federal greenReviewed step-by-step guide

Change schools or study-permit conditions

Use the current IRCC decision tree for a school, program or permit-condition change and complete the required action before relying on the new study arrangement.

Reviewed 2026-07-13Next review: 2026-08-13

Before you start

  • Use only your own government account.
  • Never share government or email credentials.
  • Confirm fees, deadlines and checklists when you act.

CHANGING CONDITIONS

School-change rules now depend on level, location, permit wording and whether an application is in progress; re-run the official decision tree for every material change.

REVIEWED STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE

Responsibilities, outputs and checkpoints

  1. 01
    RESPONSIBLEApplicant

    Describe the planned study change

    Record the current and proposed institution, DLI, program, level, province, dates and the conditions printed on the current study permit.

    Expected output
    A side-by-side dated record of the current and proposed studies.
    Checkpoint
    Every identifier and date matches the two schools’ records and the current permit.
    Official source reviewed · 2026-07-13Changing your school or program · www.canada.ca
  2. 02
    RESPONSIBLESchool

    Obtain the new DLI acceptance

    Obtain and review the new institution’s letter of acceptance, including program, campus, start date, conditions and any deposit record.

    Expected output
    A current acceptance letter from the proposed DLI.
    Checkpoint
    The school and program are the ones used in the change analysis and any new application.
    Official source reviewed · 2026-07-13Changing your school or program · www.canada.ca
  3. 03
    RESPONSIBLEApplicant

    Use the current change-of-school branch

    Follow the IRCC page for the recorded location, permit wording, post-secondary or secondary level, Québec situation and whether an application is already in progress.

    Expected output
    The exact extend, new-permit, web-form or permitted-continuation branch is recorded.
    Checkpoint
    The branch is supported by the current official decision tree; a former DLI-notification practice is not assumed.
    Official source reviewed · 2026-07-13Changing your school or program · www.canada.ca
  4. 04
    RESPONSIBLEApplicant

    Prepare new-school and status evidence

    Prepare the current permit and passport, both school records, academic progress, funds, PAL/TAL or CAQ handling and every document named by the selected official branch.

    Expected output
    A branch-specific school-change evidence set.
    Checkpoint
    Gaps, withdrawals and status facts are recorded consistently and no reason is invented.
    Official source reviewed · 2026-07-13Changing your school or program · www.canada.ca
  5. 05
    RESPONSIBLEApplicant

    Complete the required IRCC action

    Submit the new permit, extension or in-progress-application update through the named IRCC channel before changing schools when the current branch requires it.

    Expected output
    An official submission or update confirmation linked to the new DLI.
    Checkpoint
    The confirmation contains the correct new institution and was completed before the change deadline in the current instructions.
    Official source reviewed · 2026-07-13Changing your school or program · www.canada.ca
  6. 06
    RESPONSIBLECanada

    Verify authorization before starting

    Read the pending-case and issued-permit instructions before beginning at the new school, then retain the decision and verify all study and work conditions.

    Expected output
    A verified authorization and new-school start record.
    Checkpoint
    The new studies begin only when the current official branch and valid documents permit them.
    Official source reviewed · 2026-07-13Changing your school or program · www.canada.ca

DOCUMENT PREPARATION SUMMARY

What this procedure organizes

  • Prepare the current permit/passport and old-school record, the new DLI acceptance and deposit, program/date comparison, academic progress and funds, PAL/TAL/CAQ handling, the branch-specific forms or web-form record, submission confirmation and new permit.

Frequently asked questions

How do I complete this procedure? What documents and steps are needed? How much does it cost and how long does it take?

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