Weiting Wang

REGULATED CANADIAN IMMIGRATION CONSULTANT

Changing Schools in Canada: From a 2024 Proposal to a New Study Permit Requirement

Published: July 4, 2024

In July 2024, proposed regulations signalled that Canada intended to tie study permits more closely to a particular designated learning institution (DLI). That proposal later became an important operational rule.

The policy concern

For years, a post-secondary student could generally change institutions by updating the DLI information in an online account. The government’s 2024 proposal sought stronger monitoring of enrolment and transfers, including a requirement for students to obtain a new study permit before moving to another DLI.

At the proposal stage, students needed to avoid treating forecasts as final law. Consultation documents can show policy direction, but the enacted regulation and IRCC’s implementation instructions determine the actual obligation.

What changed later in 2024

The new international-student regulations took effect in November 2024. Post-secondary students must generally apply for and receive a new study permit before changing DLIs. The former online account update is no longer a substitute for the required application.

There are limited circumstances and transition instructions that may affect when a student can begin at a new institution. A transfer can also affect provincial attestation requirements, status, work authorization and future PGWP eligibility. The safest analysis therefore begins with the student’s current permit, the date and status of the new application, and IRCC’s current changing-schools instructions.

Practical planning

Obtain a valid letter of acceptance from the new DLI.
Confirm whether a provincial or territorial attestation letter is required.
Do not assume acceptance by the new school authorizes immediate attendance.
Check whether the new program and institution remain PGWP-eligible.
Keep proof of enrolment and compliance at the previous school.

A school transfer is now an immigration-status decision as well as an academic one.

Official sources: IRCC — new International Student Program regulations; IRCC — changing schools.

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