Canada Speeds Up Visa Process for Indian Students
- Canada High Commission has initiated a Student Direct Program (SDS) to ease and facilitate the process of granting study permit to international students.
- With the number of India students applying for higher education in Canada increasing, the move is expected to be beneficial.
To make the visa process easier for the Indian students, Canada has introduced a simple and faster visa processing mechanism. The move has been initiated as the number of Indian students opting for higher studies in Canada is increasing day by day.
As per the new visa programme, the processing time of obtaining a Canadian student visa will be completed within 45 days only. The new Student Direct Program (SDS) will help students from countries such as India, China, Vietnam and Philippines. To opt for the SDS program, candidates will need the requisite financial resources and essential language skills.
Earlier, the Student Partners Program (SPP) required less visa documentation and the process was quicker. However, this program was narrow in scope and the application was only limited to 40 applications in Canadian colleges. Whereas, the new SDS program is open for all students opting for college education mostly at all designated institutes.
According to a survey, Chinese students are on top in the world to opt for international education and to be allocated study permits (during 2015 and 2016). However, India topped the list in 2017 with over 26% of the total study permit with China following the list. The trend in India towards international education is changing with more and more students opting for the same. In the period of January 2018-April 2018, around 29,000 Indian students got the study visa for Canada as compared to only 16,925 from China.
According to the Canadian Bureau for International Education, Canada had around 4.95 lakh international students enrolled in various universities and institutes at the end of 2017. The top three countries from where students came to study in Canada included:
- China - 1.40 lakh students
- India - 1.24 lakh students
- Republic of Korea - 23,050 students
Also Read: Number of Indian Students in Canada Crosses 100,000
Talha Mohani, Immigration Law Specialist and Managing Director at Migration Bureau Corp talked about the application process of SDS program. The students' visa application is assessed in terms of eligibility and other factors such as medical, financial status and language. For the SDS programme, students are required to pay the tuition fees first and have to buy a guaranteed investment certificate for $10,000 CAD.
To be eligible for the programme, candidates should have a minimum score of 6 in the International English Language Eligibility Test (IELTS). The candidate also has to submit a copy of the medical exam confirmation document.
He further informed that internship is an important criteria when it comes to job prospects in Canada. All Canadian college students and international students are required to complete work placement which is a part of their study course.
Also Read: 36% Hike in Applications from Indian Students for UK Universities
Apart from this, the applicant also gets an extra 15 points for a post-secondary education program in Canada, if the course is of a one or two-year duration. 30 points are given to those whose course duration is three years or more. The most popular study programmes for the Indian students in Canada include civil engineering, hospitality medicine, software engineering etc.