Report recommends increased transparency and more collaboration between IRCC, the provinces and designated learning institutions
Check About Canada Study Visa From India
Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is reporting an new surge in demand for study permits from international students. in line with ICEF Monitor, the numbers are continued to extend as pandemic restrictions are loosen round the globe and students are returning to Canada to start or complete their post-secondary education.
The increase in applications for study permits was a subject of conversation at a recent virtual conference by the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CIBE). officials from IRCC were present to discuss the volume of applications they have received as students move away from online programs and come back to classrooms in Canada.
“While COVID had quite a impact on our immigration programs, we’ve seen a powerful recovery,” said cynthia Ralickas, a director for IRCC. “Recent study permit figures have surpassed the pre-pandemic levels with over 500,000 study permits being issued in 2021 and over 600,000 study permits being active in Canada as of the end of 2021.”
The first four months of 2022 saw most applications returning from India, the Philippines, Nigeria, and Republic of Colombia. India and also the Philippines are 2 of the most important sources of immigrants to Canada.
Canada has a name for being a desirable place to study for international students. the foremost recent report on international students by CBIE says that Canada’s name for safety and stability could be a major deciding factor in wherever students from abroad choose to study.
Processing backlog for study permits
In 2021, IRCC reported a 56 increase in study permit applications over 2020 furthermore as receiving 175,000 applications within the first quarter of 2022 alone. This has resulted in long processing times for study permit applications.
However, ICEF Monitor recently reported IRCC information that indicates a complete of 621,565 study permits were held by international students attending programs of a minimum of six months’ length in 2021, that continues to be below pre-pandemic levels.
As of July 17, there have been nearly 200,000 individuals watching for their initial study permit application to be processed. The IRCC processing time tool says study permits for those outside of Canada takes 12 weeks on the average to process if they’re not applying for the student Direct Stream.
Parliamentary Recommendations
To combat process times and improve immigration policy, a report by the committee on Citizenship and Immigration has been dropped at the House of Commons in Ottawa that lists 35 key recommendations.
Expand the student Direct Stream
Among these recommendations is that IRCC review and expand the student Direct Stream, which may act as an expediated process for candidates who are legal residents of 1 of twenty eligible countries.
Those who are eligible for the student Direct Stream could get their permit in as very little as 20 days. The report encourages IRCC to expand the list of eligible countries and review the standards to create it truthful for all. The report significantly mentions as well as West African countries on the list of eligible countries.
More transparency and larger collaboration
Additionally, the recommendations require a lot of transparency in showing the standards IRCC uses once choosing students furthermore as permitting a lot of flexibility for the proof used to establish that an applicant meets the financial criteria.
The report conjointly added that there must be a lot of collaboration between IRCC, the provinces and selected learning establishments to control recruiters who travel and recruit from abroad and making certain that they’re providing prospective students with information on a way to spot fraud and scams.
IRCC takes these recommendations seriously, says Ralickas. “When reports like that are tabled in Parliament the government will have a responsibility to reply, to actually think about each of the recommendations and consider however each applies to the work being done and also the directions we tend to are taking within the department.”