All about Canada's new guidelines for international students transferring schools in 2025

Canada has announced new guidelines for international students transferring schools in the winter or spring of 2025, allowing them to begin their studies at the new institution before receiving a new study permit, as long as they meet specific conditions.

To begin studying at their new Designated Learning Institution (DLI)* before the issuance of a new study permit, students transferring schools in Canada must:

• Have been accepted at the new DLI for the winter/spring 2025 semester intake;
• Have applied to IRCC for a new study permit via a study permit extension application;
• Hold a valid study permit that does not have the name of the new DLI printed on it; and
• Continue to meet all existing conditions of their study permit.

*DLIs are the only schools in Canada authorized by the government to accept international students.


All of the above conditions must be met for students to begin studying at their new DLI before the issuance of a new study permit.

Prior to this exemption, all international students in Canada needed to be approved for a new study permit before changing DLIs. That meant that they could no longer simply change DLIs through their online account, and needed to get a new one by applying to extend their current one.

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PGWP eligibility implications of transferring schools

Depending on when students applied for their new study permit, and their new level of study, they may have to meet increased field of study criteria to be eligible for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP):

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Here is the table based on the given information:

Level of Study	Field of Study Requirements
University bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral programs	N/A
University programs not listed above	N/A
College program or non-university program	N/A

Applied for a new study permit after November 1, 2024:

Level of Study	Field of Study Requirements
University bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral programs	N/A
University programs not listed above	Must graduate from an eligible field of study
College program or other non-university program	Must graduate from an eligible field of study

All international students applying for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) must also meet new language proficiency requirements to be eligible for an open work permit (OWP) after completing their studies. Language skills must be demonstrated by taking an IRCC-approved language test in either English or French.

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Students enrolled in university programs are required to show language proficiency at a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 7 (for English) or a Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) level 7 (for French).

Students in college or non-university programs must meet a minimum language proficiency of CLB or NCLC level 5.