International students applying to schools in Canada through the Student Direct Stream (SDS) had a higher approval rate than non-SDS applicants in 2021.1 SDS allows eligible international students from 14 countries to expedite the processing of their Canadian study permit. From January to October 2021, 76% of international students who applied from eligible countries to study in Canada through SDS were approved, versus only 49% for non-SDS applicants.2
Key Insights at a Glance
- Indian students accounted for 95% of all SDS applications in 2021.
- SDS was least popular in the Philippines, as only 10% of Filipino students applied through the stream.
- The number of eligible countries for SDS doubled in 2021.
- Students in both SDS and non-SDS eligible countries can improve their chances of approval by targeting SDS requirements on their study permit application.
In today’s ApplyInsights, we dive into the latest approval rate data for countries with more than 1,000 Student Direct Stream applications.3 We will also share insights from Hari Ghai, ApplyBoard’s Senior Immigration Consultant and a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC), about how students can use SDS to improve their student visa applications, including students from non-SDS eligible countries.4
Wide Approval Rate Gap Between SDS and Non-SDS Applicants
The chart below compares the approval rate for SDS and non-SDS applicants. It shows that the difference in approval rate widens where the Student Direct Stream is more popular:
SDS was most popular in India, with 75% of students applying through this route from January to October 2021. Likewise, the approval rate gap between SDS and non-SDS applicants was largest in India. 47 percentage points separated the two student cohorts.
54% of all Pakistani and 45% of all Vietnamese study permit applications were through SDS from January to October 2021. Pakistan and Vietnam also showed a significant approval rate gap between SDS and non-SDS applicants. 19 and 27 percentage points separated the two student cohorts in each country, respectively.
The Student Direct Stream was less popular in China and the Philippines, and the approval rate gap closed in the former and reversed in the latter. Non-SDS Filipino applicants were approved at a rate of 15 percentage points more than SDS applicants.
Let’s take a closer look at how SDS affected study permit applications in each country.
Student Direct Stream Approval Rate for Student Visa Applications from India
India accounted for 95% of all SDS applicants from January to October 2021. Below you can select study levels to compare, and can hover over each bar to see the sector’s approval rate:
India is predominantly a college market, with nearly 100,000 total SDS applications and another 35,000 non-SDS. The approval rate discrepancy of 53 percentage points between these two student cohorts was larger than any other sector in any other country. Other studies, which includes ESL/FSL, also had a 53 percentage point gap, but 120,000 fewer applications. And the approval rate for university students applying through SDS increased by 20 percentage points compared to non-SDS applicants.
Indian students who applied through the Student Direct Stream had a clear approval rate advantage compared to their non-SDS counterparts. As such, Hari recommends students do everything they can to try meeting SDS’s eligibility requirements.
You can read more about SDS’s requirements in ApplyBoard’s guide on applying for a study permit through SDS.
Student Direct Stream Approval Rate for Student Visa Applications from China
China accounted for the second-highest number of Student Direct Stream applications, nearly 2,500, from January to October 2021. But only 11% of Chinese students applied for a student visa to Canada through SDS. Why isn’t SDS popular in China?
China is predominantly a university market. And, since the inception of the SDS in 2018, non-SDS Chinese applicants to Canadian universities have been approved at a rate over 90%, with a slight dip to 85% in 2020 as Canada adjusted to the first wave of COVID-19.
This may point to SDS’s lack of popularity among Chinese students. Given the already high approval rate of a non-SDS application to a Canadian university, Chinese students might find taking extra steps to meet SDS eligibility—such as rewriting a language test— not worth the time spent. However, Hari still recommends that students try to apply through SDS, as the expedited processing can grant students more time to apply for scholarships, living accommodations, and other necessities.
The approval rate gap between SDS and non-SDS Chinese applicants did not exceed two percentage points for any study level.
Student Direct Stream Approval Rate for Student Visa Applications from Pakistan
Pakistan had the second-largest percentage of SDS applications compared to non-SDS applications from January to October 2021.
Across all study levels, Pakistani students applying through SDS were approved at rates between 16 and 21 percentage points higher than their non-SDS counterparts. This was most prevalent for Canadian colleges and universities. 65% of Pakistani students were approved for a student visa to a Canadian university when applying through SDS, versus only 44% of non-SDS applicants. And SDS applicants were four times more likely to be approved to a Canadian college than non-SDS applicants.
Similar to the Indian market, Pakistani students who applied through SDS had a clear approval rate advantage over non-SDS applicants. Thus, Hari recommends Pakistani students target as many SDS criteria as possible to better their chance for student visa approval.
Pakistan’s SDS applications increased from just over 100 in 2019 to more than 1,800 in 2021 (January to October). This represents a growth of over 1,700%, the largest on this list.
Student Direct Stream Approval Rate for Student Visa Applications from Vietnam
Vietnam had the third-largest percentage of SDS applications compared to non-SDS applications from January to October 2021.
Vietnamese SDS applicants were approved at a rate of 85%, while non-SDS applicants were approved at a 58% rate. A significant approval rate gap was prevalent across all study levels, with differences ranging from 15 to 41 percentage points.
Despite the clear approval rate advantage for Student Direct Stream applicants, the number of SDS applications from Vietnam declined by 16% from 2019 to 2021 (January to October), the only market to see a drop. SDS applications declined across every study level. However, non-SDS applications fell by 68% over the same time frame.
The overall decline in applications may be due to Vietnam invoking one of the harshest COVID-19 lockdowns in the world during the second half of 2021.5 Also, many households experienced lower incomes, job loss, and hardships as the pandemic exacerbated inequality and vulnerability.6
Student Direct Stream Approval Rate for Student Visa Applications from the Philippines
The Philippines was an outlier when it comes to Student Direct Stream applications. It was the only country with an approval rate for SDS applicants lower than non-SDS applicants. Why was that?
The Philippines is mostly a college market. Only 9% of Filipino students opted to apply to a Canadian college through SDS, and their approval rate dropped by 16 percentage points compared to non-SDS applicants.
As we’ve noted in the past, the Philippines is a predominantly mature student market, and approval rates drop for older applicants. According to Hari, government officers often scrutinize older applicants more carefully. Hari recommends that older students aim to select a study path that shows obvious career progression by improving credentials. And, when it comes to SDS, Hari suggests students try to exceed the minimum requirements. For example, SDS requires students to have a GIC of $10,000 CAD. But for older students, demonstrating even larger financial security could help their application.
How to Maximize the Success of Your Student Visa Applications
In countries where the Student Direct Stream has become popular, students who apply through SDS have a clear approval rate advantage compared to their non-SDS counterparts. Hari recommends students try to meet SDS requirements, particularly as the global economy continues to recover post-pandemic.
Additionally, we recently found that 58% of repeat applicants are eventually approved for a Canadian study permit. Hari suggests that students who are not accepted on their first application consider targeting as many SDS requirements as they can on subsequent attempts, which might be more feasible for some students with more time to accumulate savings or improve their language skills.
Indian students looking to apply to the SDS program can get verifiable Proof of Financial Support through the International Student GIC Program, a new collaboration between ApplyBoard, ApplyProof, and Royal Bank of Canada (RBC).
For RPs in the nine other countries eligible for SDS, Hari says that familiarizing themselves with SDS and helping students target its requirements should help increase the approval rates for those students.
Finally, for students from non-SDS eligible countries, Hari suggests that the requirements for the Student Direct Stream can still provide a helpful guideline to bettering a study permit application. This is because officials consider the same criteria required for SDS, such as English proficiency, financial stability, and healthy medicals. Thus, if students fulfill this criteria even though SDS is currently unavailable in their country, the approval rate for their student visa applications should still improve.
Published: March 22, 2022
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FOOTNOTES:
1. All data courtesy of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Note that the latest available data is for October 2021.
2. Note that SDS is for post-secondary studies. For direct comparison, we have omitted K-12 approvals from the non-SDS applicants throughout this article.
3. Morocco and Senegal had fewer than 200 SDS applications each, and not enough time has passed to see results from SDS’s expansion to include seven Latin American countries in summer 2021.
4. The terms student visa and study permit are generally used interchangeably for Canadian international students. Rather than student visas, Canada provides accepted international students with study permits, which allow those students to enroll in classes at Canadian institutions. When a student is accepted for a study permit, they are also usually provided with a visitor visa, which allows that student to enter Canada for their studies. For the purposes of this article, we’ll use the terms interchangeably.
5. PWC, Vietnam Outlook 2022: Economic prospects in the wake of COVID-19. February 2022.
6. World Bank, Monitoring households and firms in Vietnam during COVID-19. December 9, 2021.
