Canada streamlines student visa process for Indians
With the number of Indian students opting for higher studies in Canada on the rise, the Canadian government has introduced a faster, more streamlined visa processing mechanism for Indians to shorten the visa application queue. The new norms, which came into effect from June 8, will also be applicable for students from China, Vietnam, and the Philippines Here are the details.
Visa processing time has been reduced to within 45 days
Earlier, student visas were awarded through the Student Partnership Programme (SPP), under which, the processing time for such visas was within 60 days. The SPP, now, has been replaced by the Student Direct Stream (SDS), under which the visa processing time has been reduced to within 45 days. Compared to SPP, the SDS system offers other benefits too.
SDS will also allow applications to all designated learning institutes
Additionally, unlike SPP, under which aspiring students could apply to only one of the 40 post-secondary (college education) institutes in Canada participating in the programme, SDS will enable aspirants to apply to all designated learning institutes (DLI) in Canada.
Canada is increasingly becoming a favorite among Indian students
Interestingly, the Canadian government's decision almost coincides with the UK government's decision to make visa applications more complicated and strict for Indians. With the UK and the US becoming increasingly protectionist and exclusive, Indian students seeking world-class international education are looking towards Canada. According to ToI, in 2017 itself, Indian students obtained 83,140 student visas, a 58% increase over 2016.
Chinese and Indian students are numerous in Canada
According to the Canadian Bureau for International Education, a non-profit educational agency, there were 4.95 lakh international students in Canada at the end of 2017, a 20% increase over 2016. Of these, 1.4 lakh were Chinese students, and 1.24 lakh were Indian students.
