A student finishing a 1-year course in April, with a visa expiring that July, planned a September intake for a second program — and wanted to travel to India for a month in between (for a wedding) then return to work during the scheduled break. What order should the paperwork go in?
- Submit the second course application before leaving Canada. The thread's most concrete advice: get the next program's application (and the associated permit extension) in motion before the trip, so the file progresses while you're away and you're not trying to arrange status from outside with an expiring visa.
- Apply for a TRV once the second course is approved. The visa (TRV) is the re-entry stamp; the permit is the status. With the visa expiring in July, members said to apply for a fresh TRV after the new approval so re-entry for the September intake is covered.
- The airport risk members were circling: returning on a near-expiry visa, between programs, invites questions at the border about ongoing student status. Carrying the new LOA, fee receipts and the extension/approval paperwork is what answers them.
Caveat: the thread was thin on authoritative detail — treat this as sequencing advice from peers (paperwork before travel; TRV after approval) and verify current IRCC rules on maintaining status between programs, which are stricter than casual forum talk suggests.