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Applying for a Canadian study permit from a third country instead of your home country

Canada • Study Permit • study 0 views
By VisaBuddies Communityvia community — compiled from public visa forums

Step-by-Step

An Indian citizen who'd been studying in France for two years asked whether they could apply for a Canadian study permit from France instead of returning to India.

What the group offered (mixed experiences):
  1. One perspective: applying from your home country is safer. Since there's no gap between your last education and now, applying from India was seen as an easier path — applying from a foreign country was described as potentially raising more questions from the visa officer about intent.

  2. A counterpoint from direct experience: applying from a third country worked without issue for some. One member and their friends applied for Canadian study permits from Ireland (through the London visa office) after studying there, with no extra requirements (no medical, no IELTS) and no problems.


The practical takeaway: applying from a third country isn't automatically a problem, but experiences vary — if your case isn't clearly straightforward (e.g., large gaps, unclear intent), applying from your home country may reduce scrutiny; if you have a strong continuous study history in the third country, applying from there has worked for others.

Dos, Don'ts & Tips

  • Tip: Applying for a study permit from a third country (not your home country) has worked for some applicants with a continuous study history there.
  • Tip: If your situation is less straightforward, applying from your home country may reduce the visa officer's scrutiny of your intent.

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