Today, High Commission of Canada in India announced that study visa applications for January intake, received in the month of November may not get decision on their application before starting of their classes. This information was shared via a tweet from their official account. Tweet said there is no guarantee that applicants will receive a final decision on their application before January 2022 semester begins. Furthermore, they advised to plan accordingly with their (Designated Learning Institution) DLI.
It’s important to mention here IRCC has been citing COVID19 as a reason for delay in processing. They said “COVID-19 has impacted immigration operations and processing times have been affected.” As per last update on IRCC’s website dated November 2, processing time for normal study visa applications outside Canada is 15 weeks.
This processing time is calculated from the day your application is received by IRCC and ends the day when they make a decision on it. As per IRCC, “most processing times are historical, meaning they’re measured based on how long it took to process 80% of applications in the past.” If you applied with paper application, the time starts when your application reaches IRCC mail room. If your application was submitted online, then your time starts immediately. Not to mentioned her that application should be complete (biometric + medical).
What Should Study Visa Applicants Do Now?
- Study visa applicants who have already submitted their applications in November 2021 for January 2022 can:
- Ask their DLIs if they can attend their first semester online from outside Canada. However, this may prove risky as positive decision on study visa application is never guaranteed.
- Another option is that applicants reach out to their DLIs and know the last date for deferring the study to May 2022 or another intake. If applicants don’t hear any update from IRCC until that date, then applicants should defer their study to next available intake.
- New study visa applicants should avoid applying for January 2022 intake as they have clearly got heads up from IRCC.
Related topic: “Students Outside Canada Continues To Be Eligible For PGWP Until December 31” – IRCC