Student Direct Stream: Apply for a Fast-Track Study Permit

Eligibility Requirements for Canada's Student Direct Stream

The SDS program used to serve residents of 14 countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, India, Morocco, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Senegal, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Vietnam.

The Canadian federal government had aimed to process all study permit applications eligible for SDS processing in 20 calendar days.

In order to have submitted an application for a Canadian study permit through the SDS program, prospective student applicants must have:

• provided a copy of a letter of acceptance from a Canadian Designated Learning Institution;
• provided a copy of a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL), unless they met the requirements for students who do not require a PAL;
• presented a confirmation document for the applicant’s upfront medical exam;
• proven that they had obtained a Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC) of $20,635 CAD;
• proven that they had covered their travel costs;
• proven that tuition fees for the first year of study had been paid;
• shown proof of language test results completed within two years of the SDS application having being received; and
• submitted the application at a Visa Application Centre (VAC).

IRCC accepts the following English language tests:

• IELTS Academic or IELTS General Training score of at least 6.0 in each language skill level (reading; writing; listening; and, speaking);
• CELPIP General (minimum score of CLB 7);
• CAEL (minimum score of 60);
• Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic (minimum score of 60); and/or
• Educational Testing Service (ETS) TOEFL iBT Test (minimum score of 83).

An application that is approved will be issued a letter of introduction, or what is officially known as a Point of Entry letter of introduction, and a temporary resident visa to enter Canada.

The letter of introduction, or Port of Entry (POE) letter, is issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) as proof of approval for a study permit and is presented to a visa officer upon arrival in Canada.

Citizens of one of the countries listed above cannot have been residing in another country at the time of applying for a study permit through the SDS program.