Canada makes easy student visa process for Indians
New Delhi : Good news for students who wants to continue their studies in Canada! Yes, the country has come up with a faster and simpler visa processing mechanism for students from India and three other countries. The number of Indian students willing for studies in Canada is on the rise and this new program which cuts down the processing time for study permit within 45 days as opposed to within 60 days will be helpful.
Sources confirmed that students from India, China, Vietnam and Philippines who show direct that they have the necessary financial resources and language skills to succeed academically in Canada are eligible to opt for the newly introduced ‘Student Direct Stream’ (SDS) program.
The former Student Partners Program (SPP) that enroll less visa documentation and quicker processing was more thin in scope and available only to students applying to 40 odd participating Canadian colleges. On the other hand, the SDS program, introduced in early June, is available to students opting for post-secondary courses at all designated learning institutes, according to a statement issued by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), which is the Canadian government’s immigration division.
These announcements almost coincide with the United Kingdom’s government decision to leave out Indian students from easier visa norms. Due to the growing problems in UK and USA, the number of Indian students opting for Canada is growing at a faster pace. Indian students obtained 83,410 study permits during 2017, a rise of 58% over the previous year.
According to the Canadian Bureau for International Education, a non-profit agency in the educational domain, there were 4.95 lakh international students studying in Canada at the end of 2017, a rise of 20%. Also, a spokesperson from the IRCC said that top source countries for international students, who were present in Canada as of December 3, 2017, were China with 1.40 lakh students, India with 1.24 lakh students and Republic of Korea with 23,050 students.
Ontario-based Talha Mohani, immigration law specialist and managing director at Migration Bureau Corp, mentions the nitty-gritty of the SDS program “A study permit application is assessed in terms of eligibility and admissibility, which include finance, language and medical. Under the SDS program several of these criteria are to be satisfied upfront. The student must pay the first semester tuition fee, in addition to buying a guaranteed investment certificate of Canadian $ 10,000. A minimum score of 6 for English in the International English Language Testing System is also required. The applicant also has to submit a copy of the upfront medical exam confirmation document. Given that some key criteria are met upfront when the application is made, enables the IRCC to reduce the time required to verify and complete the assessment process.”
“Canadian education and work experience (internship experience counts) are extremely valuable when it comes to job prospects in Canada,” cites a job facilitator. Cynthia Murphy, interim India regional manager at Canadian Immigrant Integration Program, says, “Canadian college students including international students usually complete a work placement (internship) as part of their study course. This enables them to connect with future employers.”
As per IRCC, “The SDS complements the express entry system as these students will be well placed to continue on the path to permanent residence and Canadian citizenship after completing their studies in Canada, if they wish to.”The express entry program for permanent residency in Canada is point based and a Canadian education helps gather extra points. Mohani explains that an applicant can get 15 extra points for a post secondary education program in Canada which is of one to two year duration and 30 points if it is of duration of three years or more. While official data is yet to be made on the most popular courses that Indian students opt for, industry watchers say that business management, civil engineering, software engineering, medicine, and hospitality are some of the popular courses in the country.
