Changing Schools (DLIs) on a Study Permit

Last verified: July 6, 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 is: wait for your new study permit before starting at a new DLI. However, IRCC does allow some students to begin studying at the new DLI while their application is being processed, but only if they meet specific eligibility conditions set out on the official change-schools page (for example, not having left Canada since receiving the new school's letter of acceptance, among other criteria).

TODO: verify the exact, current list of eligibility conditions for studying before approval directly on the change-schools page before de-noindexing — do not rely on this guide's summary for that list. If your situation doesn't clearly meet a stated exception, the safest path is to wait for approval before attending the new school. If you start studying at a school not named on your permit without meeting the exception, you risk 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. TODO: confirm the exact date and wording of this update on the official conditions/PDI page before publishing — this guide deliberately avoids stating a specific date since it could not be confirmed directly on canada.ca. 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.