The Student Direct Stream (SDS)

Meurrens LawUncategorized

On May 2, 2019 Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (“IRCC”) unveiled the Student Direct Stream (the “SDS”), an expedited study permit processing program initially available to legal residents of India, China, Philippines and Vietnam.

Eligibility Before May 2023

To be eligible for the SDS, an applicant must:

  • be a legal resident of India, China, Philippines and Vietnam;
  • provide proof of a valid language test result, completed within 2 years of the date of the SDS application, showing an IELTS score of 6.0 or higher in each language skill, or a TEF score that is equivalent to Canadian Language Benchmark 7;
  • provide proof of a Guaranteed Investment Certificate “GIC” of CAN $10,000.00 or more issued from any bank that is insured by the Canadian Deposit Insurance Corporation (“CDIC”) or any bank listed on the IRCC SDS webpage;
  • provide proof of full payment of tuition for their first year of study;
  • provide a letter of acceptance to a Designated Learning Institute (a “DLI”);
  • complete an upfront medical exam.

The GIC must meet the following criteria:

  • when the GIC has been purchased, the bank provides a letter of attestation, the GIC certificate, the Investment Directions Confirmation or the Investment Balance Confirmation to the applicant;
  • the bank holds the funds in an investment account or a student account that is inaccessible for release to the applicant until the applicant’s arrival in Canada;
  • upon entry to Canada, the bank must validate the client’s identity before releasing funds to the study permit holder; and
  • the applicant receives an initial disbursement upon identifying themselves, and the remaining funds are disbursed in monthly or bi-monthly installments over a period of 10 to 12 months.

Proof of completion of full payment of tuition for their first year of study can include:

  • a receipt from the Designated Learning Institute (“DLI”);
  • an official letter from the DLI confirming payment of tuition fees;
  • a receipt from a bank showing that tuition fees have been paid to the DLI; and
  • proof that the tuition fee amount has been transferred into a repository account at the DLI to be applied to the tuition bill at a later date.

Eligibility After May 12, 2023, under Ministerial Instructions

On May 12, 2023, Minister Sean Fraser passed Ministerial Instructions regarding the Student Direct Stream.

The instructions are directed to officers who are charged with handling and/or reviewing certain applications for study permits, and establish conditions that must be met for these study permits to receive priority processing.

To be eligible for priority processing under the SDS, the study permit application must have been made by an applicant who is a legal resident of Antigua and Barbuda, Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, India, Morocco, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Senegal, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, or Vietnam.

In addition, applicants must provide the following documentation at the time they present their study permit application:

  1. an acceptance letter from a postsecondary designated learning institution, as per section 211.1 of IRPR;
  2. evidence that the tuition has been paid to the postsecondary designated learning institution referred to in (1) for the first year of study;
  3. a Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC) of CAN$10,000;
  4. a medical examination, as per section 29 of IRPR;
  5. a police certificate;
  6. recent secondary or postsecondary school transcript(s); and
  7. a language test result, as described in these Instructions.

Applicants intending to study in Quebec must also have a Québec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) from the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration.For the purposes of these Instructions, language test results accepted are

  1. Results of an evaluation from a designated language-testing organization using a general language test approved pursuant to subsection 74(3) of the IRPR: IELTS General, CELPIP General, TEF Canada and TCF Canada; with a score that is equivalent to a Canadian Language Benchmarks score of at least 7 for each of the four language abilities (speaking, listening, reading, and writing); or
  2. Results of an academic language test from a language-testing organization designated pursuant to subsection 74(3) of the IRPR: IELTS Academic (minimum score of 6), CAEL (minimum score of 60), Pearson PTE Academic (minimum score of 60), TEF – 5 épreuves (minimum score of 400) and TCF – tout public (minimum score of 400), with results from each of the four language abilities (speaking, listening, reading, and writing); or
  3. Results from the academic language test from Educational Testing Service (ETS) TOEFL iBT Test (minimum score of 83), with results from each of the four language abilities (speaking, listening, reading, and writing).

Additionally, all above noted tests must be taken in their in-person format to be accepted for the SDS. Online remotely proctored tests will not be accepted for the purposes of the SDS.

Incomplete applications are refused. With the exception of the biometric fee, if the application processing fee has not been included or is incorrect, the application is refused. If the biometric fee is missing, the officer is to request the fee.

August 10, 2023, Change

As of August 10, 2023, IRCC will acecpt the following valid language test results:

  • CAEL: a minimum overall score of 60;
  • CELPIP General: a score that is equivalent to a CLB score of at least 7 for each ability;
  • IELTS Academic: a minimum overall score of at least 6;
  • IELTS General: a score that is equivalent to a CLB score of at least 7 for each ability;
  • TCF Canada: a score that is equivalent to a CLB score of at least 7 for each ability;
  • TCF Tout public: a minimum overall score of 400;
  • TEF Canada: a score that is equivalent to a CLB score of at least 7 for each ability;
  • TEF 5 épreuves : a minimum overall score of 400 (“Lexique/Structure” is not required for SDS);
  • TOEFL iBTL: a minimum overall score of at least 83
    Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic: a minimum overall score of 60.

Sub-tests and test variants not listed above, including but not limited to IELTS One Skill Retake, PTE Academic UKVI, TEFAQ, and TOEFL iBT My Best Scores, are not approved under the SDS program.

Procedure

Applicants to the SDS must be submitted online.

SDS applications will be centralized and processed in Canada. The service standard for SDS processing is 20 calendar days from the completion of biometrics.

Decrease in Chinese Use

SDS Decline