Canada stops prioritizing visa processing for Vietnamese students
Canada suddenly closed the SDS program, which was designed to speed up the processing of student visas and did not require proof of financial resources, for students in 14 countries and territories, including Vietnam.
The information was posted on the Canadian government's website on November 8 and took effect immediately.
SDS (Student Direct Stream) is an initiative of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) 6 years ago, to prioritize the processing of student visas from 14 countries and territories.
Under this program, students do not need to prove their finances, reduce procedures, submit applications online, and have other priorities. The visa processing time of the SDS program is about 7 weeks, faster than the normal processing time of 11 weeks.
On its website, IDP - an international education organization that provides study abroad support services, said that about 14,000 Vietnamese students went to Canada under the SDS program.
The new policy follows a series of moves to cut the number of international students coming to Canada, amid rising immigration numbers that have put pressure on the housing market.
In September, Canada announced that it would issue 437,000 study permits in 2025, down about 10% from this year. Applicants for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) must also submit a certificate of English or French at level B2 or higher for university students and B1 or higher for college students.
International students who arrived in Canada after November 1 must still study in fields on IRCC's list to be able to apply for a PGWP.
Previously, the financial proof requirement was increased to more than CAD 20,600 ($15,200), double the CAD 10,000 requirement that had existed for decades. In addition, international master's and doctoral students must submit a certificate of study from the province, state or territory when applying for a permit.
Canada is expected to attract more than one million international students by 2023, making it one of the top two study abroad destinations, along with the United States. According to 2022 figures, about 40% of foreign students in Canada come from India, with Chinese students coming in second at about 12%. The number of Vietnamese students is more than 16,000.
The average cost of a bachelor's degree in Canada is about 36,000 CAD (654 million VND) a year, including tuition and living expenses.