SDS (Student Direct Stream) for Canada 

Aspiration is the key to motivation, and every individual aspires to higher goals in life. If you want to study in Canada, you must apply for a Student Visa. Getting a Student Visa to study abroad in Canada is a challenging and time consuming process. Therefore, it is recommended that you apply for the same at least 6-8 months before your classes start and as soon as you receive an offer letter from Canadian University. To streamline and accelerate the process of Student visas for Canada, the Canadian Government has introduced the Student Direct Stream.

In this blog, we will briefly explore the SDS process and changes introduced in the requirements by IRCC for the students applying under SDS. Here we go!

Get a brief of Student Direct Stream

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada launched the SDS program to fasten and expedite the student visa process for some international students who are legal residents of the following countries: The SDS has made the process of student visas efficient and convenient. SDS applications are accepted only online. IRCC processes SDS applications within 20 calendar days. Thus, SDS enables applicants to receive their visas within 4 to 6 weeks.

Non-SDS is a general visa process which is lengthy and requires more documentation. The success rate of non-SDS applications is 40 per cent.

Know the eligibility criteria for SDS applications

Great news for IELTS Academic

Before you dream about studying at a Canadian University, knowing whether you meet the eligibility criteria and are willing to provide the required documents is essential. SDS aims to process the study permit application in just four weeks to the regular processing time of several months.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has announced that it will start accepting Additional English language tests for the Student Direct stream process starting from 10th August 2023.

Let us briefly explore the changes introduced

Before 10th August 2023:

The accepted IELTS score is 6.0 or above in each language skill (listening, reading, writing, and speaking)

After 10th August 2023:

IRCC will accept the following language tests for the SDS visa process.

IELTS Academic- a minimum overall score of at least 6

CAEL- a minimum overall score of 60
CELPIP – a minimum of 7 for each skill
TOEFL IBT – minimum of 83

This means applicants who choose IELTS Academic require an overall band score of 6.0 instead of scoring 6 and above in each skill. Candidates taking the IELTS General Training test must achieve a minimum of 6.0 on each skill to qualify for the SDS study permit program. As part of this announcement, a band score 6.0 in Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening is equivalent to a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7. The changes in IRCC’s English test requirements for SDS made it easier for international students to study in Canada. You can contact our experts if you have any other queries regarding the SDS and non-SDS process at SIEC.