Canada ends fast-track visa for students from 14 nations

Canada on Friday discontinued its Student Direct Stream (SDS) visa program for international students including from India to cope with its housing and resource crisis.

The program was implemented in 2018 by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to expedite study permit applications for international students from 14 countries, including Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, India, Morocco, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines and Vietnam.

The Canadian government said on its website that the initiative is being discontinued to "strengthen program integrity, address student vulnerability, and give all students equal and fair access to the application process".

Applications received till 2 pm Eastern Time on November 8 under the scheme will be processed, whereas all applications after this will be processed under the regular study permit stream.