Mumbai: In a huge blow to prospective international students, particularly Indians, the Canada government has abruptly ended its Student Direct Stream (SDS) program effective immediately.
About The SDS Program
The SDS program, which fast-tracked the visa process for thousands of international students from 14 countries including India and China, was introduced in 2018 by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). The program allowed quicker processing and higher approval rates for students from 14 countries who met some specific criteria, including a Canadian Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC) worth $20,635 CAD and English or French language test scores.
The initiative has been discontinued to "strengthen program integrity, address student vulnerability, and give all students equal and fair access to the application process,” the government of Canada said on its website.
Applications received till 2 pm ET on November 8 under the scheme will be processed, whereas all applications after this will be processed under the regular study permit stream, the Canadian government announced.
Locals On The Move
The move, locals say, is aimed at curbing the housing crisis in the country, for which the government often blames migration. It has left many prospective students in a lurch, specially from India.
“Through the SDS program, I got my education visa in nine days. A normal process would have taken at least eight weeks. So, with weeks saved, I moved to the country early and got a bit settled before academics began. It helped me tremendously,” said a second year student at York University. “My sister, who will finish her graduation next year, is also planning to apply to the same university. But with this decision, I’m apprehensive about it. It is not only this decision, but with rising tensions in diplomatic ties, the situation for Indian students is not the most ideal at the time. I’ll ask my sister to reconsider,” she added, requesting anonymity.
“I’m not sure if the recent decisions by the Canadian government will actually solve the housing crisis in the country, but it will surely attract way less international students to the country,” another student from George Brown College added.
“First the visa cap, and now termination of the SDS program… I’m not sure if I any longer want to apply to a Canadian institute. I was choosing Canada because it offers exceptional courses in business management. But I will now rather research more about which other country provides better education and provides better opportunities in the field,” said Raghav Arora, a prospective Indian student from New Delhi.
