Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) introduced a new verification process for Letters of Acceptance (LOAs) on December 1, 2023.

Among other modifications to its foreign student program, IRCC announced the launch of its LOA verification system. These adjustments are meant to enhance overall program integrity and safeguard international students studying in Canada.

All Canadian designated learning institutions (DLIs) are required by the new verification system to manually verify each Letter of Authority (LOA) they receive from IRCC via the department’s web portal within ten calendar days.

Note: International students have to provide Letters of Authority (LOAs) to bolster their application for a student visa in Canada.

The IRCC hopes to safeguard foreign students in a number of ways with this verification method, one of which is to ensure that they are using time, money, and other resources effectively in their pursuit of a study permit in Canada. The system will return the foreign student applicant’s student visa application to them after canceling it;

• If a DLI doesn’t verify their LOA inside the IRCC’s allotted 10-calendar-day period 
• If a LOA that this system processes is determined to be bogus or invalid

Has IRCC’s system been successful?

In the first four months of its implementation, between December 1, 2023, and April 1, 2024, the IRCC’s LOA verification system has, “identified almost 9,000 LOAs that [either did not] match any [letter] issued by a DLI or that the DLI had already canceled before the foreign national applied for a study permit.” – According to data released by the organization in a news release on April 29

Stated differently, thousands of international students have presumably already been shielded by the IRCC’s new system from possibly squandering time and money by pursuing a study visa based on an erroneous LOA.

The IRCC reports that this new approach has so far “been a success,” notwithstanding the lack of information or forecasts regarding the department’s expectations for the performance of its LOA verification system going forward.

Other ways Canada is protecting international students

Although the IRCC has so far regarded its LOA verification mechanism as successful, there are other ways overseas students can safeguard themselves and avoid falling victim to fraud.

• Restricting the quantity of foreign study permits to be granted in the upcoming two years
• Raising the foreign students’ cost of living requirement
• Modifying its well-liked Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) program in a number of ways
• Modifying the requirements for obtaining an Open Work Permit (OWP)
• Creating and Putting into Practice a Framework for Trusted Institutions