Prep Stories by PrepMeWell is a series where past students share how they prepared for their proficiency exams, what worked, and how it shaped their journey to Canada and beyond.
If you have struggled to get the language test score you need, missed out on draws, or waited months for an update on your application without a response, this story is for you.
When did you decide to start your Canadian journey?
The conversation started in 2018 when KC, a.k.a. Lyrical, first mentioned Canada and Express Entry to me. I genuinely did not understand what he was talking about, so I ignored it.
Then COVID and EndSARS happened. That was when I became serious about leaving Nigeria. I started researching my options, but the cost of the process didn’t align with what was in my bank account, and I talked myself out of it again.
In February 2021, KC came to visit and asked how far. I told him I had opened a WES account but did not have the money to pursue PR. Before I could finish the sentence, he had opened his laptop, showed me how to complete the application, and paid for the credential assessment on the spot. He told me to contact my university and law school immediately to request transcripts.
That was how my Canadian journey officially began.
What were the next steps you took after that?
Once the WES assessment was in motion, KC told me to start preparing for IELTS. I enrolled in PrepMeWell’s classes straight away.
My early mock test scores were 6.5. KC reviewed my age, my profile, and the immigration pathway we were targeting, and told me plainly that 6.5 would not work. I needed at least CLB 8.5, preferably CLB 9. I remember asking him how he expected me to get a score that high on an English proficiency exam at this stage of my life. But I kept showing up to class and kept practising. I booked the IELTS for May 2021.
So, what happened after you booked your IELTS?
I sat the exam and passed. But my CRS score was around 421, and KC and I both knew that was not enough to receive an ITA.
While he was reviewing my score one day, we joked about all sorts of ways to increase it, including marriage. I said I no do abeg.
Then he introduced me to TEF — one of the French language proficiency exams. He explained that a strong result could add up to 70 points to my CRS score. Because I had spent years working as a lawyer with clients across French-speaking African countries, I already had a reasonable level of French proficiency. I thought about it for 2 weeks and started the prep.
I sat the TEF and passed. When my results came through in June 2021, my CRS score jumped from 421 to 490. I later completed an International Qualifications Assessment Service (IQAS) credential assessment for my professional degree, bringing it to 497.
With your score at 497, was that competitive enough?
Not at all. When draws resumed in July 2022, the cutoff scores were around 550. My 497 was nowhere near enough. I told KC I was worried. His response was always: “Relax. God don run am for you already.”
Then, in November 2022, my first ITA came through. I completed my medicals, got my police clearance certificate, and submitted my application in January 2023.
What happened after you submitted your application?
A few months later, I received a procedural fairness letter regarding my proof of funds. We responded carefully, but my application was refused on the same day we submitted the response. The visa officer stated he was not convinced that the settlement funds would remain available to my son and me.
I was devastated.
How did you handle the refusal?
We filed an appeal immediately, and KC even put together a National Occupational Classification (NOC) comparison to support it. The energy wey dey this guy na from another planet abeg.
At the same time, I created a new Express Entry profile since my IELTS and TEF results were still valid. The appeal was eventually rejected, but by then I had already received a second ITA. The only option I had was to start the process again.
So, I paid another application fee, gathered my documents, and submitted a fresh application on 10th May 2023.
Was the second application smoother?
No. I received another Additional Document Request (ADR) for proof of funds and income. By the time I pulled together the required documents, the naira exchange rate had spiked. What was originally 8 million naira in settlement funds had to be increased to 10.5 million before I could submit a satisfactory response.
After that, silence.
My file was transferred to the Accra visa office, and from that point, getting any information from IRCC became almost impossible. I submitted over 6 webforms between September 2023 and June 2024 and ordered multiple GCMS notes through PrepMeWell. Every single file came back untouched.
Two years of silence. How did that feel?
By May 2025, I had made peace with letting it go. I stopped planning for life in Canada and started living normally again, spending money on things I had been putting off for years. I told myself that whatever happened would happen, and I had done everything I could.
Tell us about the day things changed.
In August 2025, I received a message from IRCC that they were waiting to hear from me.
When I opened the letter, they were only requesting remedial documents, a new police clearance certificate, and a Schedule A—no proof of funds.
KC told me to submit exactly what they asked for and nothing extra. I submitted everything on 3rd September.
Then one morning in September, I saw “donotreply” in my inbox and thought, Lord, not these people again. But when I opened it, it read: The processing of your application for permanent residence in Canada is almost complete.
After a refusal, two applications, and 26 months of complete silence, my PPR had come through. I had spent over 4 years on this journey, and it was finally over.
What would you say to someone currently on their own Canadian journey?
When you’re preparing for IELTS or TEF, take every mock test result seriously, not as a final verdict, but as advice. When I was at 6.5, that was not a sign that I could not do it. It was a sign I needed to prepare differently.
And if your consultant tells you to consider an additional exam, listen before you dismiss it. The TEF was not something I had planned for. It turned out to be one of the most important decisions I made in this entire process.
Marie A.
You can read more episodes of Prep Stories here. If you are at any stage of your IELTS preparation or Canadian PR journey and need guidance, send us a message today.
