Last April, the Student Partners Program, a joint initiative between Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) and the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC), was launched. The pilot project was aimed at increasing the approval rate for study permits for Indian students accepted into the participating Canadian colleges. To date, the study permit approval rate for Indian students accepted at Canadian community colleges has doubled.

“The Student Partners Program has resulted in an increase in the number of Indian students on our college campuses. International students bring with them new ideas and experiences and contribute both financially and culturally to the communities and institutions where they study,” said Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Canada Minister Jason Kenney.

Canada’s visa offices in India worked with the 20 member colleges of the ACCC since the initiative began, and in its first nine months, over 4,000 study permit applications have been received, and the approval rate is more than double that of the previous year. Processing times for applications that fall under this program are two-and-a-half weeks, which is faster than the global average for study permits.

Kenney pointed out that the program benefits both the students and Canada as a whole.
“This type of program benefits both our country and those who participate in it. When all is said and done, these graduates may remain in Canada and apply to immigrate under the Canada Experience Class. They would make Canada their home and continue to contribute to our country’s social and economic fabric,” he said.


Have you studied and/or worked in Canada? Contact us to find out if you qualify to immigrate to Canada under the Canadian Experience Class.