Canada’s Student Direct Stream (SDS) Continues to Provide Approval Rate Advantage for International Students

Some international students can receive study permits faster thanks to the SDS. Most SDS applications will be processed by IRCC within 20 calendar days assuming all qualifying requirements are met.

Only applications submitted electronically to study in Canada consultants are eligible for SDS processing. All paper applications are processed through the usual study permit application process and are subject to the associated processing times.

Foreign national’s consultants for abroad study who qualify for SDS processing must still meet all other eligibility and admissibility standards outlined in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) and Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR).

Criteria for eligibility

To be qualified for SDS processing, the applicant must include the following documents:

1. evidence of a valid language test result obtained within two years of the date the SDS application was received, demonstrating one of the following:

• a score of 6.0 or better on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) in each language skill: Listening, reading, writing, and speaking
• a Test d’Evaluation de Français (TEF) score for each skill that is similar to at least a 7 on the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB): at least 310 marks for communicating, 249 marks for attending, 207 marks for reading, and 310 points for composing.
  
  2. confirmation of a CAN$10,000 or more Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC) from any bank insured by the Canadian Deposit Insurance Corporation (CDIC) or any bank listed on the IRCC SDS web page

The GIC must fulfill the following requirements to study in Canada consultants:

• When the GIC is acquired, the bank issues the applicant a letter of attestation, the GIC certificate, the Investment Directions Confirmation, or the Investment Balance Confirmation.
• The monies are held by the bank in an investment account or a student account and are not available for disbursement to the applicant until the applicant arrives in Canada.
• Before delivering payments to the study permit holder, the bank must authenticate the client’s identification upon arrival in Canada.
• After identifying oneself, the applicant receives an initial payout, and the remaining monies are distributed in monthly or biweekly increments over a 10- to 12-month period.
  
  3. evidence of complete tuition payment for the applicant’s first year of study

This might take the following forms:

• a certificate from the DLI
• an official letter from the DLI verifying tuition price payment
• a bank receipt indicating that tuition fees were paid to the DLI proof that the tuition fee money was put into a DLI repository account to be applied to the tuition bill at a later date

4. Acceptance letter from a post-secondary DLI

5. most recent secondary or post-secondary educational transcript

6. confirmation of completion of an upfront medical assessment from a panel physician for applicants

• who has lived or traveled for 6 months in selected countries or territories in the year preceding their arrival in Canada?
• whose subject of study necessitates immediate medical examination findings

Family relatives of SDS study permit candidates

Concurrent processing is available to family members of principal applicants who apply under the SDS at the same time as the primary applicant. There are consultants for abroad study, who can assist the applicant for SDS permit

As part of a family grouping, the accompanying family members’ temporary residence applications (work permit, study permit, and temporary resident visa applications) must be submitted online.

Course prerequisites and bridge programs of study

Applicants who are enrolled in a prerequisite course or bridging program of study at a DLI prior to beginning their major program may be eligible to apply under the SDS if they fulfill all programme eligibility criteria.