Canada ends popular student program, Indian students to face prolonged visa processing time

In a sudden, surprising move that is bound to affect millions of Indian students looking forward to studying in Canada, the Canadian government has terminated, with immediate effect, its Student Direct Stream (SDS) program, a fast-track visa processing system that has served thousands of international students since 2018. The program has especially benefitted students from countries such as China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Pakistan, Peru, India, Philippines, Vietnam and more.

The program, which officially ended at 2 PM ET on November 8, particularly affects applicants from 14 countries, which includes India. Any applications received after this time would be processed under the regular study permit stream, a statement from the IRCC (Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada) noted.

India and Nigeria to be largely affected

The termination affects not only the SDS program but also the Nigeria Student Express (NSE). IRCC has confirmed that all future applicants will have to navigate the regular study permit process, which includes additional requirements such as obtaining Provincial Attestation Letters (PAL) or Territorial Attestation Letters (TAL) for study at designated learning institutions.

"Canada's goal is to strengthen program integrity, address student vulnerability, and give all students equal and fair access to the application process," stated IRCC in their official announcement. The department maintains that these changes will not "adversely affect" international students, despite the longer processing times typically associated with regular permit streams.

The program's termination comes amid escalating diplomatic tensions between Canada and India, one of the largest sources of international students to Canadian institutions. Recent data from the Indian High Commission estimates that around 4,27,000 Indian students are presently studying in Canada.

Relations between the two countries have further plunged southwards recently after Canadian PM Trudeau alleged that Indian government officials had been involved in the killing of extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The countries have also expelled their diplomats from respective soils, further causing tensions to brim.

The retraction of SDS means increased visa processing timings and documentation for temporary immigrants like international students. While it took around 20 days for the student visa to be processed under SDS, the same could take up to 6–8 weeks under the regular study permit route. Moreover, the documentation required in the non-SDS process is far more extensive, unlike SDS. Some of the additional document requirements include:

• English language proficiency test results, with a minimum IELTS score of 6.0 for undergraduate courses and 6.5 for postgraduate courses
• Evidence of prior work experience, including payslips for the last three months, and proof of financial support, such as bank savings, student loans, and investments
• Income tax return documents or form 16 of the candidate or the sponsor