Canada's Student Direct Stream (SDS) closed at 2:00pm Eastern Time on 8 November 2024. New applicants should follow current study-permit instructions rather than the former SDS checklist. Indian students can still apply to study in Canada; admission, English evidence, funding and permit eligibility are separate checks.
Official sources checked: 20 September 2026. This guide explains what to verify. It does not predict your permit decision or promise a processing time.
What closed · English evidence · Current document checks · Living-cost amount · Processing time · Try a budget check
What happened to SDS and Nigeria Student Express?
IRCC's closure notice ended both SDS and Nigeria Student Express. Eligible applications received before the cutoff remained under those streams; applications submitted from the cutoff moved to regular study-permit processing. The notice says the change itself does not adversely affect eligibility for applicants from former participating countries.
Do not interpret the closure as a university-admission ban, a cancellation of every existing permit or proof that an individual applicant will be refused. Read the rules for your application date and circumstances. Archived SDS articles may explain history but cannot replace today's instructions.
Which English test should you take now?
Begin with the exact course's accepted English evidence, including overall and individual skill requirements. Then check your current permit checklist and local visa-office instructions. Do not assume that an old SDS score rule is today's complete language requirement, or that a university waiver settles the permit application.
For named examples of alternative tests and previous English-medium education, use our studying in Canada without IELTS guide. For later immigration planning, keep PTE Core and PTE Academic separate. University admission, a post-graduation work permit and Express Entry are different purposes; one test should not be assumed to cover all three.
What should your current document checklist cover?
Use IRCC's study-permit document guide for your letter of acceptance, identity and financial evidence, any required medical or police documents, and additional country-specific instructions. It also explains the recommended letter of explanation. Build your checklist from those instructions and your application, not a generic three-item list.
The eligibility page covers enrolment at a designated learning institution, financial support, health and other conditions, including satisfying an officer that you will leave when your permit expires. An offer or a high language score alone does not establish eligibility.
PAL/TAL and Quebec: check your actual exemption
The PAL/TAL guidance lists exemptions. From 1 January 2026, these include degree-granting master's or doctoral study at a public designated learning institution. This is not an exemption for every course described as postgraduate.
IRCC's graduate application guidance also says Quebec's provincial requirements still apply. Check the CAQ instructions for your circumstances even if you meet a federal PAL/TAL exemption.
How much living-cost evidence is required?
For applications submitted on or after 1 September 2026, IRCC's financial-support table lists CAD 23,448 per year for one person, outside Quebec. This excludes tuition and transportation. Household size changes the amount, and Quebec has separate financial requirements.
This is a dated proof-of-support threshold, not a quote for your actual total cost of living. Check the official amount and acceptable evidence for your application date, then budget separately for tuition, travel, test bookings and other expenses. Do not assume a language-test score compensates for missing financial evidence.
How long does a Canadian study permit take?
Use IRCC's current processing-time tool for the relevant application and location. The tool says its figures are not a maximum or guarantee. A blanket “8–12 weeks after biometrics” is not a reliable planning rule for every applicant.
Also check whether route-specific processing guidance applies. IRCC publishes faster-processing information for doctoral students, with a link to its conditions. SDS ending does not mean no applicant can ever qualify for another processing arrangement.
Work backwards from your institution's latest permitted arrival date. Add the time needed to receive English results, satisfy offer conditions, obtain required documents and respond to requests. Ask the institution about deferral options if timing becomes uncertain; do not treat a published estimate as a booked arrival date.
Try it: what is missing from this budget?
Original fictional exercise: one applicant outside Quebec plans to apply after 1 September 2026. Their illustrative first-year tuition is CAD 20,000 and their transport allowance is CAD 1,500. They set aside only CAD 23,448 because they saw that number on a study-permit page. What has been left out?
Reveal the budget calculation
The listed living-cost amount excludes tuition and transportation. In this example, adding the three figures gives CAD 44,948: 23,448 + 20,000 + 1,500. The tuition and transport figures are invented for the exercise, not market estimates.
This arithmetic is not a permit-eligibility assessment or a complete personal budget. Actual fees, family circumstances, location, study duration and accepted financial evidence still need checking.
Turn the application plan into a preparation plan
- Confirm the programme, intake and latest arrival date with the institution.
- Record its accepted English test, delivery format, overall target and each skill minimum.
- Check the current permit instructions and whether PAL/TAL, CAQ or other documents apply.
- Calculate funding with the correct application date and family size.
- Plan English practice, booking, results and a possible retest before the institution's evidence deadline.
For accepted academic-test routes, continue with IELTS Academic Writing or PTE Academic Writing. Set your practice target from the verified course conditions, then work on the weakest required skill.
BandLadder offers 30k+ IELTS and 25k+ PTE questions across supported exams. Free allowances and paid plans determine access. Practice feedback helps you prepare; it is not an official test result or an immigration decision.
