There is tension in the relations between India and Canada. Meanwhile, Canada has ended the Fast Track Study Visa Program i.e. Student Direct Stream (SDS) for international students. This will have a big impact on the students of many countries including India. Students applying under the Student Direct Stream used to get study visa in a very short time. According to the Indian High Commission, India is the largest source country of foreign students, according to an estimate, 4 lakh 27 thousand Indian students are studying in Canada.

Let us tell you that under SDS, the applications of Indian students were processed within just 20 days, meaning this work used to take only 20 days, but now it can take up to 8 weeks.

Students from these countries got entry

Actually, Student Direct Stream (SDS) was started in the year 2018 for eligible post-secondary students, so that students can get visa quickly. Under this, pathways were opened for students from India, Antigua, Barbuda, Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Morocco, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Senegal, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad, Tobago, Vietnam.

IRCC said this

At the same time, a statement from Immigration Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said that we are committed to providing equal and fair opportunities to all international students in the application process for study visa. The statement also said that Canada’s goal is to strengthen the integrity of the Fast Track Study Visa Program and provide equality in the application process to all students.

What did Justin Trudeau say?

Earlier in September, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had announced on X that this year we are giving 35 percent less international student visas and next year this number will further reduce by 10 percent. He said that it is also true that immigration is beneficial for our economy, but when bad people misuse the system and take advantage of students, then we take such action. He said he is considering reducing the number of temporary residents.

Students will be able to apply through regular study permit stream

IRCC had given a cut-off time of 2:30 pm on Saturday night Indian time and said that all eligible SDS applications received before this will be processed. However, IRCC also said that prospective students can still apply through the regular study permit stream, for which Guaranteed Investment Certificates will be accepted as proof of financial support.

Canada is cutting the number of international students

Moving2canada.com, a Canadian portal, reported that the year 2024 has been a turbulent year for prospective students wishing to study in Canada, as the number of international students seeking entry into Canada is being reduced each year. The portal said that under SDS, the applications of Indian students were processed within just 20 days, meaning this work used to take only 20 days, but now it can take up to 8 weeks.