The process for getting an approval for Canadian student visas has witnessed delays of three to four months since January this year, after the Canadian government made several policy changes for international students.
Several students who attempted to secure visas during the May intake could not do so and are now planning to enrol in the September intake.
How can students with both pending and fresh applications improve their chances of obtaining Canadian study visas and how does the process work? We explain.
Why are students experiencing delays in visa processing?
According to consultants advising on Canadian study programs, the Canadian government implemented several changes to student visas – including capping the number of international students.
Attestation letters, issued by Canadian provinces/territories, are now mandatory for international students to obtain a study permit/visa. The offer letter from the college/university is also required.
Consultants noted that these changes took effect on January 22 and several provinces/territories have yet to issue the attestation letters. Therefore, visas cannot be processed.
Gurpreet Singh, a consultant from Punjab, said that students first receive offer letters from the colleges, followed by the Letters of Acceptance (LOAs) after paying a token tuition fee. Colleges then obtain attestation letters from the province for the students.
“Currently, Montreal (in Quebec province) is issuing the attestation letter, and other provinces have also started following suit. In Montreal, students were previously required to obtain a CAQ (Quebec Acceptance Certificate), and now the attestation letter is issued in place of the CAQ,” he said.
Confusion among Canadian colleges over the process has led to delays in issuing attestation letters, resulting in a long wait for students.
“I applied for a study visa in the second week of January for the May intake, but there was no response from Canada due to delays in issuing the attestation letter by British Columbia, where my college is located,” said Kamalpreet Singh, a student from Gurdaspur, Punjab.
How can students expedite the processing of their documents for a Canada visa?
Consultants suggest that if students have obtained the attestation letter and are still experiencing delays, they should ensure their chosen program is not among the “banned courses”. These are low-demand courses that are discontinued by colleges, if they believe the programmes are not attracting qualified students.
If everything is in order and there is no response on the application, students should consider submitting a Web Form on the Canadian government’s website. This is done to receive information regarding the visa process or apply for CAIPS (Computer Assisted Immigration Processing System), which provides visa application information within three to four weeks.
The last resort is to withdraw the application and reapply, though this process is cumbersome and may incur additional costs, especially if fees have already been paid for the course that was first applied to.
Applicants should carefully review the list of public colleges available on the Canadian government’s official website and only apply to those offering courses to international students.
Gurpreet Singh said that thorough checking before submitting an application can lead to an enhanced visa success rate, despite the current slowdown in the visa process.
Colleges are also likely to become more prompt in providing attestation letters to facilitate enrollment for September, as they are also facing losses, and the system will soon get streamlined, he added.