An applicant from Pakistan asked whether a master's study permit is realistic with a study gap of more than 8 years (SDS route). What the thread established:
- Long gaps are not automatically fatal. One member reported approval for study in Canada after a 16-year education gap — but crucially, every one of those years was covered by work experience.
- A gap without work experience is the real risk. Members were candid that a long unexplained gap (one case: 10 years after an art and design degree, no work history) is a challenge for the visa officer.
- Build the SOP around two questions: why the gap happened, and why this course is essential for what you plan to do next. Members advised thinking of a solid, documentable reason rather than a generic one.
- Frame the degree as career progression at home. The applicant's own framing — a master's after a bachelor's is needed for a better career in the home country — is exactly the home-ties/progression argument officers look for; put it explicitly in the SOP.
In short: the gap itself matters less than whether it is accounted for. Document every year (employment, business, caregiving with evidence), and make the course a necessary next step in a coherent career story.