BorderPass overturns 8 in 10 IRCC study permit refusals

BorderPass, an immigration service increasing the accessibility and efficiency of judicial reviews, has seen around 80% of its cases in the last eight months result in reversed decisions, according to the company.  

Approximately two-thirds of the applicants BorderPass has appealed for were refused study permits due to a lack of funds, despite having significantly more funds than required.  

One applicant in this position was Olamide Balogun, a Nigerian student accepted onto Centennial College’s Personal Support Worker undergraduate program.  

After his study permit was denied in October 2024, Balogun described feeling “aggravated” and “worried”. 

“I had all the documents needed for my permit to be approved so I was just confused about what was going on,” Balogun continued: “The IRCC said that I didn’t provide sufficient source of funds, which I did.” 

Under Centennial’s partnership with BorderPass, the college covers students’ legal fees, which are less than 10% of appealing with a typical law firm where costs can amount to CAD $8,000 for one judicial review. 

Balogun’s permit refusal was successfully overturned in January 2025, a process that he had expected to take six months. He is one of 20 international students accepted to study at Centennial who have seen their visa refusals overturned after lodging judicial reviews.

Given that many of BorderPass’ successful appeals are from countries with low approval ratings, the judicial reviews aim to help institutions diversify international student bodies, something that the immigration minister recently instructed colleges and universities to do.  

Additionally, the service “ensures equitable access to support in a process that can be cost-prohibitive for some,” said Charmaine Hack, VP strategic enrolment management at Centennial.  

“Amidst the numerous changes introduced by IRCC over the past year, the overturned decisions have given students and our recruitment network the confidence to pursue their dream of studying in Canada,” said ZiPing Feng, chief international enrolment officer at Thompson Rivers University (TRU).

The British Columbia-based public research university, which attracts applicants from over 150 countries, has so far seen five study permit refusals successfully overturned using BorderPass’ services.

“Higher-than-usual study permit refusal rates have impacted our enrolment management efforts and, more importantly, have diminished students’ trust in Canada as a study-abroad destination,” Feng added. 

Last year saw TRU’s study permit approval rates decline, causing uncertainty about how to plan for future enrolment trends.  

In 2024, TRU conducted one-on-one video interviews with 70% of its international applications. Given the amount that students and institutions invest in the application and recruitment processes, Feng said study permit refusals were proving “highly disruptive”.

Last year, study permit approval rates dropped to 49%, the lowest point since data became available in 2018.

In 2024, Nigeria and Bangladesh had the lowest study permit approval ratings of 18%

IRCC

While BorderPass’ 80% reversal rate is positive news for hundreds of legitimate students who have seen their study permits rejected, it also begs the question as to why so many genuine applicants are being denied in the first place.  

An IRCC spokesperson maintained that applications were considered on a case-by-case basis by “highly trained immigration officers” who must be satisfied that applicants have sufficient family and economic ties to their country of origin and that they will leave Canada at the end of their stay.  

“All officers receive the same training allowing them to assess and make decisions on complex applications, in accordance with the principle of procedural fairness, ensuring that each and every case is evaluated on its merits, and receives due process,” they said.

In another Centennial case heard on February 25, the justice department initially opposed the appeal and upheld the permit refusal, a decision that was later overturned by a judge.  

“This shows that, even when we cannot get a settlement, judges at the Federal level are beginning to side with us,” said a BorderPass spokesperson. 

The judge ruled that the immigration officers may have misunderstood the applicant’s financial information, with the case report raising concerns that officers may not have properly reviewed all documents before coming to their decision.  

According to BorderPass, immigration officials are under “significant pressure” to process a large volume of applications and only have roughly 4-6 minutes for the decision phase of each study permit application.  

The use of technology for group applications can also lead to inconsistencies and generic reasons for refusal.  

“IRCC is actively working to refine its processes, and while refusal rates are currently high, this reflects a broader shift towards greater scrutiny and higher expectations around the quality and completeness of applications,” said BorderPass.  

“Canada’s judicial review system exists precisely to identify and correct errors that may occur, ensuring fairness and continuous improvement,” it added, highlighting a new pilot project in a federal court to expedite a review of refusals following the increase in judicial reviews of unreasonable study permit decisions.  

The company has raised further concerns about a lack of detail provided by the IRCC in its refusal notes to applicants, as well as insufficient awareness among students about the ability to submit judicial reviews of study permit refusals.  

In many cases, students who aren’t aware of the option to appeal instead reapply for a study permit, which now requires them to obtain a new PAL to apply a second time.  

I had all the documents needed for my permit to be approved so I was just confused about what was going on

Olamide Balogun, prospective international student

Beyond lack of funds, other reasons for study permit refusals include the IRCC not being satisfied that an applicant will leave Canada at the end of their studies, the purpose of an applicant’s visit not being consistent with a temporary stay, or them not having significant family ties outside of Canada.   

Most applicants who have appealed with BorderPass are 25–35-year-old single males from Nigeria or Ghana – two countries that respectively recorded 18% and 25% approval ratings last year. 

Gloria Asamoa, a Ghanaian student now enrolled at Centennial, said she was “heartbroken” when her two study permit applications were rejected, despite providing all of the required documentation and proof of funds. 

After appealing the second decision with BorderPass, Asamoa’s permit was approved in December 2024, allowing her to start her Early Childhood Education undergraduate program in January 2025, which she described as a “dream”. 

Institutions have called on Canada’s immigration minister to fix the system, arguing that study permit refusals and slow visa processing times are hindering universities’ diversification efforts.

According to the IRCC, Nigeria (18%) and Bangladesh (18%) saw the lowest study approval ratings in 2024, followed by Ghana (25%). 

The following list reveals the IRCC’s study permit approval ratings from lowest to highest from Canada’s top 10 source countries in 2024:

Overall approval rates dropped to 49% last year, the lowest point since data became available in 2018.  

Canadian study permit application approval rates since 2018: