Rise in Indian students opting for Canada studies; student visa process speeded up

With the number of Indian students planning to pursue higher studies in Canada on the rise, a faster and simpler visa processing mechanism has been introduced in the country for study permits (student visas). The new program reduces the processing time to within 45 days as opposed to within 60 days previously.

The newly introduced ‘Student Direct Stream’ (SDS) program will be available for the students from India, China, Vietnam and Philippines who have the requisite financial resources and language skills to succeed academically in Canada.

With less visa documentation and quicker processing, the Student Partners Program (SPP) program is available only to students applying to 40 odd participating Canadian colleges. 

As per the statement released by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) - the Canadian government’s immigration division, the SDS program, introduced in early June, is available to students opting for post-secondary courses at all designated learning institutes.

Earlier, UK government announced its decision to exclude Indian students from easier visa norms which have led to the increase of Indian students opting for Canada.

During 2017, Indian students obtained 83,410 study permits, a rise of 58% over the previous year. During the period January to April 2018, over 29,000 Indian students obtained the study permits compared to 16,925 from China.