Group members compared real processing times for the two main study-permit routes.
What was reported:- SDS applicants generally saw decisions in about 3–4 months, though one applicant reported waiting closer to 7 months before receiving their Port of Entry Letter (PPR).
- IRCC's official published estimate at the time was around 84 days (roughly 3 months) for SDS, with real-world results clustering around 75–90 days for many applicants.
- Non-SDS applicants, somewhat counterintuitively, reported much shorter waits in this thread — around 7–20 days — though this varied by applicant and is not the norm reported elsewhere; treat this data point as anecdotal and specific to the batch of applicants in this thread.
Historical note: processing times fluctuate significantly based on IRCC's current backlog, intake volume, and country of application. Always check IRCC's official current processing-time tool rather than relying on these historical figures, which reflect one point in time and one applicant pool.
The practical takeaway: SDS is designed to be the faster stream, but real-world timelines can vary widely — budget for the official estimate but don't be alarmed if it takes longer, and don't assume non-SDS is always slower.