Canada Ends Fast-Track Study Visa Program For International Students

Canada announced the closing of its fast-track study visa program popularly known as the Student Direct Stream (SDS) programme. In the past, this programme helped many international students to get study visa faster, but now ending of this programme raises concerns among Indian aspirants.

Study in Canada: Canada has ended the Student Direct Stream (SDS), the fast-track visa programme for international students, effective immediately from Friday. This shift in policy is going to affect scores of international students including the Indian aspirants.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) launched SDS in 2018 to simplify the visa application process for foreign students from countries like India, the Philippines, and China who meet specific requirements. This helped thousands of international students as it streamlined the process of the study visa program and allowed applicants to get study permits in a week which under the standards process often takes eight weeks for Indian applicants.

Ending SDS Is Yet Another Push To Curb Migration

Of late, the Canadian government has been trying to curb immigration and this new move is also being seen as another push towards its goal of setting a cap of 437,000 new study permits for 2025 for all levels of education from undergraduate to postgraduate. The international students now will face increased eligibility requirements and longer wait times, as reported by Indian Express.

The international students are now advised to apply as early as possible for the visa because now it is a more restrictive landscape.

India Is Largest Source Of International Students For Canada

The SDS program in past helped multiple international students including Indians to come to Canada and get study permits. Currently, India is the biggest source of international students for Canada. Reports suggest that currently, there are nearly 427,000 Indian students who are studying in Canada.

After the end of this process, now students need to apply through the standard process. Canada immigration authorities have said that all those students who have applied to SDS and Nigerian Student Express (NSE) before Friday, their applications will still be processed as the fast track. NSE program is similar to the SDS program but it is for Nigerian students. The government has also said that while applying through the regular permit process, the students should use Guaranteed Investment Certificates (GICs) as proof of financial support.

Read more:

• Newcastle University Introduces VC Excellence Scholarships for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Programs
• Yale’s Associate Vice President For New Haven Affairs Holds Q&A Session