A 32-year-old member with a 7-year study gap (after a Bachelor's in Engineering, working as a maintenance/operations supervisor and later in retail/supply chain) had admissions to both Lambton College (PGD) and University Canada West (MBA), and asked which offered better visa approval chances, and whether SDS or non-SDS was preferable.
What the thread shared:- A member with a similar profile (comparable study gap and work background) got their visa approved with the MBA option under SDS. This real comparable case suggests the MBA + SDS combination worked for at least one similar applicant.
- The approval took about 5 months and required a strong SOP — the applicant with the similar profile was explicit that the SOP quality was the deciding factor, not just the choice of program or stream.
- A study gap filled with directly relevant work experience (production/operations management, later retail and supply chain) was framed as a genuine asset to lean into within the SOP, rather than something to downplay.
The practical takeaway: for a similar profile (early 30s, 7-year gap, relevant work experience), an MBA under SDS worked for at least one comparable applicant — but budget for a longer timeline (around 5 months in that case) and invest heavily in a strong SOP that leans into your work experience to justify the gap, since that was identified as the deciding factor.