On September 18, 2026, four institutions of ILAC Education Group ceased to be certified in British Columbia: International Language Academy of Canada, ILAC International College, Tamwood Careers and Tamwood Language Centres. According to PTIRU, the provincial body that regulates private training institutions, all four surrendered their certificates and, as of that date, may no longer provide career training under the Private Training Act.

Six days later, IRCC removed seven Toronto entries linked to the group from its list of designated learning institutions, known as DLIs. Two belong to public colleges: Georgian College at ILAC International College and Fanshawe College at ILAC International College. The finding comes from comparing the current version of the official list file with a copy archived hours earlier. The current version has no ILAC or Tamwood entries.

As of September 24, we found no IRCC instructions specific to ILAC. What does exist is the general rule the Department applies when a school closes, and what each person needs to do depends on the status they hold in Canada.

What to do based on your status

The table sums up the first step in each situation. This guide does not cover minors or secondary school programs.

With a study permit, work depends on studying

A study permit does not authorize work on its own. It allows off campus work for students who meet certain conditions, including being enrolled full time at a designated learning institution in a postsecondary academic, vocational or professional training program of six months or more that leads to a degree, diploma or certificate. Students enrolled only in English or French as a second language could not work off campus even before the closure.

For those who were working under that authorization, IRCC’s instruction to its officers is direct.

During any leave from studies, including DLI closures, a study permit holder cannot work on or off campus.IRCC, Study permits: Assessing compliance with study permit conditions

In programs with a co-op component, such as some diplomas at the group’s career colleges, the restriction also covers placements: a co-op work permit holder cannot do a placement during the closure. English or French as a second language courses do not give access to co-op. IRCC’s page for students adds that work can resume only once studies resume.

To assess whether a student is enrolled and actively pursuing their studies, IRCC considers a student whose school closes to be in compliance, but says the time taken to transition to a new program, change status or leave Canada should not exceed 150 days from the closure. Using the date published in British Columbia, that window ends on February 15, 2027, by our calculation. For the Ontario institutions, we found no published official closure date.

The steps, in order

• Proof of the closure: among the evidence an officer may ask for, IRCC lists a document or letter attesting that the school has ceased operations and no longer offers courses. IRCC also accepts the discontinuation of the program or the loss of designation as grounds for the change, which matters for the Georgian and Fanshawe programs at ILAC, removed from the DLI list.
• Letter of acceptance: it has to come from another institution on the DLI list. Only a designated institution can support a study permit.
• Provincial attestation letter: since January 22, 2025, students changing schools need a new letter from the province or territory, known as a PAL or TAL. The province or territory issues it and the institution provides it. The exemptions IRCC lists, such as moving to a graduate program at a public institution, include no language programs.
• Application: from inside Canada, apply for a new permit naming the new institution, with a letter explaining the change and proof of the closure. On the online form, answer yes to the question about changing institutions. IRCC offers to process changes to a postsecondary institution in 60 days.
• Application already in process: anyone who had an application pending when the school closed must send the letter of explanation and proof of the closure through the IRCC webform.

Two of these documents depend on third parties: the letter of acceptance comes from the new institution, and the provincial attestation letter is issued by the province through that institution. Without them the application cannot be submitted, and anyone who was working under their study permit cannot work until classes resume.

Back to class before the decision

The regulations allow students to study at the new institution while IRCC decides the application, under three conditions: they have not left Canada since receiving the new letter of acceptance, they continue to comply with the conditions of their previous permit, other than the one requiring them to remain enrolled at their previous school, and, before they completed their program, that institution closed, discontinued the program, was placed on the suspension list or lost its designation.

The first condition has a practical consequence: anyone who leaves Canada after receiving the new letter, even for a short trip, can no longer study at the new institution while the application is decided.

As a visitor, the entry date decides

Anyone studying without a study permit, in a course of six months or less, was doing so under a rule in the regulations that requires the course to be completed within the period of stay authorized on entry into Canada. Unless the officer set a different period, that stay is six months.

IRCC tells its officers that a visitor’s stay is not extended simply to complete a short course that would run past that period. If the replacement course starts later than the original one, compare its end date with the date the authorized stay expires.

Moving to a longer program generally means applying for a study permit from outside Canada. The regulations provide exceptions, such as for someone who completed a course that was a prerequisite for enrolling at a designated institution, but a course cut short by the closure is not complete.

With a work permit or IEC, a measure in force since September 4

Since September 4, 2026, a temporary public policy allows anyone holding a valid work permit to study without a study permit in a program of up to six months, or until the work permit expires if that comes first. IRCC announced that the measure will be in effect until December 31, 2027. IRCC calls the IEC permit a work permit, so the measure also reaches IEC participants. For longer programs, the measure does not apply.

The details, with examples of when it applies, are in our note on studying with a work permit.

Outside Canada with an ILAC letter, do not submit the application

For those still in their home country, IRCC’s manual is clear: an application submitted when the institution was no longer designated is refused, and no refund applies.

If the application was received before the institution lost its designation and would otherwise be approved, the manual says a letter should be sent to the applicant with three options: provide a new letter of acceptance along with the attestation letter from the province or territory where the student will study, withdraw the application, or take no action, in which case it is assessed on the original information, which results in a refusal.

If the permit was approved but not yet issued, IRCC says it will ask for a letter of acceptance from another designated institution.

The money, three routes with different rules

None of the three is automatic. All of them require filing something, and each has its own rules.

In British Columbia, the student may be able to complete the training in a comparable program at another institution appointed by PTIRU, in which case the refund goes to that institution. If there is no comparable program, or if the student shows special circumstances that prevent attending it, any tuition refund goes first to the government when the student has student loans, and the balance to the student. PTIRU announced an information session for students.

In Ontario, the provincial registry of career colleges lists ILAC International College and Tamwood Careers. The language school does not appear in that registry, and the fund excludes programs not approved under provincial law, so its students do not appear to be covered. The ministry generally contacts students by email and says reviewing claims can take 6 to 24 months.

ILAC stated that KPMG Inc. was appointed trustee under federal bankruptcy law. That law requires every creditor to prove their claim with the trustee to share in any distribution.

For any of the three routes, it helps to gather the signed enrolment contract, payment receipts and proof of the closure.

Fraud warning signs after a closure

A sudden closure creates demand for quick fixes. These are warning signs IRCC lists that apply directly to this situation:

• Someone promises a letter of acceptance in exchange for a payment.
• Someone asks for documents or payments through social media.
• Tuition is not paid directly to the institution. IRCC recommends always paying tuition directly to the school.

Before enrolling, check that the institution is on IRCC’s DLI list. We explain how to verify that a consultant is authorized in this note.

What is still unclear

• We found no IRCC instructions specific to ILAC.
• The regulations say a study permit becomes invalid on the day its holder is no longer enrolled at the institution named on it. The instruction to officers considers a student at a closed school to be in compliance, as long as the transition does not exceed 150 days. IRCC has not clarified how the two rules interact in this case, so it is best to act as soon as possible, with the closure documented.
• We found no IRCC page that clarifies whether a student can go back to work while studying at the new institution before the application is decided.
• On studying full time with a work permit, IRCC’s texts do not match: the September 9 notice says it will still require a study permit, and the page for the measure describes what happens to anyone studying full time under it.
• As of September 24, we found no official confirmation of the closure published by Ontario, which starts the six months to claim a refund from its fund, and its registry still listed ILAC International College and Tamwood Careers.
• Whether a provincial attestation letter is available for language programs depends on each province and each institution.
• We found no information published by Georgian College or Fanshawe College about students in their programs at ILAC.
• As of September 24, we found no information from the trustee on how to file claims.