Are you looking for a Fully Funded Scholarship and Student Visa in 2024? If so, then you are at the right place. This post contains a detailed guide to applying for a Scholarship and student visa. It contains the complete journey details of a Student who recently got a Canadian Visa. Please read the below post and let us know if you still have any questions.
A few people are asking me different questions about admission, funding, visa, and lot many questions about profiles and most of all, how to search for a supervisor, so I have thought to write a note and refer all my friends to it whenever they need some information, and due to my bad memory, I cannot remind all things at a time.
Also See: Fully Funded Scholarships in Canada 2023 | BS,MS and PhD
Documents Preparation:
So, I will speak about all the steps chronologically as I had followed myself. Start preparing for different tests e.g. GRE and IELTS and take exams as these exams are foremost committed steps towards your study abroad journey. You should jolt all your documents, transcripts (better if you can get them verified from HEC and your university well before in time), CV, Experience letter and anything else you think can boost your application quality. I had managed a letter for volunteer work too. Get in touch with your professors for a reference letter, better ask them whether they will entertain you or not. And of course, you need strong letters of recommendation which matter a lot in the assessment of your application. Request them to provide you with a LOR whenever you apply somewhere. It is good to ask earlier rather than wasting time in the end. Moreover, if you seek references from an associate prof or Prof or the one which you have worked with during your research and you think he will better accommodate you as compared to a professor. It is up to your satisfaction. Add references in your CV as well.
Supervisor Search:
The most critical phase starts, with searching for a supervisor. If you are not interested in research work and have enough finances to support yourself, you can make your way ahead to lodging an application to the university of your choice. I had an idea. I had sorted out universities as, top-ranked and mediocre universities. It is always good to apply to both kinds of universities, even if one rejects you, then another option is in hand. According to your profile, start looking for universities and sort them out accordingly. Obviously, a percentage of 70% or less will not secure admission to the University of Toronto, unless you adorn your CV with some high-quality work or research or whatever. Anyway, trying is better. Once you have sorted out universities, if you have to apply for coursework, read the requirements of the university and go ahead with an application. If you have a passion for research then go to the department of your interest, open the faculty webpages, check their lab pages, groups, advertised graduate positions and your interest in his or her research. When you find it suitable enough, then write a polite email, asking him that you want to work with him and if he or she has any slot available for graduate students in his lab. Refer to his publication and make a sound basis for your interest. Just prove him, do not show him. Here are some tricks I would say to follow:
How to Present your Profile to Professor:
1- DO not be over-smart and write all faculty members at once in a department. Well, they have got automatic spam control systems and if you write the same email to 3-4 members of a department, the system will automatically move your email to spam.
2- Be specific, Write the name of professors at the start of an email, e.g. Dear Dr. XYZ.
3- Be polite, Canadians are very strict in manners and ethics, and I have got this idea very well.
4- Do not attach your transcripts in your very email unless you are asked to do so by a professor on his webpage. Better sending a CV and later share transcripts.
Okay, give him a time limit of twenty days at least. If you do not get any reply then assume that either his lab is filled to maximum or he is not interested. But on other hand, if he replies to you then the STORY begins. If he says you to wait for funding, then say OK. Unless otherwise, it is common to offer fellowship along with your offer letter. Ask him for funding and whether you should apply or not; whatever.
(I have seen a few people who were given a reply that the supervisor lab group is filled to maximum and they requested the professor to refer them to any collaborator(of supervisor). If he feels suitable, he will do it but I never tried it. )
Admission Application After Supervisor Acceptance:
Once a supervisor is ready to accept you in his lab, the next step is writing to the graduate coordinator of the same department stating that Prof. XYZ of your department has given me a positive response to lodge an official application so what should be my next step? He will confirm it and guide you till your all application is completed. (happened in my case)
Start collecting your documents. Generally, universities require you to provide them scanned copies of transcripts and other documents in an online application, a confidential letter of recommendation (sent by your professor to the university you intend to apply),and a statement of purpose 🙂. Write your sop with heart and mind both, be passionate about your aims, goals, and future projects, and relate it to your previous academic background plus experience. Try making it comprehensive and coherent as much as you can. Do not write false information, you could be asked to attach proof. And make sure you do not copy-paste it because Canadian universities are very strict regarding plagiarism. If their system detects so your application will be automatically refused so be careful. Run some plagiarism testing software because even if there is some unintentional plagiarism then you can recover it before lodging an application. Ask your professors to send strong LORs within the time of application; usually, applications are not reviewed without reference letters. Moreover, you would have to pay the application fee of around 100 CAD to the university. I will state my own experience. I had to pay my fee for IELTS and GRE, that is why I had UBL Master Card, by which I made international transactions very easily. I am unaware of other transaction methods.
Your application will be somehow submitted after lots of hard work. Now write an email to your intended supervisor telling him that I have lodged my application so please have a kind review of it. Follow-up emails are very important. Well, it’s most difficult to find, convince, and secure a fellowship from the supervisor but do not give up.
Admission offer, then you will be asked to send your official documents from your universities to the intended university. What is the official document?? It is a document that is sealed and signed by the Registrar or Controller of Examinations section of the university. If you are a graduate of Punjab University or/and the University of Arid Agriculture Rawalpindi, then I can suggest more as I have gone through their tedious procedures.
Then acceptance of the offer, etc etc. Now another STORY begins, 😛
that is a VISA!
Canadian Visa Process:
Processing time for Pakistan is 12 weeks generally but it is not something fixed. You should have stamina in this all-time period. Collect your all documents, bank statements, official acceptance letter, property documents, visa application documents, SOP for visa and anything you feel suitable to help defend your case.
So far my case is concerned w.r.t financial documents, I had attached a letter of fellowship with around 1.3M PKR in the account of me and my dad. Attached payslips for the last five months, bank statements from my bank and national savings. There is a concept that national savings bank statement does not work, however, it is false. All that you have to do is to request the national savings to liquidate the cash deposited upon the request of the primary depositor and it should be mentioned in the letter-type bank statement of NSC.
Property evaluation documents, I had attached a document of around 3M PKR home evaluation and had submitted it with my visa app. An experience letter from my department was also included. And an important thing was an affidavit from my father, in which he wrote that he expects me to return back in Pakistan after completing my studies in Canada and serve my country. God knows! what happened but to make your case stronger.
Carefully lodge an application for a visa and try your best to prove home ties. Once the application is done, be patient,,,,,,, be so,,,,,,, it is very difficult but seeks the help of Allah. Hopefully, after the call for a medical exam, the visa is 99% for sure, however, it could get delayed but not refused generally. (It is a common assumption, not any set criteria of the Canadian consulate to Pakistan) Meanwhile, keep in mind that Allah is the best planner of all plans and his plans are mostly better than ours so whatever he decides is perfect for us.
Good luck! And try to surround yourself with people who can motivate you.
