Canada Visa Restrictions

Every Indian student dreams of the opportunity of studying in Canada. The co-op system of education at universities has majorly attracted international students. If you are an Indian student accepted in one of the top universities in Canada, then you have to apply for the Canadian Study Permit.  However, in order to do so, you must know about the Canada visa restriction updates.

With the widespread growth of Omicron cases in almost all countries across the globe, the government had imposed certain visa restrictions for Canada that could help them contain the virus without stopping international students from entering the country for future academic courses. However, recently there have been exciting Canada visa restriction updates with the country removing almost all restrictions altogether. Read on to find out more!

New IELTS Requirements for Canada SDS

• IELTS requirements for Canada SDS will change starting on August 10, 2023, according to IRCC.
• IELTS test takers utilizing the SDS program will now need to achieve an overall 6.0 band in order to be accepted.
• To emphasize the significance of the test-takers comprehensive abilities, it was decided to remove the individual score of 6.0 bands.
• The most recent modification to the IELTS criteria is intended to provide international students with better possibilities to complete their studies in Canada.

Canada Visa Restriction Updates

International visitors travelling to Canada no longer need to provide vaccination certificate or complete testing requirements before entering the country. These restrictions have been lifted since October 1, 2022. Before October 1, only fully vaccinated travelers could enter the country by land, air, or sea. Hence, this is the first month since the pandemic that everyone can visit the country without bothering about strict travel restrictions.

Earlier Canada Visa Restrictions & Requirements

Although there have been updates in the travel restrictions of Canada this month, with the country removing almost all travel restrictions altogether, before October 1, 2022, the country had imposed several restrictions to curb the impact of Covid-19. These restrictions were as follows.

Letter of Explanation

Due to the pandemic, the entire education system shifted to the digital space. As a result, physical copies of a lot of required documents haven’t reached the students who want to apply to study abroad. In that case, you have to submit a Letter of Explanation while applying for the Study Permit explaining the same. 

Canada Visa Restrictions for Online Study

If your courses have been temporarily or permanently shifted to an online platform, you can still apply for a Study Permit only if you stay enrolled in the DLI (Designated Learning Institute) in Canada. 

Co-op Work

Since a lot of the coursework is happening online, many Indian students wish to stay in India. If you are a student of a co-op study format in Canadian universities, you can-

• Start working in a Canadian company remotely from India if your DLI and employer agree or,
• Work for a company in India after approval of your DLI.

Canada Visa Restrictions for Post Graduation Work Permit

Canada allows you to apply for a Post Graduation Work Permit once your study program is completed. This is if you have completed a full-time program of more than 8 months and are of 18 years of age. The validity of the PGWP depends upon your duration of study at a DLI. 

The eligibility of a PGWP for international students has changed due to recent coronavirus developments- 

• Your offline classes have been completely shifted online because of COVID-19. 
• Due to the pandemic, you had to study part-time or pause your classes. 

Vaccination

You must be completely vaccinated to enter Canada as an international student. You are exempted on medical grounds or if you are under the age of 18 and studying at a DLI that is coronavirus ready and approved by the province. 

Canada Approved Vaccines

As per the restrictions imposed on visas for Canada, it accepts the following vaccines.

• AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD 
• Bharat Biotech (Covaxin)
• Janssen/Johnson & Johnson
• Moderna 
• Pfizer-BioNTech 
• Sinopharm BIBP
• Sinovac (CoronaVac, PiCoVacc)

Canada has announced that testing upon arrival of international travellers will be done and they will be quarantined till the results come.