Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced the Student Direct Stream (SDS), effective immediately, to benefit students from China, India, Vietnam and Philippines with faster processing times on their study permit application. To be eligible, they must demonstrate upfront that they have the financial resources and language skills to succeed academically in Canada.

IRCC also announced that they are working on expanding SDS to Africa, in order to attract more French-speaking students to Canada. Kenya and Senegal are on the spot. If the success of the SDS program will be positive evaluated, IRCC can expand the program in 2019.

According to 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.

To qualify for SDS, students must first be accepted at a Canadian Learning Institution that is designated to host international students, and satisfy key criteria, such as submitting proof upfront of:

• tuition payment for the first year of study at a designated learning institution in Canada,
• purchase of a Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC) of $10,000,
• completion of an upfront medical examination,
• a qualifying score of at least 6 for English (IELTS), or Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens score of 7 for French (TEF), or graduation from a Canadian-curriculum high school.