years. I do advice above N1m or surplus if you are opportune. Pension statements and insurance if available.
• If you are unemployed for more than 1 year and for many years but have tangible productive activity and which may have connection to your intended program and background, you should endeavour to explicitly explain this on your LOE/SOP and provide evidence by means of documents available.

b. For serving Corp Members (NYSC):

• Call-up letter.
• Nysc ID card.
• PPA letter.
• Discharge certificate if you are done serving.
• NYSC statement of account if possible. Make sure you explain to the VO that you are serving your father-land(Nigeria) and it is mandatory for every graduate in Nigeria.
• Other things to note:

• For mature applicants of at least 28 years old and are employed, home ties may be of employment/assets/family/stock and bond etc.
• Mature Single applicants that are employed; at least land documents to serve as home tie which the VO assumes would compel you to come back when you can’t legally stay in Canada. stock & bond which worth reasonable value may play if any.
• Married men/women; your wife/husband and kid(s) are already strong home tie(s). Documents of your land or car particulars if available is only to strengthen the financial/economic ties.

Finally, you need to pay attention to your Statement of Purpose (SOP).

What is a Statement of Purpose?

A statement of purpose (SOP), in the context of applying for graduate school, is an essay that’s one of the most important aspects of your application because it tells the admission committee who you are, why you’re applying, why you’re a good candidate, and what you want to do in the future.

Many people do not put in effort in crafting their SOPs. You can easily be rejected for simple mistakes as plagiarism, grammatical errors etc.

It is important to note however that overall success of your application completely depends on the embassy and that is why it is unwise to PAY agents to help you in securing a Visa.

Are you or any of friend interested in studying abroad? Share this for them to learn.