Popularly known as SPP, Student Partners Program is an administrative framework between the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) and Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC). Launched in April 2009, the main objective behind this program was to streamline admission and visa process for Canadian Community Colleges which would increase the number of visas issued to Indian students for studying at Canadian Community Colleges. A large number of Indian students apply to various specialized trade requirement based diploma and Post graduate diploma program at Community Colleges in Canada.

SPP was initially only open for the Indian nationals, but gauging how successful it turned out to be, the project has been extended to China as well. Under this program, nearly 40 Canadian colleges are listed and there are several other ACCC colleges which welcome Indian students.

Students planning to pursue studies in Canada can apply to any of the participating SPP colleges. Applications under this program receive prompt processing and a fair decision based on the documents furnished by the students. In case an applicant meets the eligibility criteria of the college applied to, then he/she will be considered under the SPP program

Eligibility Criteria

As mentioned above, students need to fulfill the eligibility criteria for their application to be considered under the SPP program.

Those applying for a program under SPP must meet the following eligibility criteria:-

  • An overall IELTS score of 6.0 with no band less than 5.5. The test score must not be older than two years.
  • A study gap of no more than five years is allowed, with certain exceptions made for students with a three year gap who have excellent grades with work experience.
  • Not more than 8 backlogs in recent studies are accepted under SPP.
  • The course applied must be relevant to the student’s previous study background and must add value to the previous education.
  • Minimum 50% score in their recently completed degree or diploma or Higher as per the SPP institution specific requirement.
  • Furnish proof of payment of the tuition fee for one semester or one year (as asked by the SPP College).
  • Purchase of a special Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC) from Scotia Bank of CAD$10,000 to cover living expenses for the first year of stay in Canada.
  • Students with previous study visa rejection are not allowed to reapply under SPP visa category.

Advantages of applying under SPP

Following are the major advantages of applying under SPP: –

  • Streamlined admission and visa guidelines for all SPP participating institutions.
  • Less visa documentation.
  • Faster visa processing.

Working in Canada under SPP

Work permit is open to all international students who have graduated with a recognized qualification from any of the accredited institutions in Canada be it the SPP colleges or non SPP colleges. The Work permit scheme has its own defined requirements which every student must qualify or satisfy in order to work in Canada.

As per the prevailing work permit regulations in Canada, students whose course period is two years or more are eligible for a Post Study work permit of up to 3 years in Canada. On the other hand, those whose course duration is one year or less than 1 year are eligible for a work permit equal to their duration of study.

SPP Colleges in Canada

  1. Algonquin College
  2. Assiniboine Community College
  3. Bow Valley College
  4. Cambrian College of Applied Arts & Technology
  5. Camosun College
  6. Canadore College
  7. Centennial College of Applied Arts & Technology
  8. College of New Caledonia
  9. College of the Rockies
  10. Columbia College
  11. Conestoga College
  12. Confederation College of Applied Arts & Technology
  13. Douglas College
  14. Durham College
  15. Fanshawe College of Applied Arts & Technology
  16. Fleming College
  17. George Brown College
  18. Georgian College of Arts & Technology
  19. Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning
  20. Kwantlen Polytechnic University
  21. Lakeland College
  22. Langara College
  23. Lambton College of Applied Arts & Technology
  24. LaSalle College
  25. Loyalist College of Applied Arts & Technology
  26. Manitoba Institute of Trades & Technology
  27. Medicine Hat College
  28. Mohawk College of Applied Arts & Technology
  29. Niagara College
  30. North Island College
  31. Northern Alberta Institute of Technology
  32. Northern College
  33. Northern Lights
  34. NorQuest College
  35. Okanagan College
  36. Parkland College
  37. Red River College of Applied Arts, Science & Technology
  38. Saskatchewan Polytechnic
  39. Sault College
  40. Selkirk College
  41. Seneca College of Applied Arts & Technology
  42. Sheridan College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning
  43. St. Clair College of Applied Arts & Technology
  44. St. Lawrence College
  45. University of the Fraser Valley
  46. Vancouver Community College
  47. Vancouver Island University

Services/Assistance offered by NexEra Immigration Consultants

As an education counselor, NexEra offers following services:-

  • University and course selection
  • Application completion and submission
  • Visa counseling
  • Offer acceptance
  • Tuition fees payment
  • Pre-departure orientation