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SDS study permit: what to expect while waiting for medical/biometric updates and PPR

Canada • Study Permit • study 0 views
By VisaBuddies Communityvia community — compiled from public visa forums

Timeline

Applied
2022-05-21

Documents Needed

  • Upfront medical exam

    Panel physician sends results directly to IRCC; the portal may lag well behind.

  • Biometrics

    Complete promptly after the biometric instruction letter.

Step-by-Step

This thread is from a 2022 SDS applicant (file lodged 21 May, medical 8 May, biometrics 27 May) worried that the IRCC portal showed no updates. Timelines here are historical (2022 backlog era) — treat the durations as illustrative, not current.

What group members advised:
  1. Portal lag is normal. One member's medical only showed as updated in week 9 after lodging; another had a medical done in mid-April that still wasn't reflected weeks later. Sometimes everything updates on the same day, so a blank portal doesn't mean the file is stuck.

  2. A webform isn't really necessary just for a missing medical update, and there is no fixed response time for webforms — expect them to be slow and don't rely on them for reassurance.

  3. Expect roughly 80–90 days to a decision for that period's SDS files, per members' experience — i.e., an applicant lodging in late May might see PPR around August.


The practical takeaway: after medicals and biometrics are done, the most common experience is silence for several weeks. Check the portal periodically, avoid duplicate webforms, and plan around a multi-month window rather than the advertised SDS target.

Dos, Don'ts & Tips

  • Don't: Don't panic if the portal doesn't show your medical for many weeks — panel clinics send results directly and the status often lags.
  • Don't: Don't rely on webforms for quick answers; members report no fixed reply time.
  • Tip: During the 2022 backlog, members reported ~80–90 days from lodging to decision even for SDS files (historical, not a current benchmark).

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