Study in Canada on the fast track for Indian students

It’s well known that Indian students constitute the largest chunk of the total candidates who go to study overseas in Canada.

In 2019, close to 35% of Canada’s new student visa issuances went to Indian students. This is much ahead of China.

It’s amazing that Indians make up 34% of over 640,000 international students in Canada.

Canada attracts Indian students as a top choice to study abroad for reasons like:

• Opportunity to study, work, and immigrate
• The experience of a multicultural society alongside a large Indian diaspora
• Affordable education with high standards
• Compatible with India’s middle-class youngsters who are proficient in English

The COVID-19 pandemic and its threat have not dissipated the demand for Canada as a top choice for students. In fact, many do want to do studies in Canada by joining Canadian universities in the fall of 2020.

Recognizing and facilitating this demand, Canada has also done a lot for international students during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

Canada has accepted incomplete applications for the Canada study visa in case the necessary documents could not be procured due to COVID-19 disruptions. Applicants are given 90 days’ time to submit the same.

Also, Canada has permitted international students to begin their courses online and complete up to 50% of it that way before coming to Canadian colleges after the pandemic crisis gets over. It will also not affect their eligibility for PGWP (Post-Graduation Work Permit).

With PGWP, students can get professional work experience in Canada for not more than 3 years. This experience will earn them better ranking while considering immigration application for Permanent Residence.

So, if you want to start your studies in Canada in fall 2020, the following are the steps involved:

• Scan through and identify the best DLI (Designated Learning Institute) that serves you best. A DLI can be a university, college, or any other educational institution.
• Apply to the DLI after choosing one. The DLI will consider your application based on factors including:
• English language skills
• Your transcripts
• Suitability of the program to your career plans
• Professional and academic recommendations
• Upon acceptance of your application, you will be issued a Letter of Acceptance (LOI).
• If you wish to study in Quebec, you must receive a Quebec Acceptance Certificate. Then a study permit must be procured from the federal government. If you wish to study outside Quebec in Canada, you must only submit a study permit application.

To be eligible to study in Canada, while applying for a study permit, you must produce the following documents:

• Proof for financial sufficiency to self-support in Canada
• LOA
• Police certificate
• Medical exam certificate

Now, if you want to fast-track the process, you can apply under the Student Direct Stream (SDS). Through this stream, you can get your study permit applications processed within 20 days.

Here are the additional eligibility criteria for SDS:

• Get a minimum score of 6 in each skill of the IELTS Academic exam
• Get a GIC (Guaranteed Investment Certificate) of $10,000 CAD from a participating financial institution, meeting the SDS criteria
• Get proof that you have paid tuition fees for the first year of your studies in Canada

If this fall is your target to start studies at a Canadian institute, SDS is the option you should go for.

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