Changing your school or program

On this page

• Find the right process based on your situation
• Changing your school as a post-secondary student
  • How to change your school
  • If you change schools and don’t tell us
• Changing DLIs in Quebec

Find the right process based on your situation

If you’re changing schools, what you need to do depends on your situation.

If you’re moving from primary to secondary levels

You don’t need to change or apply for a study permit extension if your study permit is still valid, unless your study permit has conditions that limit you from doing so.

If you’re changing DLIs within primary or secondary levels

You don’t need to change or apply for a study permit extension if your study permit is still valid, unless your study permit has conditions that limit you from doing so.

If you’re moving from secondary to post-secondary levels

You need to get a new study permit by applying to extend your current one to attend a post-secondary school.

Important information: If you finish your secondary school studies early, your study permit will no longer be valid 90 days after you complete your studies, regardless of the date that is shown on your study permit.

If you’re moving from post-secondary to secondary levels

You need to get a new study permit by applying to extend your current one if you want to attend a secondary level school after being enrolled in a post-secondary school.

If you’re moving in between post-secondary levels at the same DLI

You can keep studying at your DLI with your current study permit as long as you still meet your study permit conditions.

If you’re changing DLIs at the post-secondary level

You need to get a new study permit by applying to extend your current one and follow the steps below.

If you changed DLIs before November 8, 2024

You can keep studying at your DLI with your current study permit as long as you still meet your study permit conditions.

If you want to change DLIs again, you need to get a new study permit by applying to extend your current one and following the steps below.

Changing your school as a post-secondary student

If your current application is still in progress

You can tell us you would like to change the DLI in your application by submitting a new letter of acceptance and a provincial or territorial attestation letter (if needed) in the IRCC web form.

Changing your designated learning institution if you’re outside Canada

If your application for a study permit has been approved and you change your designated learning institution, you must submit a new study permit application with a new letter of acceptance. You must also pay all the fees for the new application.

How to change your school as a post-secondary student

The school you plan to change to must also be a DLI. Before committing to changing schools and applying for a study permit extension, make sure to check that your new school is

• on the DLI list and
• not on the suspension list

In addition, if you are in a co-op program and are changing to a co-op program at a different school, you must apply for a new co-op work permit.

Documents you need

When you apply for your study permit extension, you must include

1. a letter explaining why you’re changing schools
2. documents that prove that you meet the criteria below, if you believe you meet the criteria to begin studying at the new DLI while your new application is in progress

If your current application is already in progress, you can submit these documents via the IRCC web form.

When you can start studying at your new DLI

You can only start studying at your new school while waiting for a decision on your study permit extension application if you meet the following criteria:

• you stayed in Canada since you received your letter of acceptance (LOA) from the new DLI and
• you continue to meet the conditions of your previous study permit and
• before you completed your course or program of study, you find yourself in one of the following situations with the previous DLI:
  • it closed
  • it discontinued the course or program of study
  • it was placed on the suspension list or
  • it lost its designated status

If you do not meet these criteria, you should plan to apply for and get your extended study permit for your new DLI before finishing your studies at your current DLI.

Applying for a study permit at a DLI that is on the suspension list

You may only attend a DLI that is on the suspension list if you are completing the program of study you have already started.

If you change schools and don’t tell us

Your old school will report you as not being registered or enrolled to study. If this happens

• you’re breaking the conditions of your study permit
• your study permit may become invalid unless you are in one of the situations noted above
• you may have your study permit cancelled
• you may be asked to leave the country or change your status
• this may prevent you from coming to Canada in the future
  • For example, you may not be approved for another study or work permit in the future.

Changing DLIs in Quebec

With few exceptions, if you’re moving to a school in Quebec, you must get an attestation of issuance of your Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) and submit this with your study permit application.

If you’re changing between schools that are vocational training centres (VTCs), you don’t need to apply for a new study permit but you need a new CAQ.

You should contact the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration if you’re already studying in Quebec and want to change your

• educational institution
• level of study