Know Everything about Student Partnership Program (SPP) Canada

SPP Canada is also known as the Student Partnership Program. It is a collaboration between Citizenship and Immigration Canada (IRCC) and the Association of Canadian Community Colleges to provide help to Indian students willing to pursue higher education in Canadian colleges.

 The Government of Canada announced the end of the Student Direct Stream (SDS program) on 09 November 2024.  Earlier, the Student Partners Program (SPP) was replaced by the Student Direct Stream (SDS) program in the year 2018. Now, students are applying for Canadian Student Visa through general category like students of other countries.

SPP was developed in partnership between the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) and the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). The full form of SPP is the Student Partners Program. It is an arrangement between selected Canadian educational institutions and the Canadian High Commission in India to provide a quick and easy study visa for the prospective students of participating institutions in Canada. The main objective of this program is to increase the number of Canadian Student Visa issued to Indian students and to make the admissions-visa process more efficient.

As a student you do not have to apply for the SPP separately; you need to apply to a participating college and if your application meets the specific criteria, you may be considered under the program. It is recommended that you submit your application at least three months before the beginning of the academic course. You need to undergo a compulsory medical examination before submitting your visa application by visiting one of the Designated Medical Practitioners (DMP) in India.

Eligibility/Requirements for Applying under SPP

Here are the eligibility conditions for applying under the SPP.

For Undergraduate Degrees:

• Overall IELTS exam score of 6.5 with no band less than 6.0 in any section.
• Study gap of no more than two years, with some exceptions made for students with excellent grades and a three-year gap.
• The program applied for must be complementary and should add value to the previous education.
• The student should have an overall minimum score of 50% in their more recently completed diploma or degree.  
  Proof of tuition payment for one semester or one year (as asked by the SPP institution).
• The purchase of a special Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC) from Scotia Bank, in the amount of $10,000 CAD to cover living expenses for your first year in Canada.
• If you have previously been refused a Canadian student visa, you are not eligible to apply under SPP.

For Post Graduate Degrees:

• Overall IELTS Score of 6.5 with no band less than 6.0 issued in the past 24 months.
• Study gap of no more than 5 years, with some exceptions made for students with excellent grades and a six-year gap.
• The program must be complementary and value added to their previous education.
• The student should have a minimum Second Class of C-level with an overall minimum score of 50% in their more recently completed diploma or degree.
• Proof of tuition payment for one semester or one year (as asked by the SPP institution).
• The purchase of a special Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC) from Scotia Bank, in the amount of $10,000 CAD to cover living expenses for your first year in Canada.
• You should have graduated with not more than eight backlogs in your previous degree.
• If you have previously been refused a Canadian student visa, you are not eligible to apply under SPP.

Colleges Under SPP

There are 40 universities and colleges which are part of SPP. Most of the colleges (with a couple of exceptions) under SPP teach technical courses and offer diplomas and degrees.

There are many popular universities under SPP from Canadian provinces, namely:

• British Columbia
• Ontario
• Alberta
• Saskatchewan
• Manitoba

How to Apply for SPP Program?

Applying to a Student Partners Program-affiliated university is not any different from applying to any Canadian university or college. However, it is essential for aspirants to know the details of the application process to SPP colleges to make sure there is no lapse or error in any application stage. Here we have described the steps to get admission to an SPP college and a visa. The most important factor is to take care of tuition fees as once the finances have been sorted, getting the visa stamped will become easier.

College Application Process

There are multiple steps involved in applying to colleges under SPP. The steps are similar to applying to any other university/college in Canada, with an additional focus on finances. Also, it is important to note that you can’t apply for a visa under SPP if you don’t have a score of 6 or above in IELTS. Following are the steps to the SPP application process -

1. Selecting an SPP college and course of choice
2. Appearing for the required tests
3. Apply for course admission
4. Medical Examination
5. Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC)
6. Apply for the student visa

Also Read: SDS Colleges in Ontario

Visa Under SPP

One of the most attractive features of SPP is that processing the student visa is faster and easier. Lesser documents are required for a visa and income tax proof is not required under this program. An SPP visa application is processed and completed within 5 to 10 working days. Visa applications have to be submitted by 1^st August each year by those seeking admission for Fall/September intake. You can choose to apply for the visa online or through VFS (Visa Facilitation Services) in New Delhi or Chandigarh.

SPP Visa Requirements and Checklists

Started in 2009, the SPP Program is still running successfully with a very high approval rate. Candidates are required to apply to SPP colleges just like applying to any other college. Once you have received your acceptance letter from the college, the candidate would be required to apply for a student visa. You need to meet certain eligibility criteria and requirements before you can apply for a student visa.

Working in Canada Under SPP

Work permit/visa is open to all international students, who have successfully graduated from any of the accredited universities/colleges in Canada. They could be the SPP colleges or non-SPP colleges. The work visa has its own different requirements which every student has to qualify in order to work in Canada. According to the current Canadian work visa regulations, those with a course duration of two years or more will get a ‘Post Study work permit’ for the same duration (maximum 3 years). On the other hand, those with a course duration of one year or less are eligible for a work permit equal to the duration of the course.

What is SDS Canada?

In order to shorten processing times for students from Antigua and Barbuda, Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, India, Morocco, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Senegal, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Vietnam, Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada has introduced the Student Direct Stream (SDS) programme. SPP, the former programme for student visas that also permitted a quicker visa application procedure, has been replaced by the SDS programme. Students must fulfil a series of requirements for the recently adopted SDS programme, which are stiffer than those for the previous SPP. Students must visit our SDS Canada page for complete information.

For help with university applications, students seeking to study abroad can contact our Shiksha Study Abroad Counsellors. The comments section below allows candidates to contact us as well.