Friday, July 4, 2025
An internal communication was sent from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on June 24, 2025, which acknowledges the issue of prolonged processing times for study permit extensions. Under rules introduced in November 2024, international students changing designated learning institutions (DLIs) have to receive approval for their study permit extensions before beginning studies at the new DLI.
IRCC is providing an update which would allow students to begin studies at a new DLI:
- Students moving from a secondary to a post-secondary DLI may begin their post-secondary studies while awaiting a decision on their study permit extensions, as long as they apply before the expiry of their study permit status.
- Students transferring from one post-secondary DLI to another post-secondary DLI will be prioritized by IRCC with the goal of identifying and finalizing these study permit extensions by mid-July 2025.Â
- IRCC will introduce a new application feature by August 2025 which allows students who are moving from a secondary to a post-secondary DLI or transferring between post-secondary DLIs to self-identify when submitting their applications online. This should help to identify and prioritize students in this situation.
Please note that IRCC has not yet updated their webpages or guidance with these new measures. Until they do, this information is not considered official policy.Â