CIMM – Nigeria student express and student direct stream – May 12, 2022

Date - March 1, 2022

Background

Student Direct Stream

• Student Direct Stream (SDS) is a program to facilitate processing; it does not give international students preferential access to Canadian schools or programs.
• The SDS is currently available in: Antigua and Barbuda, Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, India, Morocco, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Senegal, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Vietnam.
• In assessing suitability for SDS, the Department looks at whether residents have the ability to obtain a Canadian guaranteed investment certificate (GIC) through a banking affiliate in that country. The Department also examines whether applications from residents of that country can consistently be processed in the 20-day processing time without compromising client service and while maintaining program integrity, based on the eligibility and admissibility requirements under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and Regulations (IRPA/IRPR).
• For SDS to be implemented, it requires the presence of a financial institution able to provide a suitable GIC product and the availability of language tests approved for use in SDS.

Nigeria Student Express

• Nigeria was not included in the 2019 expansion of SDS because of the lack of presence of a financial institution able to provide a suitable GIC product.
• In the absence of SDS as an option, the Department recognized the need for a similar program that would benefit Nigerian clients, and therefore launched a pilot tailored to local conditions, Nigeria Student Express (NSE), in January 2020.
• NSE is similar to SDS, except that the applicant must show that they have funds in a bank account (NSE) instead of purchasing a GIC and paying fees as they would for SDS. NSE relies on a local verifiable banking solution (MyBank).
• Stakeholders have expressed concerns that NSE is disadvantageous, and thus discriminatory. Specifically, it has been claimed that SDS only requires the student to show $10,000, while NSE requires $30,000.
• In the original requirements for NSE, applicants were required to have a MyBank certificate showing sufficient funds for their studies (equivalent of CAD$30,000) held in a bank account for at least six months plus 12 months of banking history.
• In order to qualify for NSE, applicants must have a language test result that shows either:
  • an International English Language Testing System academic or general training score of 6.0 or higher in each skill (reading, writing, speaking and listening), or
  • a Test d’évaluation de français score that is equal to a Canadian Language Benchmark score of at least 7 in each skill (reading, writing, speaking and listening)
• The language testing requirement is the same for both NSE and SDS.

Current Status:

• The perception that SDS is more advantageous is based on a misunderstanding of the funding requirements.
• The amount of funds required for NSE and SDS, as well as the International Student Program as a whole, are equivalent upon comparison (details below), they simply have different requirements for demonstrating those funds.
• NSE is advantageous, since it does not require the applicant to commit funds before submitting the application, unlike SDS.
• The Department completed an assessment of the NSE pilot in November 2021.

Funding requirements

• To qualify for SDS, the applicant must show the following funding requirements:
  • Have proof that they have paid for the first year of study
  • Have a GIC of $10,000
• The average international student fees in 2021 were $33,623.
• The $10,000 GIC requirement reflects the Department’s estimate on living expenses for one year for a single person, and does not include student fees.
• Under SDS, on average, applicants would need to show that they had paid fees and purchased a GIC for a total of $43,623.
• Funds requirements for NSE were updated in November 2021 to remove the six-month requirements. To qualify for NSE, the applicant must:
  • Have a MyBank certificate that will demonstrate the applicant can afford the costs of studies and living expenses for the first year in Canada (equivalent of CAD $30,000).
  • The MyBank certificate should show at least 12 months of banking history.
• The Department based the NSE amount of $30,000 on average 2020 student fees, plus $10,000 for living expenses.

Status of Bangladesh in the SDS

• On March 24, 2022, IRCC informed the High Commissioner for Bangladesh in a letter that the internal evaluation of SDS was completed in fall 2021 and the Department is reviewing the results of the evaluation. Further expansion is not currently being considered.
• The SDS is a program to expedite processing; it does not give international students better access to Canadian schools or programs. All students, whether or not they are applying through SDS, are required to meet the regular study permit requirements such as the applicant’s previous education; career/study plan; ties to their homeland; family; financial resources; incentive to return home; and reasons for following the course of study. The onus rests solely with the applicants to establish that they meet the requirements for the issuance of a study permit.
• While SDS expansion is not possible at this time, IRCC continues to work towards delivering faster and more efficient processing for all of our clients, including international students.