Permit processing setback for Indian students in Canada

Of note, primarily colleges (where the excesses and abuses largely occurred:

…Introduced in 2018, SDS enabled students from select countries, including India, to fast-track their applications if they fulfilled certain requirements, including securing a Canadian Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC) valued at CA$20,635 (US$14,731) and submitting English or French language test scores. 

It notably shortened the waiting time for permits, allowing successful applicants to obtain visas within weeks, in contrast to the average processing time of eight weeks for Indian applicants under the standard application process.

The changes came into effect on 8 November, but students who submitted applications before that date will still be processed through the expedited stream. Indian students will now have to apply for study permits through Canada’s standard study permit stream. 

Originally accessible to applicants from China, India, and the Philippines, the programme subsequently broadened its scope to include additional countries, including Antigua and Barbuda, Brazil, Colombia, and Morocco, among others.

Canadian immigration authorities state the discontinuation of the SDS and NSE programmes is aimed at “strengthening programme integrity”, and is designed to create “a more equitable process” for international students, ensuring fair treatment for applicants from all countries.

Prioritising university applicants

Students from Punjab are more likely to be impacted as they enrol in Canada’s community colleges, while Canadian universities attract more students from large cities elsewhere in India, education agents said. 

“With Canada’s new cap of 437,000 study permits for 2025, I think this signals a clear shift toward prioritising degree-seeking students over diploma programmes,” said Maria Mathai, director of New Delhi-based education consultancy MM Advisory Services.

Mathai told University World News that the most immediate impact will be felt in the college sector, which accounted for 75% of SDS applications post-pandemic. She noted it could lead to an overall drop in approval rates.

In 2023, 60% of the 400,000 Indian students seeking to study in Canada applied through the SDS programme, which had a significantly higher approval rate – over 70% of applicants from India received study permits. 

In contrast, those applying through the regular study permit stream experienced much lower approval rates, at just 10%.

“Students pursuing diploma programmes, particularly from Punjab, will indeed face processing times which will increase from 1-3 weeks to 4-8 weeks,” said Mathai, adding it was to be expected as the original programme was launched to promote college applications….

Source: Permit processing setback for Indian students in Canada