IRCC has confirmed that it will not refuse study permit applications that are missing documents due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Three key areas of the applications that some students have been unable to complete include a) biometrics, b) medical examinations, and c) the submission of original travel documents.
IRCC has indicated on their website that due to the closures of several Visa Application Centres (VACs), it is recommended to apply for a study permit online at this time. If you have all the documents required to submit your application, we encourage you to submit your application now. If you are not able to include a specific document because of measures in place due to the COVID-19 (e.g. digital photo, IELTS results, etc.), we still encourage you to submit your application. However, for every document you are not able to provide you should instead provide a letter of explanation detailing the reasons you are unable to provide it and mentioning that you will provide the document as soon as you are able to using the IRCC web form. Please note that this policy applies to all post-secondary institutions in Canada.
As a reminder, the Student Direct Stream (SDS) is available for residents of China, India, Vietnam, the Philippines, Pakistan, Senegal and Morocco. IRCC has confirmed that international students who do not have the required documents for the SDS upon submitting their application should be directed to apply through regular study permit channels or apply through the SDS once services resume and they are able to submit the required documents.