Surprisingly, study visas for Canada are being processed promptly, some even granted within 11 to 13 days, with a visa success rate exceeding 90%. Despite the ongoing tension between India and Canada, resulting in the withdrawal of diplomats and temporary suspension of consular services in select Indian cities, there have been minimal delays in issuing study visas.
Applications submitted on October 3 resulted in a visa granted by October 14, within 11 days, demonstrating the efficiency of the process. Even applicants with an IELTS score as low as 4.5 have been successful, with a success rate exceeding 95%. The majority of visas are being processed within 15 to 25 days.
Notably, despite the closure of consulates and the withdrawal of diplomats by Canada, consultants and visa services have ensured that the visa approval process remains largely unaffected. The closure had minimal impact, causing only minor delays, usually not exceeding five days compared to the period preceding the diplomatic tensions.
VFS Global, responsible for managing visa applications for various governments, including Canada, continued normal operations in 10 Indian cities despite the diplomatic shift on October 20. This ensured minimal disruption to the Canadian student visa application process. The statement from VFS clarified that its Canada-centric visa application centers would operate normally in 10 Indian cities, indicating that the strained India-Canada relations have not significantly impacted the process.
Despite the recent diplomatic tensions between India and Canada, the country remains open to welcoming Indian students. Recent visa approvals include applicants with IELTS scores between 4.5 and 5 bands and marks between 52 and 56 in the Pearson Test of English (PTE), despite the usual benchmarks being 6 bands in IELTS and 60 marks in PTE exams, respectively.
