- IRCC closed the Student Direct Stream at 2:00 p.m
- ET on 8 November 2024, so SDS colleges no longer exist as a category
- Every application filed since then goes through the regular study permit stream
- A single applicant outside Quebec must show CAD 22,895 in living costs, not the old CAD 10,000 GIC
- Most college and undergraduate applicants need a provincial or territorial attestation letter, and eligible students may work 24 hours per week off campus.
Searches for SDS colleges in Canada still run into thousands every month, but the category they describe no longer exists. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada shut the Student Direct Stream down in November 2024, and with it the whole SDS versus non-SDS distinction that agents and forums used to build advice around. This guide sets out what actually governs a Canadian study permit in 2026, using IRCC's own published rules.
What Happened to SDS Colleges in Canada?
There are no SDS colleges in Canada any more. IRCC closed the Student Direct Stream at 2:00 p.m. ET on 8 November 2024, alongside Nigeria Student Express. Every study permit application filed after that moment is processed under the regular stream, so a college's old SDS or non-SDS label carries no weight.
The stream was never a property of a college in the first place. It was an application route open to residents of certain countries who could meet a fixed checklist, and any designated learning institution offer letter worked with it. When IRCC withdrew the route, the label attached to the college became meaningless overnight.
IRCC confirmed that applications received before 2:00 p.m. ET on 8 November 2024 would still be finished under SDS rules, and that anything submitted from that point onward would be assessed under the regular study permit stream. There is no transitional version of SDS still running.
Why Did IRCC Close the Student Direct Stream?
IRCC said the closure was meant to strengthen program integrity, reduce student vulnerability, and give every applicant equal and fair access to the process. The stream had launched in 2018 to speed up processing for post-secondary applicants from selected countries, which created a two-tier system that favoured some nationalities over others.
The closure landed inside a much wider tightening of Canada's International Student Program through 2024 and 2025, which also brought in attestation letters, a national cap on study permit applications, higher proof of funds, and new post-graduation work permit conditions. Read the SDS closure as one piece of that package rather than an isolated decision.
Which Countries Could Use SDS Before It Closed?
The stream was open to legal residents of fourteen countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, India, Morocco, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, Senegal, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Vietnam. None of these nationalities receive priority treatment under the regular study permit stream today.
Older versions of this list circulating online say ten or eleven countries. IRCC's own closure notice names all fourteen, and that notice is the last authoritative statement of the stream's scope.
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Brazil
- China
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- India
- Morocco
- Pakistan
- Peru
- Philippines
- Senegal
- St. Vincent and the Grenadines
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Vietnam
List of DLI colleges in CanadaRead →
Which Colleges in Canada Can Indian Students Apply To Now?
Any designated learning institution will do, because DLI status replaced the SDS label entirely. Check the school on IRCC's DLI list and confirm your exact program is PGWP-eligible, since not every program at a DLI qualifies. All primary and secondary schools in Canada are DLIs and are not listed.
IRCC publishes a searchable DLI list, and each entry carries a DLI number that begins with the letter O followed by a string of digits, such as O19394699296. That number goes on your study permit application, so take it from the official list rather than from a consultant's brochure.
Two checks matter more than any ranking when you shortlist a college. First, is the institution on the DLI list for the province you are applying to. Second, is the specific program you have an offer for eligible for a post-graduation work permit, which IRCC flags separately from DLI status.
What Documents Does a Study Permit Need in 2026?
IRCC asks for a letter of acceptance from a designated learning institution, a provincial or territorial attestation letter in most cases, a valid passport with two photographs, proof of funds, and a letter of explanation. A medical exam applies if you will stay longer than six months.
- Letter of acceptance from a designated learning institution
- Provincial or territorial attestation letter, needed in most cases
- Valid passport or travel document plus two passport photographs
- Proof of funds covering first-year tuition and twelve months of living costs
- Letter of explanation setting out your study plan
- Upfront medical examination if you will be in Canada longer than six months
- Police certificate or custodian documentation, where IRCC requests it
Note what is absent from that list. IRCC does not name a language test as a study permit document. The old SDS rule of a fixed IELTS band is gone, and it is now the college or university that sets the English requirement you must meet to receive the offer letter in the first place.
How Much Money Do You Have To Show in 2026?
For applications filed on or after 1 September 2025, a single applicant outside Quebec must show CAD 22,895 for twelve months of living costs, on top of first-year tuition and travel. The old CAD 10,000 GIC figure tied to SDS is obsolete. IRCC revises the amount every September.
| Family Members Accompanying You | Living Costs Required for 2026 Applications, CAD, Outside Quebec |
|---|---|
| 1 | 22,895 |
| 2 | 28,502 |
| 3 | 35,040 |
| 4 | 42,543 |
| 5 | 48,252 |
| 6 | 54,420 |
| 7 | 60,589 |
| Each additional member | 6,170 |
These amounts exclude tuition and transportation, and IRCC updates them each 1 September in line with Statistics Canada's low-income cut-off, so confirm the figure on IRCC's financial support page on the day you file. A Guaranteed Investment Certificate is still a convenient way to evidence the money, but it is now one accepted proof among several rather than a stream condition.
Canada study visa process explainedRead →
Do You Still Need a PAL or TAL?
Most new college and undergraduate applicants still need a provincial or territorial attestation letter. From 1 January 2026, students starting a degree-granting master's or doctoral program at a public DLI are exempt. A PAL or TAL stays valid until 31 December of the year it was issued.
The province or territory where you plan to study issues the letter, and it confirms you have been assigned one of that jurisdiction's capped spaces. Other exemptions cover exchange students who pay no tuition to the Canadian DLI, holders of Global Affairs Canada scholarships, applicants under the Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot, and certain in-Canada extensions at the same institution and level.
How Many Study Permit Spaces Are Available in 2026?
IRCC set 309,670 study permit application spaces under the 2026 cap, announced on 25 November 2025. Ontario received 104,780 of them and British Columbia 32,596. PAL-exempt groups, including master's and doctoral students, sit outside that figure within a national target of 408,000 permits.
The practical consequence is timing. Provincial allocations are finite and are drawn down across the year, so an application for a September intake filed in July competes for a much thinner pool than the same application filed in February. Under SDS the incentive was to file early for speed; under the cap the incentive to file early is availability.
What Does a Study Permit Application Cost in 2026?
The study permit application fee, including extensions, is CAD 150 per person. Biometrics add CAD 85 per applicant, capped at CAD 170 for a family of two or more applying together. These IRCC fees are separate from tuition, the living-cost requirement, and any medical examination charges.
| IRCC Fee 2026 | Amount in CAD |
|---|---|
| Study permit, including extensions | 150 |
| Biometrics, per person | 85 |
| Biometrics, family maximum for two or more applying together | 170 |
Cost of living in Canada for studentsRead →
How Many Hours Can You Work While Studying?
Eligible study permit holders can work up to 24 hours per week off campus while classes are in session, and unlimited hours during scheduled breaks such as summer and winter holidays or a reading week. The old 20-hour weekly limit no longer applies. Exceeding 24 hours breaches your permit.
Your permit must carry the condition allowing off-campus work before you start, and you can hold more than one job to reach the 24 hours. Working beyond the limit can cost you your student status and affect future study or work permit applications, so track your hours across all employers.
Are You Still Eligible for a Post-Graduation Work Permit?
Yes, if your program ran at least eight months at a PGWP-eligible DLI and you apply within 180 days of confirmation that you finished. Since 1 November 2024, college and non-degree graduates also need an eligible field of study, plus CLB 7 for university or CLB 5 for college.
- Confirm before you enrol that the specific program is PGWP-eligible, not just that the school is a DLI.
- Keep full-time status in every academic semester of the program, apart from your final term.
- Quebec programs are measured at 900 hours rather than eight months.
- Bachelor's, master's and doctoral graduates are exempt from the field-of-study requirement.
- Meet CLB or NCLC 7 in all four abilities for university programs, or 5 for college and other programs.
- File within 180 days of the confirmation that you completed your program.
The 90-day window that older guides quote is wrong. IRCC's current rule is 180 days from confirmation of completion, and the language and field-of-study conditions apply to applications submitted from 1 November 2024 onward.
Is the Student Direct Stream Coming Back?
IRCC has announced no plan to reopen the Student Direct Stream or Nigeria Student Express. Treat any agent promising SDS-speed processing in 2026 as a warning sign. Build your file for the regular stream instead: a DLI offer, a PAL or TAL where required, and fully documented funds.
| Parameter | Former SDS, Closed 2024 | Regular Study Permit Stream in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | Closed at 2:00 p.m. ET on 8 November 2024 | The only route open to new applicants |
| Who could apply | Legal residents of fourteen listed countries | Applicants from every country |
| Proof of funds | CAD 10,000 GIC plus first-year tuition | CAD 22,895 living costs plus first-year tuition, single applicant |
| Language test | A fixed condition of the stream | Not an IRCC document; the DLI sets its own requirement |
| Attestation letter | Not part of the original design | PAL or TAL needed for most college and undergraduate applicants |
| Processing | Marketed as a faster route | Standard times, published in IRCC's processing times tool |
Processing times under the regular stream vary by country of residence and are published in IRCC's own processing times tool, which is updated regularly. Check that tool for a current estimate rather than relying on the fixed day counts that SDS-era articles quote.