An acceptance letter may look official, with a logo, signature and payment amount. Those visual elements do not establish its origin. Before building your study plan around it, verify the institution, program and payment channel. Check through sources independent of the message that delivered the letter.
Find the institution without following the received link
Consult IRCC’s official designated learning institution list. Search by school name and province, then compare relevant details. Designation concerns hosting international students; it does not mean every program automatically provides identical opportunities after graduation. Check applicable program information separately. IRCC
Find the institutional website independently. Locate admissions or the international student office and use official contact details. Ask it to confirm your file, program, intake and letter conditions. A contact supplied only by the intermediary requesting payment is not independent verification.
Read conditions, not just the heading
Admission may have academic, language or documentation conditions. Record those shown and identify records still needed by the school. Distinguish an offer, confirmed admission and commercial correspondence. Use the document’s actual wording instead of turning every positive reply into final enrolment confirmation.
Compare your names, exact program title, location and dates with your admission application. Resolve differences before submitting immigration documents. If the letter is corrected, retain correspondence and identify the current version. Do not rewrite an institutional document yourself to align the information.
Understand the institution’s verification
IRCC describes a process through which post-secondary institutions verify acceptance or enrolment letters submitted in study-permit applications. The institution performs that verification in the designated system; a commercial agent cannot replace it with a personal statement. Keep an operational contact at the school to resolve document questions. IRCC
Ask how to report a deferred intake, cancellation or program change. Immigration consequences require separate review. Keeping an old PDF does not resolve an inaccurate letter. Your application must explain actual circumstances through the appropriate evidence and procedure at that time.
Make payments safely
Before paying, consult the institution’s official payment and refund instructions. Compare the beneficiary and confirm any discrepancy directly. Keep invoices, transfer evidence and correspondence. A receipt does not remove the need to verify the recipient; an urgent demand does not turn a personal account into an institutional payment channel.
- Find the school on the official list.
- Confirm your file through an independent institutional contact.
- Read conditions and check details.
- Identify the correct letter version.
- Verify payment and refund arrangements.
Does a genuine letter guarantee a permit?
No. Authentic admission and the immigration decision are separate matters. Bring the complete letter, conditions and institutional confirmations to an IR Immigration consultation. This allows discussion of a concrete study plan rather than a commercial promise based on a school logo.
Official sources checked November 5, 2026
Official sources and verification
- www.canada.ca — 2026-11-05
- www.canada.ca — 2026-11-05
Resized photograph: Jon Kolbert / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 4.0. Photographie non modifiée ; tout recadrage doit être indiqué et la licence respectée. — CC BY-SA 4.0 Image source.
