The Irish embassy in Ankara is struggling to keep up with the number of applications it is receiving, forcing students to cancel their programs.

International students are missing the start of their academic courses and placements in the UK due to visa processing delays. 

UK students wanting to study abroad in Spain this year have reported that they are facing visa processing delays of up to a month.

A strike by Canada’s foreign services workers that has caused lengthy visa processing delays may be nearing an end, after the government accepted an arbitration offer from the union involved in the crisis. While PAFSO is still considering the governments terms, Gonzalo Peralta, the head of Languages Canada, said that the international education sector could expect to see improvements in the next few months.

In a bid to tackle persisting student visa delays, Canadian Immigration and Citizenship has published a list of projected processing times for different country markets, along with guidelines for students on speeding up the application process. Observers say the move will provide clarity to the market.

Visa processing delays are hampering international recruitment efforts across the tertiary, language and schools sectors in Canada, with one institution even claiming that visa barriers forced her to close her business temporarily. Immigration and Citizenship Canada blames a surge in demand for Canadian education, but others say spending cuts are at fault.