Student Permit

Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has just announced that it will accept language test results from four new tests for Student Direct Stream (SDS) applicants.

Distance learning measures have been extended to August 31st, 2023.

Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) now has a processing time of 30 days for Temporary Resident Visas (TRVs) for spousal applicants. 

IRCC publishes service standards indicating expected processing times for temporary residence applications. However, these are estimates and actual times can vary based on application details and processing locations.

IRCC is set to reform the International Student Program, enhancing measures against fraud and ensuring genuine acceptance letters for study permits. By fall 2024, a "recognized institution" framework will prioritize study permit processing for Designated Learning Institutions (DLIs).

IRCC has unveiled major changes today as it seeks to be more transparent with its clients.

On March 31, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser announced major updates to the government’s online processing times tool.

Dual intent is present when a foreign national has applied, or may apply, for permanent residence in Canada but has also applied to enter Canada for a temporary period of time as a visitor, student or worker.

This week, Ontario, British Columbia (BC), and Manitoba have actively participated in the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), inviting a significant number of candidates to apply for nominations, vital for their integration into the provincial economies.

The Federal Court ruled that low grades in core courses can be a reasonable basis for refusing a study permit application in Canada.

That, in the opinion of the House, the government should develop and publicly release within 120 days following the adoption of this motion a comprehensive plan to expand the economic immigration stream to allow workers of all skill levels to meet the full range of labour needs and pathways to permanent residency for temporary foreign workers, including international students, with significant Canadian work experience in sectors with persistent labour shortages, and such plan should incorporate the following elements:

Starting today, master's students in Canada can now look forward to a three-year post-graduation work permit (PGWP), even for programs shorter than two years.

For all international students with study permit applications received/submitted as of January 1, the federal government has now more than doubled the cost-of-living financial requirement that applicants must display during the application process.

In addition to the existing Certificat d'Acceptation du Quebec (CAQ), international students planning to study in Quebec will also need an attestation letter to apply for a study permit.

Information on the Canadian education system.

A Statistics Canada report reveals that nearly one in four study permit holders in Canada in 2019 were not enrolled in public post-secondary institutions. In 2019, a total of 717,300 students held Canadian post-secondary study permits. Of this number, 24% (172,152 students) did not enrol in post-secondary institutions.

Ontario has announced its plan to prioritize public universities and colleges for 96% of its international study permits in 2024, leaving the rest for private universities and other institutions. This strategy aims to support the provincial labor market by focusing on postsecondary programs that prepare students for high-demand jobs in sectors like skilled trades, healthcare, STEM, hospitality, and childcare, while also emphasizing French-language skills.

As part of today’s press conference, Minister Miller also made two Post Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) related announcements.

Study at private Quebec colleges will no longer be eligible toward a PGWP application, a move the government says is to protect the integrity of the international student program.

In 2021, IRCC reported a 56% increase in study permit applications over 2020 as well as receiving 175,000 applications in the first quarter of 2022 alone. This has resulted in long processing times for study permit applications.

International students in Canada are often seen as easy targets for fraudsters looking to, literally, “cash in” on vulnerable victims.