After submitting your application

1.0 Changes to your application

It's important that your licence application is accurate and reflective of your intended activities with cannabis when you submit it. After submission, Health Canada can only accept minor changes but you can't make them yourself in the CTLS. Any changes can delay the processing time. Some minor changes include:

administrative updates, such as changing your mailing address, email and phone number
changes to the responsible person
change of the associated individual communicating with Health Canada for your application (consent to communicate)

For corporations, cooperatives or partnerships, you can make changes to your corporate profile at any time. These are mostly minor changes, but may still delay the processing time of your application. For example:

changing the name of a corporation, cooperation or partnership. The CTLS will update any linked application. You'll have to provide Health Canada with a certificate of amendment
adding new people to your corporate profile and corporate organization chart. They'll need to create an account in the CTLS, if they don't have one already

To make minor changes to your submitted application or corporate profile, the responsible person will need to email sp-licensing-cannabis-licences-sp@hc-sc.gc.ca with the subject line "Change to APP #". Health Canada will advise the responsible person if that change is allowed.

If you want to make major changes, you may need to withdraw and resubmit your licence application. Some major changes include:

Change in the site location (for example, the site is no longer at the same address)
Change in licence ownership for the same site

2.0 Withdrawal of an application

You can withdraw your licence application at anytime during the licensing process.

To withdraw, click on the delete button on the Licence application page in the CTLS.

If you decide to remove your licence application, it won't influence your future applications. If you wish to submit a new application, we'll process it. However, you'll have to re-submit all the required information. What you've submitted before won't be transferred to your new licence application. Health Canada doesn't return information and data submitted.

3.0 Health Canada processes your information

Health Canada will process your information in the steps described below. We can refuse to consider your application or refuse your application at any stage of the review process.

3.1 Review process

As a first step, Health Canada will review the information in the CTLS.

Health Canada assigns your licence application to an officer for review. They'll notify you by email.
The officer will review your information for completeness, legibility and ability to be processed.
If we need more information, we'll send you a notice identifying what's missing or deficient. We'll indicate what to submit to continue the application-screening process.
1. If you don't submit a sufficient answer, or the minimum screening requirements aren't met, Health Canada may refuse your application.
2. If you submit a sufficient response, your application will pass screening and move to the review stage.

For project-based research licence applications with a single protocol, there's a non-binding service standard of 42 business days from the date the application is received until the date a decision is made. For project-based research licence applications with multiple protocols or institution-wide research licence applications, there's a non-binding service standard of 180 business days from the date the application is received until the date a decision is made. These targets don't include time spent waiting for responses to information requests.

For project-based research licences to conduct activities in relation to NTRC, there's a non-binding service standard of 42 business days from the date the application is received until the date a decision is made for Category 1 studies, and a non-binding service standard of 72 business days from the date of the application is received until the date a decision is made for Category 2 and 3 studies.

4.0 Respond to requests for more information

It's your responsibility to meet all the research licensing requirements. If what you've submitted in your application is unclear, or doesn't show how it meets the requirements, Health Canada may ask you to submit more information. To avoid this, use the licence application checklist to ensure you've submitted all the right information.

The CTLS status for your licence application will change to "Pending information" during this time.

Health Canada will send official communications and requests for more information to the responsible person at the email address entered in the CTLS. You generally need to respond within 10 business days. You don't need to retain the services of a third part (for example, a consultant) to prepare responses to Health Canada. However, if you want to have a third party communicate with Health and they were not designated as an associated individual in your licence application prior to submitting the application, you'll need to communicate with Health Canada to add them as an associated individual with consent to communicate.

When you respond to the requests for more information:

reply to all sections of the request for more information, and submit complete answers
don't resubmit a revised version of the original information you've submitted unless that's what you were asked to do

Give specific answers to the information requested, and include as many details as possible. Incomplete answers may lead to a delay in processing or a refusal to consider an application.

If you have any questions about the request for more information, email sp-licensing-cannabis-licences-sp@hc-sc.gc.ca as soon as possible. The subject line should be "Questions about request for more information for APP #".

5.0 Health Canada makes a final decision

Once Health Canada has reviewed all of your submitted information, we'll make a final decision. If Health Canada decides to issue a research licence, the responsible person will get an email with the electronic versions of:

the licence
the licence issuance letter detailing important information specific to their licence

6.0 Refusal

Health Canada may refuse to consider an application if you don't send the necessary information to the requests for more information. We may also refuse your application for the reasons in subsection 62(7) of the Cannabis Act. In these cases, Health Canada may send a notice of intent to refuse. The notice will explain the reasons for refusal, and give you a timeframe to respond, after which Health Canada will decide.

If Health Canada has decided to refuse your application, we'll send you a notice of refusal and close your application. It will give the specific reasons or deficiencies that led to the decision.

If Health Canada refuses your licence application, it won't influence your future applications. If you wish to submit a new application, we'll process it. However, you'll have to re-submit all the required information. What you've submitted before won't be transferred to your new licence application. Health Canada doesn't return information and data submitted.

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Date modified:: 2023-10-31

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