Despite growing tensions between India and Canada, the visa application process for Indian students aspiring to study in Canada remains unaffected, with a surprisingly high success rate. Reports indicate that the success rate for student visa applications ranges from 85% to 95%, even for students with scores close to the minimum requirements.
Amid headlines highlighting the strained relations between India and Canada, it’s remarkable that students with an overall International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of six bands, including a modest 5 in one or two modules, are successfully securing study visas. The Doaba region in Punjab considered a core hub for such applications, has seen a remarkable success rate, ranging from 90% to 95%.
Even in the wake of tensions sparked by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s suggestion that India might be involved in the murder of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the demand for student visas has not waned. In fact, some visa centers have reported an increase in student visa applications by as much as 18–19% over the past month.
Despite the diplomatic stand-off, visa offices have continued processing requests for student visas, and the majority of these requests have been handled since the crisis began. Notably, there has been a surge in demand for student visas, and visa success rates have remained high, ranging from 90% to 92% in recent months.
Sumit Jain, from Jain Overseas in Jalandhar, one of the largest IELTS centers and overseas consultancies in Punjab, reported processing between 250 to 300 student visa files every month. Jain mentioned that the visa success rate in the past month has been between 90% to 92%, and the majority of these files were processed post-crisis. He added that they received 205 visas in a single day, all applied for after August 10, and processed within a short period of 12 to 20 days.
Even in the Pearson Test of English (PTE) Exam, students with scores as low as 57, 58, and 59 have reportedly received visa approvals, where a score of 60 is typically considered the benchmark for visa consideration. The fact that the student visa process has remained largely unaffected in the face of diplomatic tensions is seen as a positive and cooperative gesture between the two countries.
