Canada alters tourist visa policies, discontinues Nigeria Student Express

The Canadian government has introduced new changes to its immigration policies, affecting both tourist visas and the Nigeria Student Express (NSE) stream.

Canada’s Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that it will no longer automatically grant 10-year multiple-entry tourist visas.

The government also disclosed that it will discontinue the NSE stream for Nigerian students seeking study permits.

The new tourist visa guidelines mark a departure from previous practices where eligible visitors were routinely issued multiple-entry visas valid for up to 10 years.

Under the revised rules, immigration officers will now have the discretion to issue single-entry or multiple-entry visas and determine the duration based on individual assessments.

“Guidance has been updated to indicate that multiple-entry visas issued to maximum validity are no longer considered to be the standard document. Officers may exercise their judgement in deciding whether to issue a single or multiple-entry visa and in determining the validity period,” said the IRCC.

The IRCC explained that this change is part of a broader strategy aimed at managing temporary immigration levels while addressing ongoing challenges such as housing shortages and rising living costs.

In another development, the IRCC has announced that it will no longer accept applications under the Nigeria Student Express (NSE) stream.

The NSE programme was designed to expedite study permit applications for Nigerian students by allowing them to demonstrate proof of funds through local banking solutions instead of purchasing a Canadian Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC), as required by the Student Direct Stream (SDS).

The decision to discontinue NSE comes as part of a broader reassessment of Canada’s international student programme, with the federal government seeking to control the levels of temporary residents entering through study and work permits. Moving forward, all study permit applications, including those from Nigeria, will be processed through the standard application procedure.

“NSE is similar to SDS, except that the applicant must show that they have funds in a bank account (NSE) instead of purchasing a Canadian guaranteed investment certificate (GIC) and paying fees as they would for SDS. NSE relies on a local verifiable banking solution (MyBank).”