The Consulate General of Canada in Ho Chi Minh city, the Embassy of Canada in Hanoi, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), in cooperation with Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) announce a pilot initiative called the Canada Express Study program (CES).

The pilot program to facilitate visa processing for Vietnamese students wishing to study at participating colleges in Canada begins on March 1st, 2016 and runs for 18 months, with possible extension and expansion.

Participating colleges are members of CICan, a national, voluntary membership organization representing publicly supported colleges, institutes, cégeps and polytechnics in Canada and internationally.

The program is supported by Scotiabank, a leading Canadian financial institution. The Bank has agreed to provide eligible students with the opportunity to purchase a Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC) that will satisfy the financial statement requirements of the CES.

Students applying for a program under CES must meet the following eligibility criteria: Admission to a full-time program in one of the participating CICan member institutions in Canada; proof of payment of the tuition fee for one year; an overall IELTS score of 5.0 with no band less than 4.5, taken within past two years; purchase of a special GIC of CAD10,000 to cover living expenses for the first year of stay in Canada; submission of visa application 60 days prior to the start date; and upfront medical examination at least one week before submission of the application.

Following are the major advantages of applying under CES: streamlined visa process for all CES participating institutions; less financial documentation; and faster visa processing time.

Of the 36 participating institutions there are a large number of IDP Canada clients, and for your reference the list of clients is below:

• Algonquin College

• Camosun College

• Canadore College

• Capilano University

• Centennial College

• Conestoga College

• Confederation College

• Durham College

• Emily Carr University

• Fleming College

• George Brown College

• Georgian College

• Humber College

• Kwantlen University

• Niagara College 

• Red River College

• Saskatchewan Polytechnic

• Selkirk College

• Vancouver Island University

NOTE: Applicants accepted solely for preparatory courses (ESL, FSL, EAP, FAP or Intensive English or French) without conditional acceptance to a program in a college or university in Canada are not eligible for this program.