When is a religious institution required for a visa application?

The applicant submitted that the visa officer failed to recognize that the applicant was attending a religious institution and his findings could not be substantiated in light of this context. Furthermore, the Minister's Guidelines did not account for the differences in religious institutions from other educational institutions. A review of the officer's interview notes show that the applicant was vague and evasive in his answers. The officer acknowledged that registration is not a requirement for a bona fide educational facility but since the school was not regulated, a higher degree of scrutiny was required. As stated in Patel v. M.C.I., [1999] F.C.J. No. 647 (F.C.T.D.), the officer was assessing whether: "the quality of the institution met reasonable standards".