The official IDP IELTS website has confirmed that Canada study visa applicants under Student Direct Stream (SDS) will not have to secure an IELTS score of 6 bands in every module anymore.
Those applicants now need an overall score of 6 in IELTS Academic from 10 August 2023.
This means you can apply for a Canada study visa under SDS if you are able to score 6.5 in Speaking and Listening and 5.5 in Reading and Writing.
On the other hand, IRCC will ask for a band score of 6 in every module of the IELTS test under General Training (GT).
IRCC is yet to confirm this, but IDP IELTS provided some clarification after they were contacted by various news outlets.
This is good news for many overseas students who were not eligible for SDS study visas, as their IELTS score was below 6 in 1 or 2 modules, but the total score was higher than 6 bands.
Did you know IRCC recently approved 4 new English language tests for Canada Study visa applicants applying under Student Direct Stream (SDS)? We have also made a video on it. Make sure to watch it by clicking the link in the description box below if you haven’t done it yet.
IRCC plans to start accepting results of the following English language tests as proof of proficiency in English for SDS from 10 August 2023;
- The Pearson PTE Academic
- TOEFL internet-based Test (iBT)
- Canadian Academic English Language Assessment (CAEL)
Refer to the table below to learn more about the required score for each test.
We hope you found this information helpful. Follow our blogs for the latest updates and informative content on Canadian immigration.
