Study permits: Letters of acceptance (LOAs)

This section contains policy, procedures and guidance used by IRCC staff. It is posted on the department’s website as a courtesy to stakeholders.

This PDI provides processing instructions for confirming acceptance to Designated Learning Institution (DLI) and reviewing Letters of Acceptance (LOA).

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Confirmation of acceptance to a DLI

As per R219(1), foreign nationals are required to submit an LOA in order to establish acceptance to a DLI. This includes study permit applications at the post-secondary level [R219(1)(a)] and all other levels of study [R219(1)(b)]. Unless exempted, all study permit applications require an LOA. If an LOA is not provided the application should be refused. See Study Permits: Final Decisions for more information.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) strongly encourages designated learning institutions (DLIs) to use the template provided for the Letter of acceptance (LOA) (PDF, 74.2 KB). It contains all of the necessary information and will facilitate the processing of study permit applications.

The following list of items should be included in the LOA from the DLI submitted by the applicant at the time of their study permit application:

  • full name, date of birth and mailing address of the student
  • name of the institution and official contact
  • DLI number
  • telephone, fax, website and email information for the institution
  • type of school or institution (for example, private or public and, in the cases where the institution is publicly funded but not a university, indication as to whether the institution is a post-secondary college, a post-secondary community college or a post-secondary technical college)
  • the field or program of study, level and year of study into which the student was accepted
  • the estimated duration or date of completion of the course
  • date on which the selected course of study begins
  • the last date on which a student may register for a selected course
  • the academic year of study that the student will be entering
  • whether the course or program of study is full-time or part-time
  • the tuition fee
  • scholarships and other financial aid (if applicable)
  • an expiry date indicating the date until which the LOA is valid
  • any conditions related to the acceptance or registration, such as academic prerequisites, completion of a previous degree, proof of language competence, etc.
  • clear identification of the educational institution, normally confirmed through its letterhead;
  • for study in Quebec, the requirement of a Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ)
  • where applicable, licensing information for private institutions normally confirmed through letterhead

Exceptions to providing an LOA

Pursuant to paragraph R219(2), a foreign national is not required to provide a letter of acceptance from a DLI if they:

  • are applying for a study permit before entering Canada and;
  • are an accompanying family member of a foreign national whose application for a work or study permit has been approved in writing before their entry to Canada.

This exception does not guarantee the approval of a study permit application. For more information on processing applications that do not require an LOA, see Study permits: Designated learning institutions.

Note: The family member of a foreign national who applies for a work or study permit from within Canada is not exempt from the requirement to obtain an LOA when applying for a study permit.

Conditional LOA

When successful completion of a prerequisite course or program is required before admission into a program of study, the DLI may issue a conditional LOA to a foreign national. This letter should be submitted when the applicant applies to enter Canada as a temporary resident.

When the completion of a prerequisite program, such as English as a second language (ESL) or French as a second language (FSL), is a condition for enrolment in a subsequent program, officers issue a study permit for the length of the prerequisite program plus 1 year.

Students who successfully complete their prerequisite program will then need to apply for a new study permit and demonstrate they have completed the admission requirements.

Missions overseas should still take into consideration the bona fides and available funds for the main program, should the prerequisite be passed, before issuing the travel document for the prerequisite study program.

As of November 8, 2024, students changing DLIs at the post-secondary level need to apply for a new study permit. For more information on changing DLIs, see Study permits: Designated learning institutions and Study permits: Assessing study permit conditions.

Note: Foreign nationals who have been issued a study permit for a prerequisite program are not eligible to work off campus in Canada until they begin their main program of study.

Joint programs

Joint programs take various forms, and study permit issuance must be based on the information provided in the Letter of Acceptance on file. General examples of joint programs include:

  • Students beginning studies at 1 DLI and then transition to another
  • Students concurrently studying at 2 DLIs at the same time

As of November 8, 2024, post-secondary study permit holders must be enrolled at the DLI that is named in their permit and remain enrolled there until they complete their studies [R220.1(1)(a)]. This requirement also applies to students intending to pursue an academic program that is jointly offered by more than 1 post-secondary DLI in Canada (such as 2 universities, a university and a college, 2 colleges, etc.).

In the case of joint programs, each DLI must issue an LOA that clearly notes the following information regarding the joint program:

  • institution names
  • type (college, university, technical institute, etc)
  • locations
  • periods of study at each institution

Both institutions must be designated by the province or territory to host international students, and must meet their DLI conditions, including verifying letters of acceptance submitted for their institution.

To ensure their compliance is accurately reported by each DLI, students must ensure that they hold a valid study permit with the name of the DLI before they begin studying at that DLI. In some cases, this will require students to apply for 2 study permits concurrently, 1 for each DLI. Students must satisfy officers that they will meet the requirements for both study permit applications.

Officers must issue a study permit for the length of studies at the each DLI as per the LOA provided and should input into the “Remarks” the name of the other institution at which the program is offered. See Condition Description/Sub-Category “Study Permits – Joint study programs involving more than one institution” in the Bilingual Remarks Table for the applicable remark.

Study permit renewals

If officers have any doubts when reviewing a study permit renewal application, they are authorized under subsection 220.1(4) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR) to request that students provide evidence that they are or were in compliance with the conditions of their study permit. The applicant may be requested to submit  documentation issued by a DLI indicate that they are enrolled and actively pursuing studies at a DLI.

Concerns about an institution

Although the issuance of study permits is limited to those accepted at a designated learning institution, there may be cases where students present an LOA from an educational institution where concerns exist about its academic or administrative practices.

LOA verification for post-secondary DLIs

As per paragraph R222.1(1)(a), post-secondary DLIs are required to confirm the letter of acceptance provided by the applicant. DLIs must complete the verification activities in the portal or by email when requested by IRCC.

This requirement began on the following dates for all post-secondary DLIs:

  • December 1, 2023 for study permit applications submitted outside of Canada
  • January 30, 2024 for study permit applications and extensions submitted within Canada.

When an applicant submits their application for a study permit or study permit extension, a verification activity is created in the Global Case Management System (GCMS) once the application is promoted.

The DLI will receive a daily email notifying them that a verification activity requires their attention in the IRCC LOA verification portal. The DLI must log in to the LOA verification portal to complete the verification activity. DLIs have 10 calendar days to complete the verification activity.

If the activity is completed within the allotted time frame (status changed to “Verified – Match,” “Verified – No Match,” or “Cancelled”), the information will be sent to GCMS and the application will be ready for processing.

  • Note: DLIs cannot change the validation status of students in the portal once a validation status has been submitted to IRCC. If there was an error or change in circumstance the DLI will contact the LOA inbox who will forward the information to the appropriate processing branch.
  • Officers do not need to wait until the verification end date has passed and may start processing the application once a validation status is received in GCMS other than “Not Started.”

If the verification activity is not completed by the DLI within the allotted time frame (that is, the DLI doesn’t respond):

  • the application will be closed and the study permit processing fee will be refunded
  • IRCC will send a letter to the applicant advising them that their DLI didn’t validate their LOA, that their application is closed and that their study permit processing fee will be refunded

Important: Officers must confirm that no other manual LOA verification activity is in process prior to finalizing.

There may be instances where the verification is completed by email upon the request of IRCC. These LOA verifications must also be completed within the same time frame (by the due date indicated in the email).

Reminder: According to the Government of Quebec website, Vocational Training Centres are institutions that offer secondary level programs.

The following vocational training programs in Quebec do not require LOA verification as they are considered to be of secondary level:

  • Diploma of Vocational Studies (DVS)
  • Attestation of Vocational Specialization (AVS)
  • PreWork Training Certificate (PTC)
  • Training Certificate for a Semiskilled Trade (TCST)

The LOA Verification is not mandatory for vocational training centres that offer secondary-level programs only. Officers are to follow regular processing procedures for secondary studies.

Extension of LOA verification

As per R222.1(2)(a), a DLI may be granted an extension for LOA verification in 1 (or more) of the following circumstances:

  • prolonged failure of power, communications or other infrastructure systems
  • a natural disaster
  • a public health emergency
  • a labour dispute

If 1 of the circumstances prevents or impedes the DLI from completing an LOA verification activity, the DLI must email the IRCC LOA Portal at IRCC.LOAPortal-PortailLA.IRCC@cic.gc.ca to request an extension before the validation due date elapses. IRCC will reply to advise if the extension is granted and for how long, and to provide instructions on completing the verification activities during the granted extension time frame. Note that if the extension is granted, the applications submitted for studies at the DLI won’t be processed until the verification is complete or the date granted for the extension has passed.

LOA verification status definitions

DLIs will input 1 of the verification statuses below in the portal:

  • Verified – Match:The DLI verified and confirmed that the LOA submitted by the applicant to IRCC in their application was issued by the DLI.
  • Verified – No Match:The DLI verified and confirmed that the LOA submitted by the applicant to IRCC in their application was not issued by the DLI.
  • Cancelled:The LOA submitted by the applicant to IRCC was cancelled by the DLI.
    • Note:This status could also include a Deferred LOA because the LOA submitted at the time of application was cancelled and a new LOA was issued.

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