Canada has always enjoyed immense popularity among Indian students looking to pursue higher education abroad. In parliament session, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) revealed that around 427,000 Indian students were studying in Canada. High-quality education, affordable education, and attractive Post Study Work Rights leading to PR have been primary reasons for Canada's popularity amongst Indian students.
Piyush Kumar, Regional Director for South Asia, highlights that Canada remains a top choice for Indian students, even after the SDS visa programme's discontinuation. With proper planning, the Regular Study Permit route ensures financial flexibility and continued opportunities.
RECENT POLICY CHANGES
The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced the discontinuation of the Student Direct Stream (SDS) visa programme on 8th November 2024. IRCC also announced the closure of its Nigeria Student Express (NSE) stream for study permits. All study permit applications will be processed through the Regular Study Permit Stream.
The Canadian government introduced SDS in 2018 for students from 14 countries, including India. The programme was implemented to streamline/fast-track the visa processing times. However, SDS demanded a few things from students, which would cost them an upfront investment at the time of making an application- towards ELT, living costs like GIC, and tuition fees.
Impact of its removal on Indian students
We anticipated a longer visa wait time for the Regular Study permit route, however, it does not seem like it since that month, SDS has been discontinued, majorly because of compliance with all the documentary requirements. It is still advisable for applicants to plan their documents and submit their documents well in advance to avoid delays.
Advantages of Regular Study Permit Stream (non-SDS)
1. The good news is that students will still have the ease of documentation option with the regular student visa route, and Indian students can still take advantage of that simpler process.
2. The Regular Study Permit route still allows for a simplified financial documentation process via the GIC option, and it offers much greater flexibility in terms of tuition fee payment
3. Applicants do not need to pay the full one-year tuition
4. Fee upfront; instead, they need to pay only for six months of tuition and evidence of funds for living costs
5. This makes the Regular Study Permit route more financially feasible for a larger number of students who might find it challenging to meet the high upfront financial requirement.
The new system opens up a wide spectrum of documentary evidence related to financials. For students who have started their application process after 8 November 2024, working with experienced counsellors can help them navigate the Regular Study Permit route efficiently. Read More
This article is referenced from
https://www.indiatoday.in/
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