Canada ends fast-track visas for foreign students, know how will it affect Indians

Canada unexpetedly terminated its popular Student Direct Stream (SDS) program On Friday, November 8, 2024. Thousands of overseas students have benefited from this program's speedy study permit application process.

The popular Student Direct Stream (SDS) program, which expedited the study visa application procedure for overseas students, was cancelled by Justin Trudeau's government amid an ongoing diplomatic impasse between India and Canada.

Indian students, who view Canada as a viable hub for further education, are predicted to be severely impacted by the government program, which helped thousands of international students swiftly get visas for higher studies in Canada. This is because they are worried about processing delays.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) launched SDS in 2018 to expedite the visa application process for students from 14 countries—including China, India, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Morocco, Pakistan, Peru, Vietnam, and the Philippines—who fulfilled specific requirements.

“The evaluation was simplified if they met the language requirement and financial commitment needed, along with a letter of acceptance from a Canadian college or university,” Naresh Chavda, president of Globayan Immigration Corporation, told Hindustan Times.

The processing time was only four weeks, which is half the time required for standard study permits, and the approval rate was nearly 95%.

If applicants submit biometrics and fulfil all eligibility requirements, the program processes applications in 20 days; however, the conventional method frequently takes several weeks for Indian candidates.