Canada Visa: Indian Embassy Issued Advisory For Students Affected By Visa Delays

The Indian Embassy in Ottawa, Canada, has issued an advisory for students who were unable to enrol in academic courses in Canada due to visa and student permit processing delays. Canada had increased visa processing time to nearly 6 months (154 days) from its previous time of 12-15 weeks, urging many Indians to postpone their travel plans.

According to the high commission, officials in Ottawa and consulates in Toronto and Vancouver are in contact with Canadian interlocutors, including academic institutions and universities, about the issue.

“Highlighting these issues and the fact that Indian students have already deposited tuition fees with the Canadian institutions we requested the Canadian authorities to expedite processing of visa applications for students from India,” the embassy said in its advisory.

.@HCI_Ottawa issues advisory for Indian students enrolled in Canadian universities and colleges whose visa applications have been delayed. pic.twitter.com/Wm3DWSuK2g

— DD India (@DDIndialive) August 25, 2022

Advisory For Indian Students

The Indian Embassy has also issued a six-point advisory to students, which Canadian institutions/universities recommend.

• They approached the Canadian Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to convey their concerns over delayed study permits.
• They 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.
• They have in place contingency plans, in order to support those 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 their visa. 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.
• For students wishing 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 completed but have exceeded the current processing time for Student Direct Stream (SDS) scheme.

The High Commission advises affected Indian students to contact the relevant Canadian institution/university and work collaboratively with them to find the best available options. The Embassy will continue to work with Canadian authorities and educational institutions.

It is reported that more than 230,000 students from India are currently enrolled in post-secondary institutions in Canada.