Launched by ApplyBoard, the new public ‘Trust Centre’ evaluated over 2,800 Canadian research study permit decisions in June 2026, of which 1,370 (49%) were turned down.
Throughout the denials, lack of financial paperwork was pointed out as a reason for rejection in 47% of cases — a factor ApplyBoard CEO Meti Basiri stated was mostly preventable.
“Students who very likely had the funds to study, were refused due to the fact that they might not show it in a manner a visa officer might rely on. That tells us most were avoidable,” Basiri informed The PIE News.
“The barrier is hardly ever the trainees. It is how the application is prepared and presented.”
Though refusal letters can contain more than one reason, students have actually been cautioned to “repair the cash documents”. According to ApplyBoard, lots of applicants likely had the money but could not prove it in a way the visa officer could rely on.
After financial documentation, other reasons mentioned were having family on the file, which prompts stricter evaluation and was discussed in 10% of cases. Having actually an ended PAL or TAL letter was pointed out the same variety of times– which leads to an automatic refusal.
In simply 2% of cases, trainees were refused for having hidden past visa rejections from any country — which is counted by officers as misrepresentation and triggers a five-year ban.
“The majority of these students would likely have been fine if they had simply disclosed it,” stated ApplyBoard.
On the other hand, having actually already finished a degree and holding a conditional deal stuck out as elements separating authorized students from refused ones, while prepaying more tuition costs did not help in regards to visa result.
The barrier is seldom the students. It is how the application is prepared and presented
Meti Basiri, ApplyBoard
Last year, Canada welcomed fewer first-time international students than throughout the pandemic, as the study license approval ranking plunged to 36%.
While the data showed research study permit approval rates increased in every Canadian province over the past year, Basiri said the pattern was “far from uniform”, with approval rates swinging widely from one province to the next.
He said the sector had “invested too long guessing why trainees get refused” and advised institutions to pay close attention to provincial details and partner data as Canadian college seeks to move from volume to quality in worldwide trainee admissions.
With high research study visa rejection rates across the ‘big four’ research study destinations, ApplyBoard plans to launch a UK edition of the Trust Centre next month, while an US edition will be launched in September 2026.