Why is Canada Focused on Clearing the Student Visa Backlog?

Canada is a favorite study destination for international students due to the quality of education, career opportunities and high standards of living. Data suggests that every year around 350,000 international students apply for a study permit in Canada.

Canadian immigration can be compared to many other European countries due to the ease of procedures. However, lately there has been an unprecedented delay in approving student visas in Canada. But the good news is that Canada’s immigration department is speeding up the student visa approval process in an attempt to tackle the labor shortage in the country. Here, you’ll read about Canadian immigration eligibility and the reasons why Canada is shifting its focus to clear the student visa backlog.

What are Canadian Immigration Eligibilities?

International students come to Canada in search of better job prospects. The first step of immigrating to Canada as a student is obtaining a student visa or study permit in Canada. A study permit is provided by the government to approve foreign students to study in Canada. For this, you must fulfill certain eligibility criteria: You must present an offer of acceptance from a Designated Learning Institute (DLI) in Canada. An admission letter is mandatory and the most important document required to get approval for a student visa in Canada.

• You must prove to the authorities that you have sufficient funds to pay for your tuition fees, accommodation, and other living expenses.
• There should be no criminal cases registered against you in the past. Your background must be clean and a police certificate is often necessary to prove your character and clean criminal background.
•  You must present a health certificate signed by a licensed doctor in your country. For this, you must undergo a medical check-up and ensure that you are in good health.
• You must present other important documents such as a valid passport, photographs, English language proficiency score (IELTS), and a statement of purpose.

These are the eligibility criteria for a study permit in Canada and fulfilling these conditions makes you eligible to study in Canada once the immigration department checks and approves your request.

How long does it take to get a student visa for Canada?

The student visa applications are processed by the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Usually, it takes approximately 3 months to get approval from the immigration department. The authorities check the documents and approve the student visa if all the documents presented are valid and verified.

Some common reasons for rejection of student visas are: not presenting an offer of acceptance from a DLI, having insufficient funds, choosing study programs that do not align with one’s educational background, low IELTS scores, incomplete or invalid documents, and a false statement of purpose.

Reasons why Canada shift focus to clearing student visa backlog

According to a report in CIC news, Canada has a backlog of 1.8 million applications from different immigration channels. As of December 2021, about 122,476 study permit applications are pending in Canadian immigration.

Recently, Canada’s Immigration minister, Sean Fraser announced that his department is trying to clear as many visa backlogs as possible to address the labor shortage issue in the country.

As addressed, the primary reason behind the sudden action is the shortage of skilled workers in the country. Many provinces have in place Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) to address the labor shortage in the area. The skill career gap in Canada is alarming and the country requires foreign talents to fill up these positions.

According to Statistics Canada, the job vacancy rate in June was 5.9% which is 1% higher than June of last year. To solve this problem, the government is looking at immigration as the solution to increasing the workforce. The Canadian government is planning to invite many prospective residents between 2022 and 2024 to resolve the labor shortage issue.

With actions being taken to clear the visa backlog and the higher rate of acceptance for applicants, this is a great time for international students to apply for a student visa in Canada. If you are interested in migrating to the country, check out the Canadian College of Technology and Business for interesting study programs. The institution offers a variety of programs that are aligned with the demands of the Canadian job market.

With CCTB, you will get the opportunity to study in Vancouver which is one of the fastest-growing tech hubs in the world. Our team of business and IT experts provide you with training based on the market trends and help develop your skills to address the workforce needs in the country.