@11, yeah, the Canadian system has it’s benefits and it’s drawbacks. On one hand, they’re very up front on who’s getting in and who isn’t, if you’re above the grade threshold then you’re in, if you’re not, then too bad. It’s great if you’re good at school. If you aren’t, tough luck. Their logic is that they’re here to help you achieve your academic potential, and you being good at sports or having been president of student council says nothing about your academic potential.
As to scholarships, well first you need to be aware how much less tuition is in Canada. Using my example as a Canadian citizen, I’m paying 4k a year for my undergrad at a school that is ranked in the top 30 worldwide (not that rankings tell you anything but just to give you an idea of what the equivalent might be in the states). So part of the reason so many Canadians are successful is that they don’t end up in crippling debt after a single year. 12k for my entire degree vs 400k in the US.
Even at the international level, tuition is significantly lower. I’ll use my school, McGill, as the example again just because I don’t really know the rates anywhere else but am assuming they’re comparable. You’re still only paying 20k a year, compared to the anywhere from 40 to 100k a year you’d be paying in the states.
There’s just less emphasis on scholarships, especially for Canadians, because everything is a lot more affordable. That’s not to say there aren’t any, there definitely are, but a lot more of them are specifically targeted towards people with financial need rather than being for anyone and everyone who checks off a couple boxes, because most people can scrape together 4k a year.
@1, basically everything I just said is at the undergrad level so take it with a grain of salt.
@12, what are you getting a visa for, because it depends. If you’re a student with a letter of acceptance trying to get a student visa, you’ll have no issues. If you’re a tourist planning to come visit, then leave, again no issue. If you just want to show up for no reason and start living here you’ll have a harder time of it. But that goes for everyone, not just people with disabilities. No one is ever going to turn you down for a student visa just because you’re blind.