Changing Schools (DLIs) on a Study Permit

Last verified: July 12, 2026 · Official source: canada.ca — Changing your school or program

General information, not legal or immigration advice. For advice on your situation, consult a licensed RCIC or immigration lawyer.

The core truth

Since November 8, 2024, you cannot change your DLI on your existing study permit. To move to a new school, you must apply for a new study permit (by applying to extend), and the new school must itself be a DLI. This replaced the old process where post-secondary students could simply report a school change through their online account.

This connects directly to your study permit conditions — one of the standing conditions is to apply to extend your permit before changing post-secondary schools. Moving to a new DLI without the new permit is treated as non-compliance, not a paperwork step you can fix later.

The PAL/TAL requirement (since January 22, 2025)

When you apply to change schools, you generally need to include a new, valid PAL / TAL for the new institution, unless you meet an exemption. See PAL, TAL & the International Student Cap for how the cap and exemptions work generally.

Can you start at the new school before your application is approved?

This is the detail that trips people up. The general rule for a voluntary school change is: wait for your new study permit before you start at the new DLI. IRCC only lets you begin studying at the new DLI while your extension is pending if you meet all of these conditions:

you haven't left Canada since getting your letter of acceptance from the new DLI,
you continue to meet the conditions of your previous study permit, and
your previous DLI closed, discontinued your program, was put on the suspension list, or lost its designated status before you finished your program.

In other words, the study-while-waiting exception is really for students forced to move because their old school shut down or lost its status — not for a voluntary transfer. If you don't clearly meet all three conditions, plan to get the new study permit before you stop studying at your current DLI. Starting at a school not named on your permit without meeting the exception risks a finding of non-compliance.

IRCC has referenced processing times of roughly 60 days for applications changing to a new post-secondary DLI — but processing times change, so confirm the current estimate on canada.ca rather than planning around this number.

Program change within the same DLI

Staying at your current school but changing programs is a different situation:

Changing programs at the same level of study (e.g., one bachelor's program to another) is generally allowed without a new permit.
Changing to a different credential level (e.g., diploma → bachelor's degree, or bachelor's → master's) may require a new study permit — the officer-guidance update discussed below narrows how these same-school changes are assessed.

The 2026 enforcement update

In 2026, IRCC updated the internal guidance officers use to assess study-permit compliance, which reportedly clarified how unauthorized DLI transfers and same-school program changes are assessed and reinforced that these are mandatory, not discretionary, conditions. The practical takeaway is unchanged either way: don't start at a new school, or in a new-credential-level program, without the permit that authorizes it.

If your school loses DLI status

If your school loses its DLI designation while you're enrolled, you may be affected even though you didn't choose to change schools. Check the IRCC Help Centre for guidance on what happens next if this affects you, and don't wait to seek advice if it does.

Quick checklist

Changing schools? Apply to extend your study permit for the new DLI before you start there — don't just report the change.
Include a new PAL/TAL with the application, unless you're exempt.
Confirm on canada.ca whether you meet an exception to study while your application is pending — don't assume you do.
Same DLI, same level? No new permit needed. Same DLI, different credential level? You may need one.

→ Study Permit Conditions: What You Must Do to Keep Your Status → How to Extend Your Study Permit → PAL, TAL & the International Student Cap → Back to Study in Canada

Sources

General information, not legal or immigration advice. Rules change — always confirm the current requirements on canada.ca and consult a licensed RCIC or immigration lawyer for advice on your situation.