COW – Designated Learning Institution Compliance – May 28, 2026
Designated learning institutions (DLIs) play an important role in protecting the International Student Program against misuse. First introduced in 2014, we have been working with DLIs to strengthen student compliance reporting.
Since December 2023, DLIs have been required to confirm every applicant's letter of acceptance directly with IRCC. This ensures that study permits are issued based only on genuine letters of acceptance.
Since November 2024, it is mandatory for post-secondary DLIs to participate in letter of acceptance verification, as well as to report the enrolment status of their international students twice a year to IRCC. We use these reports to identify students who may be non-compliant.
DLIs can face penalties if they don't follow the rules. These can range from a warning to being banned from accepting new international students for one year. This can happen if they don't verify letters of acceptance or report on whether their international students are enrolled.
In the fall of 2025, 91% of DLIs answered IRCC's request to report on the enrolment status of their international students. We're following up with the non-responsive DLIs as we assess making findings of non-compliance.
The integrity of the International Student Program is a top priority, and we are continuing to strengthen it through our multi-year reform plan.
