How I DIY-ed my Canada Student Visa application?

Is it possible to DIY Student Visa application for Canada?

The answer is Y-E-S!

I will lay it all out here, so stay tuned!

Timeline:

Jan 27, 2020 (MON)-          medical exam upfront at Health Systems Nationwide

Jan 30, 2020 (THU)-          submitted my application through the cic.ca website

-       received a confirmation from cic

-       Scheduled an appointment via VFS global in Cebu since Davao does not have any VFS office for Feb 3

Jan 31, 2020 (FRI)- asked by CIC to do biometrics

Feb 1, 2020 (SAT)-  rescheduled my VFS appointment to Feb 5 ( due to airline ticket price)

Feb 5, 2020 (WED)-            flew to Cebu for my 1:30pm appointment. Plane delayed for 3 hours 8:50am flight moved to 11:50am; reached VFS office at 1:23pm

Feb 6. 2020 (THU)- received biometrics confirmation letter (correspondence letter)

Feb 7, 2020 (FRI) -  received a passport request letter

-       Passport submitted

Feb 9, 2020 (SUN)- flew back to DVO

Feb 10,2020 (MON)-           received approval confirmation

Honestly, I never really thought that I would be approved so soon! Unfortunately, I had weak points in my application. One, I do not have a payroll as I am a freelancer and two, I was refused in Singapore a year ago.

I used to work in Singapore for seven long years before I decided to move back in the Philippines in 2018. I stayed for a year vowing to have a break so I did not apply for any jobs back home and spent my time traveling, staying home, keeping fit and I did freelance writing jobs while assisting my family in a very small business. In 2019, I have traveled to Singapore from a family vacation in Seoul. I have stayed in Singapore for about 24 days while I arranged closure of my Singapore bank account and packing those stuff I left. I traveled to Vietnam for a week and reentered Singapore to attend a Singaporean friend’s wedding before I head back home, I was refused.

I considered these points as a serious possible reason for the refusal and I was preparing myself for the worst. But lo and behold, my DIY application process was a success and the approval was a cherry on top!

I think that my approval was due to the fact that I made a lot of effort in the arrangement of the documents, the points I highlighted in my Statement of Purpose and I went beyond the usual “what is needed” to “what should be needed” by the visa officer. I also honestly think that my colourful travel history and the previous visas I had helped in this smooth approval. 

But for the record, it is very important to write the Statement of Purpose in a segmented way. Below is the format of my SOP:

The Introduction
- should comprise more about yourself, your credentials, your goals in the next 5 years or so

The Body
- your program taken, your purpose why you chose that program, your payment pattern, how do you intend to pay your tuition. (Helpful tip: bank account should cover your tuition, mention any grants received, the area of sponsorship, for example, parents are sponsoring your tuition, your aunt for your accommodation, your savings are for the daily expenses, etc.)

The Conclusion
- Plead not Beg. Plead your truth. Plead to the visa officer that their decision is an important step in achieving your goals. State your awareness to the responsibilities of an International student in Canada and Thank them for giving you a chance!

Document preparation:

I have spent a lot of time going back and forth so many blogs, vlogs, articles about the documents to be submitted. Important sections to be considered:

I.              LOA

-       Letter of acceptance

-       Academic diplomas (college, hs)

-       IELTS results

II.            Proof of Funds:

-       land titles (yours, sponsors)

-       bank statements (yours, sponsors)

-       car registrations (Or/Cr)

-       business registration (if any)

-        

III.          Passport and Stamps

IV.          Client Info:

-       Statement of Purpose

-       NBI

-       Medical Exam letter copy

FAQs:

1. Is IELTS necessary?

Fortunately, my school does not require an IELTS. But I did take IELTS anyway because I feel that applying for an Immigrant is a much better choice with Express Entry (EE) than Student Visa. When I received an “ineligible” mark in my EE assessment, I moved on and made the Student Visa entry my option

2. How long did it take for my Visa processing to get approved?

Without weekends, it would be a week!

3. What should I write in the Statement of Purpose?

I stated my current position and the general purpose of my application. I do think that it is necessary to choose a theme , my theme was positivity.

4. Should I declare any refusal of entry or refusal of previous visa application?

Yes, You should. I have been refused entry in Singapore and I declared it in the form. I supplemented this through the Statement of Purpose, whereby, I explained my position and the events that had transpired during my travel reentry.

5. Who should I get to be my sponsor?

Choose wisely. It is so much better to have your immediate family as sponsors.

6. How much do I need to have as proof of funds?

Approximately 1.2M or The larger, the better! Yes, size does matter! :P

Yes! this is it!

Hear ye! Hear ye!

I got a good news to share and I bet it is a pretty good opener after months of being an absentee here.

I’m getting married!!!!

LOL Nope.

My visa has been approved!

That’s it!

I am ecstatic as I have been hesitant for a year whether I’d leave PH or not. And don’t get me started on how I made it possible… it took a lot of effort, time, money and PRAYERS!

I have been reluctant to move to Canada for several reasons--- primary reason being too far from PH, where all my family members are plus not having a relative in Canada at all.

It took me months to finally convince myself that I need to move forward and Canada is a safe choice! I have made the application myself without an agent and how I did it? Well, I will try to write another blog post solely dedicated for that.

I am grateful for the doors that have been closed on my face because it provided me with a forced closure. (lol) I mean, I wouldn’t dare move on if not with a deliberate sign saying, “hey, you’re not welcome here!” So yes, God moves in mysterious ways.

I thank all the people who helped me in achieving this. My parents who backed me up the moment I decided it’s a go. My sis and her fam, for the support and a number of friends who extended their time, effort, money and prayers to me!

I’m not getting married and maybe it will take a loooong time for me to say that! But who knows?

BUT for now,

See you soon, Vancouver! 

Familiar Melancholy

She is that one pole always standing up.
Bright but Alone.

Amongst her friends, she has always been constant at being single. Always solo. A Table for one. 

To most, she is a strong woman. A woman who is secure in herself. To some, she is weird. She has ideas wrapped with silk cloth, ideas with spikes coming through the delicate stillness of silk. To others, she's nonchalant. She has too high standards, some even unrealistic.

But who is she really? She also asked herself. 

Why does it end even before it begins?

She is a woman of irony. Firm but subjective. Strong but weak. Loving yet unexpressive.

Her prayers included someone since she's sixteen. She wants someone to be the definition of love to her. "Is that so hard to procure?", she muttered.

Sometimes, she's dense. Most of the time, she's unassuming. She learned the hard way that expectations lead to greater disappointments. She looks composed yet her heart is fragile. She's waiting to give it to someone who takes care of it and deserves it.

She just wants to be a woman just like everybody else. A good friend. An ultimate cheerleader. A partner in life in all aspects.

Time has passed and she grew anxious. 

Pursuits don't mean anything if she doesn't have someone to share it with. She asked God why it takes a long time and she waits for the answer like a tree waiting for the rain.

Perhaps, her love story is either too simple. One step one day, changes the rest of the story. Or perhaps a complicated one that involves a mystery and thrilling plot, and in the end, boils down to the character she met at the beginning of the story.

She wears a smile, a band aid in her heart. Will she be a pole forever drenched with the same old melancholy?

how to get a band score 6 and up without a review center

HOW TO GET A BAND 6 and UP IN IELTS WITHOUT HAVING TO ENROL IN A REVIEW CENTER?

What is IELTS?

According to this site:

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) measures the language proficiency of people who want to study or work where English is used as a language of communication. It uses a nine-band scale to clearly identify levels of proficiency, from non-user (band score 1) through to expert (band score 9).

TEST FORMAT

There are two types of IELTS. Academic or General Training.

Listening and Speaking are the same for both tests, but for Reading and Writing sections, the subject matter is different depending on which test you take.

The total test time is 2 hours and 45 minutes.

The details description of the test format is found here.

I did a GENERAL TRAINING IELTS exam. I registered for IELTS via IDP online.

STEP 1: You have to register in this site.

Please note you need to upload a valid ID (e.g. passport, driver’s licence, UMID)

Same ID will be presented when taking the exam.

STEP 2: Book for your exam in the desired venue.

Fees (as of Nov 2019), subject to change, please check on this site.

Test Format	Test Fee
Standard IELTS Test (Academic or General Training Module)	PHP 10,680
Computer-Delivered Standard IELTS Test (Academic or General Training Module)	PHP 10,680
IELTS for UKVI (Academic or General Training Module)	PHP 13,885
Computer-Delivered IELTS for UKVI (Academic Only)	PHP 13,885
IELTS Life Skills (A1/B1)	PHP 10,415

STEP 3: PAYMENT

You can pay through Paypal or over the counter payment centers.

I paid mine through Paypal linked to a credit card.

It is much more convenient.

STEP 4: CONFIRMATION OF PAYMENT

You will receive a payment confirmation through the email you have registered.

The email is like this:

Actual email received

STEP 5: TEST DATES WILL BE SENT THROUGH EMAIL

I received the email on Oct 19^th, 2019. My test was schedule on Oct 26^th, 2019.

Actual email received

My SPEAKING TEST was scheduled a day earlier than the rest of the exams. It was held in SEDA Hotel in Davao City. The rest of the exams, I did it in a designated hotel, the RITZ hotel.

I chose paper-based exam as there is no Computer-based exam availbale for Davao city.

HOW I GOT A 7.5 BAND SCORE?

The main reason why I did not enroll in a review center is because I did not want to spend more money on my IELTS. Review centers usually costs Php 6,000- 9,000.

Honestly, I did have plenty of time to review but I was procrastinating as I was busy with other things. I ended willing myself to REVIEW seriously for a week—that week just before the exam! I started on a Saturday and ended on a Thursday. Friday was the speaking exam. In between, I was busy doing errands and making paper projects.

If you search online, there are variety of websites that offer practice tests.

I found the following websites so helpful for my SELF REVIEW:

1)    IELTS ONLINE

I like this website a lot. It’s very interactive and neat!

This website offers practice tests with time limits. You can select the test type (Academic or GT) and choose which volume to try (volume 1-6)

I finished MASTER IELTS GENERAL TRAINING from volume 1 to 6. My study pattern involved assessing which among the 4 exams I do feel like I am bad at. I chose Listening.

I did Listening first, volume 1-6, Reading volume 1-6, Writing and Speaking.

The more familiar you are with the type of test, the more manageable it becomes towards the end of the volumes. Be sure to follow the time limit and think of the practice exam as the actual one!

For Speaking, I did set a time limit and recorded a video of me answering the questions, that way, I would feel like there’s actually an interviewer. It’s a good way to train yourself not to have long pauses too! I did volume 4 to 6 only.

2)    IELTS- EXAM

I practiced the Writing exam through this website. The good thing about this website is that it gives the model answer and adds in tips in writing.

The best tip I could probably give is: in WRITING exam, do STORYTELLING.

In my ACTUAL writing exam, I was to write about:

a)    Should children be allowed to leave school after 18 years old OR after they reach 14 years old?  (150 words)

b)    A LETTER to the Project Manager of a newly developed village near my community (250 words)

I did the 150 words first and completed 2 pages with front and back filled.

For the 250 words, we were advised beforehand that more percentage of the writing exam will be drawn from it. I did write 2 pages and asked for an extra paper, I completed 3 pages in total.

I added a topic in the letter about the eco-friendly building models fabricated in Sweden that the project manager is going to use for the building of the said village. (totally just my imagination, LOL)

I did not have the luxury of time to count how many words I wrote but one thing is for sure, time is so short for writing exams. When they tell you to stop and put down your pencils, you have to do as they say or else, you will get disqualified or worst, banned.

3)    IELTS LIZ

This is a supplementary website that I used to practice more for SPEAKING and WRITING.

It is also helpful to check various youtube videos about speaking. It is important to observe and take note on the format of the answers given.

On my SPEAKING exam, I was asked basic questions. On Part 2, I was given a minute to prepare and organize my thoughts and did a 2-minute answer, with the iexaminer setting the time. It is important to use the whole 2 minutes to answer the question.

IELTS speaking part 3 is a two-way discussion of 4-5 minutes, follows the topic of Part 2. It is led by the examiner who asks questions depending on your performance in Part 1 and Part 2. The more questions to be asked, the better chance to get a high score.

The whole IELTS EXAM experience was a nerve-wracking one, but nevertheless, also very rewarding.

If you are wondering if you can do SELF-REVIEW, yes you can! 

But be sure to be entirely committed to studying. I don’t mean having no time for other things, I mean having to concentrate once you started. The practice tests will help you be at ease with the type of exams you are going to face on the actual test. It is important to treat it as if it was the FINAL. There should be no excuses with time limit, no cheating and no unnecessary skipping.

You can do it, Good luck!