Federal Court clarifies circumstance when Study Permit Refusal can be Procedurally Unfair

Case Spotlight: Akaya v Canada (MCI), 2026 FC 546

Written by Partner Mathew Wilton

You’ve received a refusal on your study permit application and you are asking yourself what are your next steps. Should you re-apply? Should you challenge the decision? 

The answer to this question is often specific to your circumstance concerning what information and documentation your provided in support of your application and the reasons for refusal.

For those looking to challenge the decision, a recent Federal Court decision, Akaya v Canada (MCI), 2026 FC 546, provides example of how IRCC can unreasonably refuse a decision, by failing to ask an applicant about credibility concerns prior to making their decision. In Akaya, the Applicant’s study permit was refused with the IRCC officer finding that the Applicant did not have sufficient available finances for their studies.

In particular, the officer refused the application, in part, because the financial documents provided showed that funds were held by the Applicant’s brother but that a family link could not be established between the applicant and their brother.

In the study permit application the Applicant clearly stated who their brother was, providing photos and a signed letter attesting to this. However, as indicated in the officer’s processing notes, the IRCC officer found this insufficient to establish their blood relationship, refusing the application accordingly.

Upon Judicial Review, the Honourable Justice Tsimberis, in reviewing the decision, found that the decision was unreasonable as the Applicant was denied the opportunity to respond to IRCC’s concerns about the family relationship after providing their documents:

“the Officer was nonetheless required to provide Ms. Akaya with an opportunity to respond to the Officer’s concern as to the authenticity of the documents and information submitted in her study visa application concerning the family link…”

Justice Tsimberis found this to be a breach of procedural fairness, as the credibility concern related to a central element of her application.

If you’ve received a refusal on your study permit application and are looking at next steps, challenging the decision at the Federal Court may be an option for you.

· It will be important to apply for the officer’s processing notes, to understand if their decision was indeed unreasonable. A member of our team can assist you in understanding these notes, identifying issues and concerns which may include issues related to procedural unfairness.

· Timing is important: For applicants inside of Canada you have 15 days from the date of the refusal to begin the Judicial Review process at the Federal Court. For Applicant’s outside of Canada, you have 60 days.