The IRCC staff has recently created some new guidelines, procedures, and policies regarding the SDS. For the benefit of the stakeholders, the details are present on the department’s website.
SDS stands for the Student Direct Stream. It applies to a specific set of students. Many students apply to travel, study, work, do business, or immigrate to Canada. The SDS will allow these immigrating people to get a permit for study applications in Canada. This program will give the students a visa to study in a post-secondary DLI or a Designated Learning Institution in Canada.
Currently, the SDS is only available for applicants who are legal residents of certain countries. The countries are as follows-
- Vietnam
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Senegal
- Philippines
- Peru
- Pakistan
- Morocco
- India
- Costa Rica
- Colombia
- China
- Brazil
- Antigua and Barbuda
Legal residents of these countries can apply for an SDS in Canada. Additionally, the applicants need to be fully eligible for this program. There are specific requirements that need to be met. Proof of those requirements may also be required for the front of documentations.
How Does SDS Work?
International students or students with a Canada Visa will find the SDS program to be beneficial. This is because their study permits will be processed much faster with this program. The majority of the SDS applications are usually processed within 20 working days, provided the applicants meet all the eligibility requirements.
It is to be noted that only the applications that have been electronically submitted are considered eligible for SDS. Only those applications get processed. If an applicant applies with a paper application, it will be categorized under the stream of regular study permit applications. The processing time of such a regular application is usually much longer than SDS.
Nationals of other nations who are applying for Canadian citizenship & will also get the advantages of SDS, provided the other eligibilities are met. Any foreign applicant will also need to be admissible and eligible concerning the following-
- IRPR or Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations
- IRPA or Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
Criteria for Eligibility
For an applicant to be eligible for SDS, multiple documents need to be produced. These documents will check whether the person is eligible for SDS or not and start the processing accordingly. The documents are as follows-
- Proof of a good language test result of the applicant. This test result needs to be of date within two years since receiving the SDS application. The proof can have any of these in it-
- A minimum score of 6.0 in IELTS or International English Language Testing System. The minimum score should be achieved in all language skills, such as speaking, writing, reading, and listening.
- A minimum score in TEF or Test d’Evaluation de Français, which is the equivalent of getting a 7 in the CLB or Canadian Language Benchmark. The candidate must have a minimum mark of 310 for speaking and writing, 207 for reading, and 249 for listening.
- A GIC proof or Guaranteed Investment Certificate proof that shows an amount of CAN$ 10,000 or higher. It should be from any banking institution that has been insured by the CDIC or the Canadian Deposit Insurance Corporation. Any other bank that is listed on the website of IRCC SDS is also an option. The needed criteria for the GIC are as follows-
- Upon purchasing the GIC, the respective bank will need to provide an Investment Balance Confirmation, Investment Directions Confirmation, GIC certificate, or the attestation letter to the candidate.
- Until the applicant arrives in Canada, the fund will be stored in the bank under a student account or an investment account. The applicant will not be able to access or release the fund before their arrival.
- Once the applicant arrives in Canada, the bank will check and authenticate the candidate’s identity. After that, the study permit holder will be able to access the funds.
- When the candidate provides their identification proof, they will receive a disbursement initially. The rest of the amount will be disbursed to the study permit holder within 10 to 12 months, through instalments in a monthly or bi-monthly manner.
- The applicant also has to provide proof of complete payment of the first-year studying tuition fees. The evidence can be as follows-
- DLI can provide a receipt for the payment
- DLI can provide an official letter that states and confirms that the tuition fees has been paid
- Bank receipt confirming the payment of the tuition fees to DLI
- Proof of transferring the tuition fee to a DLI repository account, which can be applied later as the tuition bill
- An acceptance letter has been issued by a post-secondary DLI recently.
- The educational transcript that has been received for post-secondary or secondary education most recently.
- The upfront medical examination completion proof, which has to be completed by a panel physician. The applicants need to be eligible for the following-
- The applicant must have travelled or lived for a minimum of 6 months in their respective designated territories or countries before moving to Canada the following year.
- The applicants who have chosen a study field that needs results of upfront medical examinations
It is to be noted that the confirmation for the medical examination can have two formats. If the physician has used an e-Medical, the confirmation can be a printout of the information sheet. If not, the form IMM 1017B or the upfront medical report form can act as the confirmatory document.
Additionally, the candidates who have applied for the SDS processing must also provide additional documents for their e-application or electronic application. The papers are as follows-
- Form IMM 1294, or the overseas form for application of getting the study permit outside Canada
- Form IMM 5645, or the form of family information, if needed
- Form IMM 5257, or the form of temporary resident visa application, if needed
- Form IMM 5409, or the form of the statutory declaration of common-law union, or marriage certificate and license, if needed
- Form IMM 5476, or the form for using a representative, if needed
- CAQ or Quebec Acceptance Certificate, or a MIFI or Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration approval letter for the applicants
- Payment of the application processing fee and biometric processing fee, if needed
- Identity proof
- A photocopy of the passport’s information and biographic data page of the applicant
- Any other relevant document that has been specified/instructed by the visa office, based on the region of the applicant
It is to be noted that in most cases, the applicants need to provide biometrics information compulsorily. Once the applicant has completed the application and submitted it, they need to complete payment for the application and the processing fees for biometrics. After that, they are sent a BIL, or Biometric Instruction Letter, and it has all the necessary instructions regarding the biometrics submission.
To make a proper decision on the application, the officers may ask for any additional relevant documents from the applicants.
Also, the officers need to be assured that the application process and the applicant are legit. Also, assurance is required that the applicant will willingly leave Canada once the authorized staying period gets over.
What happens to Incomplete Applications?
Any incomplete application is refused immediately. The only fee that is excluded is the biometrics, which can be paid at a later date. Otherwise, the fee for the processing of the application also needs to be paid correctly. If the amount is incorrect or the payment is incomplete, the application will be considered incomplete and refused. If only the biometrics fee is left, the officers will ask for its payment in due time.
Rules for the Family Members of SDS applicants
Even if you aren’t an SDS applicant, you can apply for permanent residence, citizenship, or sponsor your family member with a Canada visa. As for the applicants, their family members can also apply for processing, provided they have used it simultaneously as the main candidate. The definition of the family member should be reviewed in case of any doubts.
Online applications are needed if the family members apply for temporary residences, such as temporary resident visas, study permits, or work permits. The main candidate needs to make sure that the applications of their family members are grouped under family applications.
Study Bridging Programs and Prerequisite Courses
Many candidates have been taking a bridging program to study under a DLI or are currently undergoing a prerequisite course. If these courses are done before the main program has started, the candidates can apply for the SDS program. The candidates need to fulfil all the eligibility and meet the requirements for the program as well.
For instance, the normal applicants will be submitting the electronic application from their designated countries or territories. In the case of a study bridging program or a prerequisite course, it needs to be mentioned in the applicant’s acceptance letter. Also, there should be mention of the details of the main study program of the applicant. It can lead to either a certificate, diploma or a degree.
In case of problems with immigration, it is recommended to contact Overseas Haven Immigration to get the best advice.