Canada has discontinued the Student Direct Stream (SDS) scheme; Decision will cause a big setback for Indian students

New Delhi: Canada has discontinued the Student Direct Stream (SDS) scheme that provides easy visas for international students. The decision will cause a big setback for Indian students. 

This project was introduced in 2018 to make it easier for students from India, China, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Morocco, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, and Vietnam to get visas. According to the website of the Canadian government, SDS is being discontinued to ensure equal opportunities and transparency for all students and to increase the credibility of the program. 

According to the website, only applications received by 2.00 pm Canadian time on November 8th will be considered under the SDS scheme. The remaining applicants and the students applying now will have to take the normal student permit procedures.

SDS was introduced as a fast-track system to get visa quickly through simple procedures. With the cancellation of the scheme, students from 14 countries including India will have to go through lengthy visa procedures