Contact Fogarty Law Firm

Welcome to Study Permits Canada

At the Canadian Study Permits website of Fogarty Law Firm, located in Montreal, Quebec, we offer professional legal services to help you, whether you need a first study permit, you wish to renew your study permit or to work legally in Canada.

Fogarty Law Firm was founded by the lawyer Stephen J. Fogarty, who holds five university degrees.  He understands very well what it is like to be a student!  Together with our special advisors we can help you in just about any situation.

Are you looking for a cool place to study?  You should consider Canada.

It’s not just winter that’s cool in Canada.  We have an amazing variety of outstanding academic institutions and study experiences all across the country.

Our professional legal services are available to help you for any Canadian province in any academic institution. We can help you out whether you are residing inside or outside of Canada.

Let us help you get in the door! Why not read more below?

Seeking an initial Study Permit or Renewal?

Want to study in the Province of Quebec?

Want to work while studying?

Want to work after graduation?

Want to become a Permanent Resident?

Not sure where to study, or what program to choose?

Canadian Universities:  Top International Rankings

Canadian Universities:  Reasonable Tuition

What levels of service are available?

Are the legal services confidential?

Already studying in Canada, but face legal or personal problems?

I already started my file. Is it too late to use your firm?

How can I get started?  Contact Fogarty Law Firm

We are committed to the environment

Seeking an Initial Study Permit or Renewal?

If you are a foreign student who is not a permanent resident of Canada, you must obtain a Study Permit to study legally in Canada.

Let Fogarty Law Firm provide you with professional legal assistance you require.  Canadian Immigration rules change constantly.  You cannot presume that what was ok for a friend or family member will be so now.  In fact, key rules can change from one year to the next, which can affect your Study Permit renewal.

Application forms for study permits and student work permits are increasingly being made available on-line through government websites. Do not presume because forms become available on-line, that they are not important.

To avoid problems, it is always best to have any applications reviewed by competent legal counsel before submission to the government authorities.

Don’t take chances with your future.

Want to study in the Province of Quebec?

If you wish to study at a school, college or university situated in the Province of Quebec, in most cases you will be required to obtain a Quebec Certificate of Acceptance in addition to a Canadian Study Permit. Keep this in mind if you wish to study at a Quebec university such as Bishop's, Concordia or McGill, or at a Quebec CEGEP (college) such as Champlain, Dawson, John Abbott, LaSalle, Marianopolis, or Vanier.  Fogarty Law Firm can assist you with all required steps.

Want to work while studying?

If you are a college or university level student, most Study Permits allow you to work part-time at your own institution.  In the past, permission to work off-campus was often hard to obtain.

Canadian Immigration policies have been reformed to permit qualified students to work off-campus throughout their studies, including during school terms and summer breaks.  Let Fogarty Law Firm help you obtain the necessary approval so you can work legally while holding a Study Permit.

Want to work after graduation?

Depending on your situation, you may be permitted to obtain a Work Permit for up to three years following graduation.  We will examine your situation and assist you with all formalities.

Want to become a Permanent Resident?

If you hold a Study Permit or a Work Permit, you do not become a Permanent Resident automatically.  Special procedures must be followed.

Recent changes in both the Canadian national and Quebec provincial immigration programs now encourage qualified students and/or workers to apply for Permanent Residency.  If you obtain a post-graduation work permit, you may well be on your way to becoming eligible to apply for permanent residency.

Fogarty Law Firm can analyse your circumstances to determine if you qualify under new rules and assist you to apply for Permanent Residency, in many cases without ever having to leave Canada.

Not sure where to study, or what program to choose?

There are many factors to consider when studying in a foreign country, especially one as large and varied as Canada.

If you choose our deluxe service, we can provide you with full backing to make your decision easier.

Canadian Universities:  Top International Rankings

There are around 9,600 universities worldwide. If you comb the Internet you will find numerous international university ranking systems.  Among these, the Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings (THE-QS) are often cited as the most complete and reliable.

In the most recently published rankings (October 2009), Canada has 11 of the elite top 200 universities worldwide.

McGill University, located in Montreal, Quebec, ranks as Canada’s best institution and number 18 overall among the 200 top universities rated worldwide. THE-QS use many factors to arrive at their ratings.  For example, here is how McGill ranked worldwide in specific fields: Arts and Humanities-14; Engineering and IT-20; Life Sciences and Medicine-10; Natural Sciences-26; Social Sciences-17.

The 11 Canadian universities which placed in the elite top 200 worldwide are shown below according to their ranking in the THE-QS report:

18. McGill University, Montreal, Quebec
29. University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario
40. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia
59. University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta
107. Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec
113. University of Waterloo, Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario
118. Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario
143. McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario
149. University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta
151. University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario
196. Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia

Fogarty Law Firm can help you with all Canadian immigration formalities for any of these universities as well for our other fine universities, colleges and schools.

(Source: http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/Rankings2009-Top200.html)

Canadian Universities:  Reasonable Tuition

On the financial side, Canadian college and university tuition costs are usually far more reasonable than those at US schools, even considering the premium charged for international students.  In fact, you may save 50% or more by choosing a Canadian institution, depending on your program of studies. 

When you add in the comparatively reasonable cost of living in Canada, your savings can well amount to many thousands of dollars every year of your program.

You owe it to yourself financially to give Canada very serious consideration when choosing your program and place of study.

What levels of service are available?

Fogarty Law Firm offers different levels of services and programs to fit your budget and deal effectively with your needs.

• Deluxe service:  Our deluxe service is conceived for students planning at least one year prior to their projected academic program starting date. It is tailored to your exact needs.  For example, we can help you make choices reflecting your background and preferences.  We will evaluate your situation, help you find a suitable program and institution, guide you through the application process, and then, when accepted, do all immigration paperwork following your acceptance.  Where necessary, we will use special consultants to assist in your case.
  
  If you choose, we can also be there to help you throughout your program, including for matters such as Study Permit renewals, Off-Campus Work Permits, working legally in Canada after graduation, and even possibly applying for Permanent Residency, and if you encounter any problems along the way.

• Standard service: With our standard service, we can assist you for any of the matters listed above (or for any other concern) on a case by case basis as needed.  If you are self-reliant and can take care of some of the legwork, such as obtaining necessary documents to support your case, you can help keep down the costs of our legal services.  We can provide the necessary guidance, and handle all necessary immigration paperwork.  You will be surprised that you do not have to break the bank to use our standard service.

• Basic service:  If you are on a small budget, we can provide a basic service to check over forms filled in by the student.

Are the legal services confidential?

The confidentiality of the legal services you obtain from the Fogarty Law Firm is protected under law as well as under our applicable codes of professional conduct administered by the Law Society of Upper Canada (Ontario Bar) and the Quebec Bar Association.

Already studying in Canada, but face legal or personal problems?

If you are having difficulties, you need not feel all alone.  Here are examples of how Fogarty Law Firm can help:

• Refusal to Renew Study Permit:We will review your situation with you, advise you of your options, and then provide legal representation to deal with this problem in the most effective way possible.

• Academic or discipline problems at school:  We will provide you with our expert guidance and represent you as necessary with the school authorities.

• Problems adjusting to life in Canada:  We can work with you and, with your permission, school, family and professional counselling resources to help you back on the road to academic success and enjoying living in Canada.

• Criminal or immigration charges:  We provide highly professional and experienced legal representation for you if you face law enforcement authorities and in court should you find yourself with criminal charges or accusations under Canadian Immigration legislation.

I already started my file.  Is it too late to use your firm?

Not at all!  Fogarty Law Firm can take over your file at any point you wish, even if you applied on your own.  And if you retained someone to help you, you are not obliged to continue with the same individual.

Like the lions in our firm’s logo, we stand on guard for you with integrity and courage.  Let Fogarty Law Firm help you reach your goals!

How can I get started?  Contact Fogarty Law Firm

To contact us using your computer's default email program, write to our special Study Permits email address.

Alternatively, you can use the email form provided below:

Our snail mail address and fax coordinates are at the bottom of this page.

We look forward to hearing from you!

We are committed to the environment

At Fogarty Law Firm, we are doing out part to help protect the environment. This effort ranges from our use of low energy consumption office equipment, to the ways that we process your legal file, and to the choice of our Firm's location--being in an historic building easily accessible to public transportation.

Full details about the environmental policies of Fogarty Law Firm may be found on our main website. Click How is Fogarty Law Firm GREEN?

To find out more about our team, you are welcome to read About Fogarty Law Firm.