Canada has closed the pathway for international students to convert their study permits into permanent residency under its latest immigration policies.
The new regulation mandates that international students return to their home countries at the expiration of their study visas in Canada, signaling an end to policies that allowed non-citizens with study permits to transition into permanent residency.
Canada is also terminating the Student Direct Stream (SDS) programme and halting asylum claims tied to such immigration pathways.
Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Marc Miller, confirmed this development during an interview on Tuesday, when he discussed the nation’s immigration policies and the challenges faced by international students.
The announcement follows recent protests by international students across Canada who demanded a streamlined process to transition from study permits to permanent residency or an extension of their stay.
Miller said: “When people come here and decide they want to be students, there are no guarantees to become permanent residents.”
He emphasized the distinction between study permits and resident permits, stating that while students have a right to protest, the priority of Canada’s immigration policies is to maintain balance and order in the system.
Launched in 2018, the Student Direct Stream (SDS) aimed to fast-track the processing of study permits within 20 days for eligible students from 14 countries.
Over time, it expanded to include students from Antigua and Barbuda, Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, India, Morocco, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, Senegal, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Vietnam.
The programme had initially been introduced to ease political tensions, but will now be discontinued as part of Canada’s revised immigration framework.