Student Direct Stream priority processing

Summary#

These are ministerial instructions from the Department of Citizenship and Immigration under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act that detail who can get faster study-permit processing through the Student Direct Stream (SDS). They list the exact documents, test scores and other conditions applicants must provide to receive priority processing. The instructions were signed May 12, 2023 and take effect 90 days after that (on or about August 10, 2023).

What it does#

• Defines which study-permit applications get “priority processing” through the Student Direct Stream (SDS). SDS is an optional, faster path for some applicants.
• Limits SDS eligibility to people who are legal residents of: Antigua and Barbuda; Brazil; China; Colombia; Costa Rica; India; Morocco; Pakistan; Peru; Philippines; Senegal; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Trinidad and Tobago; and Vietnam.
• Requires applicants to submit all of the following when they apply:
  • an acceptance letter from a designated Canadian postsecondary school;
  • proof that first-year tuition has been paid to that school;
  • a Guaranteed Investment Certificate of CAN$10,000;
  • a medical exam;
  • a police certificate;
  • recent secondary or postsecondary transcripts;
  • an approved language test result (see next bullet);
  • and, if planning to study in Quebec, a Québec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ).
• Specifies which language tests are accepted and the minimum scores:
  • general tests equal to at least Canadian Language Benchmarks 7 in each skill (speaking, listening, reading, writing), or
  • academic tests with these minimums: IELTS Academic 6, CAEL 60, Pearson PTE Academic 60, TEF 400, TCF 400, or TOEFL iBT 83 (each score must cover all four skills).
• Says all accepted language tests must be taken in person. Online, remotely proctored tests are not allowed for SDS.
• Makes clear that applications received on or after the effective date that do not meet these conditions will not get priority processing.

Who's affected#

• Prospective international students who are legal residents of the listed countries and who want faster study-permit processing.
• Canadian designated learning institutions that admit students using SDS.
• People planning to study in Quebec, who must also get a CAQ.
• Language-test takers and testing centres, because only in-person test results are accepted.
• If you’re not from one of the listed countries, or you don’t meet the document/test requirements, this change does not give you faster processing.

Why it matters#

• If you meet all the listed conditions you can get a shorter wait for a Canadian study permit, which helps with planning travel, housing, and school start dates.
• There are extra upfront costs and steps: paying first-year tuition, buying a CAN$10,000 GIC, getting a medical exam and police check, and taking an in-person language test with the required scores.
• Because online language tests are excluded, test availability and travel to test centres could affect how quickly an applicant can qualify for SDS.
• Applications that look similar but don’t include these items simply won’t be fast-tracked after the instructions take effect.