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Canada discontinues expedited student direct stream visa program
“Canada is committed to giving all international students equal and fair access to the application process for study permits,” said Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in a statement.
The program’s closure, effective from Nov.8, impacts applicants from 14 nations, including major source countries India and Pakistan. / Pexels
In a significant shift affecting international students, the Canadian government has officially ended the Student Direct Stream (SDS) visa program, which was introduced in 2018 to expedite study permit applications for international students from select countries.
The program’s closure, effective from Nov.8, impacts applicants from 14 nations, including major source countries India and Pakistan. Originally launched to facilitate quicker study permit processing, the SDS visa program offered higher approval rates and faster processing times.
It was extended to include legal residents of countries such as Antigua and Barbuda, Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Morocco, Peru, the Philippines, Senegal, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Vietnam.
The Government of Canada explained the move citing the need to “strengthen program integrity, address student vulnerability, and give all students equal and fair access to the application process, as well as a positive academic experience.” According to a statement on its website, the policy aims to create a more level playing field across all student visa applications.
“Canada is committed to giving all international students equal and fair access to the application process for study permits,” said Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in a statement. “This change will not adversely affect eligibility for those who wish to apply for a study permit from a country where the SDS has been offered.”
Applications submitted before 2 pm ET on Nov.8 will still be processed under the SDS scheme. However, applications received after this cut-off will now go through the regular, and often lengthier, study permit stream.
This policy shift comes amid Canada’s broader economic challenges, which include a strained healthcare system, increasing living costs, and a national housing crisis. These factors have been affecting Canada’s capacity to accommodate the rising number of international students.
The decision has led to concerns among prospective students and their families, who had hoped to leverage SDS’s faster timelines for timely admission. Now, students from the affected countries must adapt to Canada’s standard visa processing protocols, potentially impacting their plans to commence studies in Canada on schedule.
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