June 26, 2022

Canada Visa: Delays in Processing Hit International Students Hard, Many Left Waiting Anxiously

A A backlog of around 2 million visa applications has left students grappling with delays. The significant increase, according to Nancy Caron, media relations advisor for Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada, is the Temporary Residency Pathway for Ukrainian citizens wanting to travel to Canada.

At present, processing times for study permits are 12 weeks, but the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has processed 175,616 study permit applications from January to April 2022, a record number when compared to previous years. Still, the processing time is not yet at its optimum. Sources say that many international students wanting to study in Canada have been left far from impressed with their visa application process.

…early applications have created issues with getting refunds and program deferrals, as some courses are not available in a later session...

Education assistance companies helping students wanting to study in Canada too are worried over processing times. “Presently, the student visas are taking 80-90 days… it is challenging to get all their papers in order to apply over 90 days in advance,” said a source from an Indian foreign education assistance firm. He further added that their company is assisting students to apply to Canadian educational institutions well in advance to avoid long waiting periods.

The problem with early applications is availability of courses, Sushil Sukhwani, Director of Edwise International India said. He exclaimed, “Early applications have created issues with getting refunds and program deferrals, as some courses are not available in a later session. Some 97 of Edwise’s 2022 students have had to defer to the next course.”

Visa processing delays are affecting Canadian educational institutions as well, according to a member of a Canadian University. He stated that IRCC has announced "significant investments" in Canada's global visa processing and that they are planning an overhaul of the application process to streamline it in the future. This he said should hopefully reduce visa processing time for students wanting to study in Canada, going forward.

Posted in News and tagged News, Canada, Visa, International Students, IRCC, Edwise
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