Canada study scams: verify your acceptance letter with the school

A letter of acceptance can make an overseas study plan feel settled. But before paying a deposit or submitting a Canadian study permit application, establish that the school actually issued the letter to you. An agent forwarding a PDF is only the start of that check.

Contact the admissions office yourself

IRCC advises prospective students to confirm that their school is a designated learning institution and to have the institution send the acceptance letter directly to them. Its student-fraud guidance also says tuition should be paid directly to the school.

Use contact details you find on the institution's own website. Ask admissions to confirm your applicant number, programme, campus, intake and any outstanding conditions. Explain that you received the document through an intermediary and want to verify it before relying on it.

Keep this correspondence in an email account you control. A successful call to a number printed on the questionable letter is not an independent check: that number may lead back to the seller.

Separate admission, payment and permission to study

Build three separate records: the institution's offer, its tuition invoice and the immigration application. Ask which organisation issued each document and what it proves. A payment receipt should not be treated as evidence that a study permit has been granted.

Before transferring tuition, ask the school to confirm the payment route and refund terms. If an agent offers a special discount, request written confirmation from the institution. Do not rely on a screenshot of someone else's successful payment or admission.

Understand the official verification process

IRCC requires designated learning institutions to verify acceptance or enrolment letters submitted with post-secondary study permit applications through its portal. This is an institutional verification process, not a reason to pay an intermediary an extra fee for a supposed private authentication stamp.

You can ask the school whether it has the correct application details, while leaving its verification work to the institution. Keep the version of the letter you received and the version included in your application so differences can be identified.

If the school cannot confirm the offer

Pause further payments and do not submit a document you believe may be false. Ask the institution to describe the discrepancy in writing. Preserve messages, invoices and transfer records without editing them.

If an application has already been submitted, seek advice from an authorised Canadian immigration professional about the specific record and any required correction. Avoid an agent's promise to replace the letter quietly: your next step should resolve the uncertainty, not create another document you cannot verify.