Canada has ended its popular fast-track study abroad visa program, SDS, with immediate effect. This is an important policy decision that is likely to affect the number of international students, including from India.
Students who applied under the Student Direct Stream (SDS) experienced significantly faster processing times and higher approval rates, but that will change with Canada’s exit from the program on Friday.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced this on X in September: And next year, that number will drop by another 10%. “Immigration is good for our economy, but when bad actors abuse the system and take advantage of students,” he wrote in a post after the Canadian government said it was trying to reduce the number of temporary residents. We will crack down on it,” he added.
The move comes amid an ongoing diplomatic spat between India and Canada.
According to the Indian High Commission, India is the largest source of international students, with an estimated 427,000 Indian students studying in Canada.
“Canada is committed to giving all international students equal and fair access to the study permit application process,” Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said in a statement Friday.
Canada’s goal is to “strengthen program integrity, address student vulnerabilities, and give all students equal and fair access to the application process and a positive academic experience,” the statement said. .
SDS was launched in 2018 to provide expedited processing for eligible post-secondary students and will eventually expand to Antigua and Barbuda, Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, India, Morocco, Pakistan, and Peru. It added that it was also open to legal residents. , the Philippines, Senegal, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Vietnam.
There was a similar Nigeria Student Express (NSE) for university applicants in Nigeria. This too has ended along with SDS, the statement said, adding that the SDS and NSE efforts ended on Friday.
IRCC said the deadline will be 2pm ET Friday (12:30am IST Saturday) and all eligible SDS and NSE applications will be received before being processed under these streams.
However, IRCC said prospective students can still apply through regular study permits and Guaranteed Investment Certificates will be accepted as evidence of financial support.
According to the news portal imgrationnewscanada.Ca, SDS was launched with the aim of simplifying and speeding up the processing of study permits for students from selected countries. A streamlined process allows eligible applicants from countries such as India, China and the Philippines to arrive in Canada faster, typically within weeks, without having to wait for standard processing times (which can take months). He added that they are now able to enter the country.
Another portal, moving2canada.Com, explained that “2024 has been a turbulent year for students looking to study in Canada, with the number of international students Canada admits each year being significantly reduced.” In contrast, many argue for fast-tracking SDS and NSE applications as a means of admitting as many students as possible. ” Under SDS, applications for Indian students used to be processed within 20 working days, but now it can take up to eight weeks, the portal added.
Beyond international students, Canada is also retreating from its previous welcoming stance toward immigrants, especially low-skilled workers, many of whom are immigrants from India.
On October 24, Immigration Minister Mark Miller outlined his latest immigration strategy, saying Canada will admit about 395,000 permanent residents in 2025, down nearly 20 per cent from the 485,000 expected this year. Then he said.
The plan also targets temporary immigrants, including international students and foreign workers. That number is expected to decline from about 800,000 this year to about 446,000 in 2025 and 2026.
The new policy suggested Canada would admit only 17,400 new non-permanent residents by 2027.
