Levelling the playing field: what the end of Canada’s Student Direct Stream means for international applicants

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In 2024, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced that the Student Direct Stream (SDS), an initiative designed to fast-track international student applications from certain countries, was closing. The decision to end the scheme means that international students interested in applying to a Canadian university from a country that previously used the SDS programme may wish to rethink how they demonstrate their English language proficiency to meet the eligibility criteria of their chosen institution.

While the closure of the SDS signals a change in the way some international applicants acquire their study permits, it needn’t be viewed negatively. In fact, there are likely to be some benefits stemming from the end of the SDS programme. When it was launched in 2018, the SDS was designed to fast-track the approval of study permits for individuals in China, India and the Philippines. It was then expanded to include applicants from Brazil, Morocco, Pakistan and Senegal, before reaching a total of 14 countries before the programme’s closure.

In light of the closure of the SDS programme, all applicants now apply through one consistent process. As such, international students from every country should familiarise themselves with the standard study permit requirements and prepare their applications carefully.

International students applying to a university in Canada are advised to start gathering the necessary documents and financial proof as early as possible. Similarly, without a mandatory government-approved English test for international students, students should research the English-language requirements of the colleges and universities that they are interested in and ensure they meet those requirements at the earliest possible opportunity. For many international students, this will mean completing one of the college or university’s approved tests. One such test that should be on students’ radars is the Duolingo English Test (DET). The DET is accepted by more than 400 academic programmes in Canada. 

The DET allows international students to verify their English language skills online, with the test itself taking just an hour. Results are provided in two days, making this a fast and convenient way for international applicants to prove their language proficiency in light of the closure of the SDS. In addition, the DET is accepted by more than 5,600 higher education institutions worldwide as part of the international application process, including at many highly regarded universities in Canada, such as McGill University, the University of Toronto, the University of Alberta, and many more. 

Although the shuttering of the SDS programme may have initially been daunting for SDS-eligible international students hoping to apply to a university in Canada, it should ultimately simplify and widen access to Canada’s higher education system. Provided students adopt a proactive strategy for their application, there is no reason why the closure of the SDS should be viewed as a barrier for international students. Rather, it means they have greater flexibility in terms of how they verify their English language skills. That’s something that should be welcomed by all students, wherever in the world they are applying from.

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