Maple News reports that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has seen substantial success with its new Letter of Acceptance (LOA) verification system, introduced on December 1, 2023. The initiative is part of broader reforms aimed at strengthening the integrity of Canada’s international student program and safeguarding students from fraudulent offers of admission.
Under the new protocol, all Canadian designated learning institutions (DLIs) are required to validate each LOA received by international applicants through IRCC’s official online portal within 10 calendar days. LOAs are mandatory documents for securing a Canadian study permit, and this verification process ensures the authenticity of each student’s acceptance offer.
In just the first four months of implementation—from December 1, 2023, to April 1, 2024—the system flagged nearly 9,000 LOAs as either unmatched with any DLI records or already cancelled by an institution before a study permit application was submitted. This early filtering has potentially saved thousands of prospective students from the financial and emotional cost of pursuing invalid applications.
On the positive side, IRCC confirmed that nearly 142,000 LOAs were authentic and successfully processed during the same period. These letters were validated directly with Canadian DLIs, highlighting the system’s effectiveness in supporting legitimate international students.
Overall, of the almost 162,000 LOAs submitted for verification, approximately 88% passed the validation checks. IRCC’s new verification tool has proven to be a proactive step toward eliminating fraud, improving the enrolment process, and providing increased transparency and reliability for international students and educational institutions alike.
Maple News has previously reported on increasing concerns about the exploitation of international students through fake admissions or unauthorized intermediaries. The LOA verification initiative aligns with IRCC’s ongoing commitment to restoring confidence in Canada’s international education system.
By promptly rejecting unverified or fraudulent submissions, IRCC not only protects students but also helps schools and immigration services maintain integrity in an increasingly competitive global education market. The system also allows IRCC to better track and manage study permit applications, contributing to more efficient processing and policy planning.
With international student numbers expected to remain high, the swift success of this verification measure signals a significant stride in ensuring that only genuine students are granted access to study opportunities in Canada.