An applicant with IELTS General Training (no band below 6.5) asked whether they needed to cite an IRCC tweet confirming General or Academic are both accepted for SDS study visas, to preempt a refusal.
What members clarified:- No need to attach the tweet or cite it in your SOP. Visa officers are already aware that both IELTS General and Academic are accepted for the visa application under SDS.
- Your college/university admission requirement is separate from the visa requirement. Most institutions still require IELTS Academic for admission purposes, so you'll likely need an Academic score anyway to get admitted, even though General is enough for the visa.
- For the visa itself, just upload your IELTS results as part of your application — no extra justification needed.
Takeaway: check your program's admission requirements separately from the visa requirement — General Training can satisfy IRCC for the SDS visa, but most schools still ask for Academic to admit you in the first place.