As thousands of students wait in distress to get their visas to fly to Canada for higher studies, the Indian Embassy has released guidelines for those willing to study abroad in the country.
“The High Commission of India in Ottawa and our Consulates in Toronto and Vancouver continue to be engaged with relevant Canadian interlocutors, including Canadian academic institutions and universities, regarding problems faced by Indian students due to delay in issue of visas,” it said in a statement.
Given the issues and the fact that Indian students have already deposited tuition fees with Canadian institutions, the embassy said it has requested that Canadian authorities expedite the processing of visa applications for students from India.
As per a recent media report, over 75,000 study permit applications submitted by people from India were in the processing inventory as of August 15.
The Canadian government has said it was prioritising applications for those whose studies are starting in September while extending the remote learning option by another year to August 31, 2023, a spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) told Hindustan Times.
"Currently, more than 230,000 students from India enrolled in post-secondary institutions in Canada are making a positive contribution to the Canadian economy, including through an estimated $ 4 billion in tuition fees," the embassy said.
According to the latest update on the High Commission's website, Canadian institutions and universities told the embassy that they approached the Canadian Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to convey their concerns over delayed study permits.
“They (institutes) are communicating with incoming international students, including students from India, providing them with timely, actionable information about all issues related to the study permit application process,” per the statement.
Institutes are said to have contingency plans in place to support incoming students who do not receive their study permit in time to be present on campus when term begins in September.
Some institutions will provide a remote option for students unable to reach Canada at the start of the term because they have not yet received visas. Students can contact the university/ institutions to find out which courses have a remote option and to discuss their options in case some do not.
As per the advisory, for students who wish to defer their admission, the university/ institution is communicating to students their options, including deferring the offer of admission to a later term or considering exceptional circumstances on a case-by-case basis.
“Affected students are encouraged to send a request for information and urgent processing through an IRCC web form meant for study permit applications that have been submitted and complete but have exceeded the current processing time for Student Direct Stream (SDS) scheme,” it added.
The High Commission advised Indian students so affected to contact the concerned Canadian institution/ university and work with them to find the best available options.
