Canada Discontinues Popular Student Visa Scheme: How It Affects Indians

Canada on Friday discontinued its Student Direct Stream (SDS) visa program for international students, amid a push by the country to cope with its housing and resource crisis.

The program was implemented in 2018 by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to expedite study permit applications for international students from 14 countries, including Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, India, Morocco, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines and Vietnam. The government of Canada said on its website that the initiative is being discontinued to "strengthen program integrity, address student vulnerability, and give all students equal and fair access to the application process".

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 program had higher approval rates and faster processing times. With the discontinuation of this program, students from India and 13 other countries will have to undergo more lengthy visa processes.

Canada is looking to sharply lower the number of immigrants it allows into the country for the first time in years, in a dramatic policy change for an unpopular government trying to hang on to power.

A country that has long prided itself on welcoming newcomers, Canada is now moving the rhetoric towards migrants leading to a housing crisis, from rising cost of living to a strained healthcare system.

The issue has become one of the most contentious in Canadian politics with a federal election due no later than October 2025. Polls show a growing share of the population thinks Canada has too many immigrants.