Canada stops allowing Vietnamese people to study abroad without proof of financial resources

The Canadian government has decided to stop the financial proof-free study abroad program that has been implemented for the past 6 years, following a series of consecutive tightening regulations being issued.

Canadian school representatives advise Vietnamese parents and students on studying abroad at an exhibition held in October.

PHOTO: NGOC LONG

Will approval be slower and more difficult?

The Student Direct Stream (SDS) is a priority visa program applied by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in 14 countries around the world, including Vietnam. Applicants only need to meet English requirements and meet other criteria as prescribed to be able to apply for an SDS study permit, with an average processing time of 20 days, IRCC informed. However, IRCC announced on November 8 that it would stop accepting applications for studying under the SDS. The decision took effect from 2 p.m. the same day (0:00 a.m. on November 9 in Vietnam). This means that Vietnamese people now have to prove their financial resources with at least one of the documents mentioned in the current regulations, instead of just submitting a guaranteed investment certificate (GIC) worth CAD 20,635 (VND 374 million) issued by Canadian banks. However, international students can still use GIC to prove their financial resources, IRCC noted. IRCC explained that the suspension of SDS is to strengthen the integrity of the system, better protect students and ensure that all students have access to a fair and equal study permit application process. In addition, the Canadian government also suspended the NSE program, which is a program similar to SDS but is currently being applied in Nigeria. Thus, SDS and NSE applications submitted after midnight today will be processed according to the normal process. "Canada continues to welcome international students from all over the world . This change will not negatively affect the study permit eligibility of those from countries that have applied SDS," the IRCC statement emphasized. According to IDP, the SDS program has been applied in Vietnam since March 15, 2018, and has been in operation for more than 6 years. In addition to faster processing times, the SDS program has a higher approval rate than the normal study permit application process. Because, according to data from IRCC, 22% of Vietnamese people applied for study permits under the SDS in 2022 with an approval rate of 77%. This is 16% higher than the normal process that year. Therefore, students now need to prepare their documents earlier and more carefully than before, according to CIC News . And according to information updated by IRCC on November 5, the current average processing time for study permit applications submitted from Vietnam is 11 weeks.

International students in some countries will no longer be able to study in Canada without financial proof.

PHOTO: UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

Continuously tightening regulations

Over the past 12 months, Canada has continuously issued many regulations with the aim of reducing the number of temporary residents in the country, including international students. Specifically, Canada has limited the number of new study permits issued each year and by 2025, Canada will only issue a maximum of 437,000 new study permits. This level also includes both master's and doctoral degrees, instead of being limited to bachelor's degrees as in 2024. In addition, since the beginning of November, IRCC has stipulated that applicants who want to apply for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) must now provide an additional English or French language certificate according to the requirements of their level of study. In addition, for those who do not graduate with a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree from a university, applicants must study in a field on the list published by IRCC to apply for a PGWP. Previously, IRCC also doubled the financial proof requirement for international students, to CAD 20,635, in addition to tuition and travel expenses for the first year. IRCC also stipulates that applicants studying master's programs with a training duration of 16 months or more are eligible for their spouse to apply for a work permit, instead of just studying a master's degree as before. However, experts say that tightening regulations will bring many new opportunities for Vietnamese international students. As at present, applications are reviewed at three levels: the school, the provincial or territorial government, and finally the federal government. This helps to improve the quality of applications. "Based on data on the number of study permits issued to countries, we can also see that Canadian classrooms will be more diverse than before, helping to improve the learning experience. In addition, the number of international students coming to Canada this year will decrease, helping Vietnamese people increase their chances of being admitted to very competitive majors and schools and increase their chances of settling down," Mr. Tung Phan, Director of CEI Toronto (Canada) and Director of Phan Immigration (Canada), told Thanh Nien recently. According to a report from IRCC, Canada attracted more than 1 million international students to study in 2023. IRCC statistics also show that the total number of Vietnamese studying in Canada has been on a continuous downward trend, from 21,480 in 2019 to 16,140 in 2022. But in 2023, Vietnamese students in Canada increased slightly, to 17,175, ranking 8th in number.

Thanhnien.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/canada-dung-cho-phep-nguoi-viet-du-hoc-khong-can-chung-minh-tai-chinh-185241109100502475.htm