An Indian citizen living in Saudi Arabia, admitted to a Canadian college, asked three questions: apply alone or with spouse and kids, file from Saudi Arabia or India, and whether an online course start would hurt the study permit or PGWP.
What members advised:
- File from India, not Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is not an SDS-eligible country, while Indian applicants qualify for SDS's faster, more predictable processing. A member who had lived in Saudi Arabia did exactly this — applied from India — and received passport request (PPR) for both the study permit and the spouse's open work permit.
- Together vs. sequential — both have worked. One member suggested applying solo first and adding spouse and children after approval (the lower-risk sequencing when refusal risk is a concern). But another applied for the study permit and SOWP together and shared the timeline: applied 8 May, PPR 1 September (~4 months), with eligibility and medicals updated the same day. Family applications are slower and backlogs vary, so weigh timing against your intake date.
- Online start didn't affect PGWP — but that was a COVID-era rule. Members reassured the applicant that studying online would not hurt PGWP eligibility, citing the pandemic-period facilitation (students had until end of 2021 under the then-current policy). This was temporary COVID-era policy — current PGWP rules on online study are different and must be checked before relying on this.