Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations

r. 222 Invalidity

PART 12 Students
DIVISION 5 Validity and Expiry of Study Permits
Study Permits

Last verified: June 2026 · Source: justice.gc.ca

What that means

Your study permit stops being valid on the first of four dates. One is 90 days after you finish your program. Another is the day you stop being enrolled at the school named on the permit, for any reason other than finishing. The permit also ends on the day it is cancelled or the day it expires. The second date catches people who withdraw or get dropped. The permit follows the enrolment. The 90-day rule does not apply to people listed in r.300(2)(a) to (i), such as refugee claimants and diplomats. It also does not apply to family members of certain people living in Canada, such as work or study permit holders (r.215(2)). The post-graduation work permit is a separate program, and this section does not set it out.

Affects: Foreign nationals and permanent residents in Canada

This is what the section says, not how it applies to any one case. An officer decides each case.

The law says

IRPR r. 222

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(1)A study permit becomes invalid upon the first to occur of the following days:

(a)the day that is 90 days after the day on which the permit holder completes their studies,
(a.1)the day on which the permit holder is no longer enrolled at the designated learning institution that is named in the permit, other than as a result of completing their studies;
(b)the day on which the study permit is cancelled under section 222.7, 222.8 or 243.2; or
(c)the day on which the permit expires.

Exception

(2)Paragraph (1)(a) does not apply to

(a)a person described in any of paragraphs 300(2)(a) to (i); or
(b)a family member of a foreign national who resides in Canada and is described in any of paragraphs 215(2)(a) to (i).

Provisions this one cites

IRPR r. 222.7

Amendment History (4)

SOR/2014-14, s. 16
SOR/2024-11, s. 3
SOR/2024-219, s. 8
SOR/2025-11, s. 6

Justice Laws is the authoritative version. If this copy and it ever differ, Justice Laws wins.

Sections numbered under r. 222

Each of these is its own section of the Regulations, numbered after section 222.

IRPR r. 222.1

Conditions

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What that means

Colleges and universities on the designated list have duties of their own. The deadlines are tight. When the Minister asks, a school has 10 days to confirm whether it accepted a given student. It has 60 days to file a compliance report on the enrolment status of every foreign student it accepted. The Minister can extend those windows in defined circumstances. These duties mean a school has to keep earning its designation.

The law says

(1)A designated learning institution that is a post-secondary institution must comply with the following conditions:

(a)it must, using the electronic means that are made available or specified by the Minister for that purpose, within 10 days after the day on which it is requested to do so by the Minister, confirm whether the designated learning institution has accepted a foreign national to the course or program of study that is indicated in their application for a study permit;
(b)it must, using the electronic means that are made available or specified by the Minister for that purpose, within 60 days after the day on which it is requested to do so by the Minister, provide a compliance report that sets out the enrolment status of each foreign national who has been accepted to the designated learning institution;
(c)it must, using the electronic means that are made available or specified by the Minister for that purpose, within 10 days after the day on which it is requested to do so by the Minister, provide any additions or corrections to the information in the compliance report; and
(d)it must, using the electronic means that are made available or specified by the Minister for that purpose, within 10 days after the day on which it is requested to do so by the Minister, provide any further information that the Minister requires in relation to study permits or applications for study permits that name the designated learning institution, or otherwise in relation to the administration of this Part.

Extension of time

(2)The Minister may, on request from a designated learning institution or on their own initiative, extend the time within which a confirmation, a report or information must be provided under this section if

(a)in the case of a confirmation required under paragraph (1)(a), the Minister determines that the designated learning institution’s provision of that confirmation has been prevented or impeded by
(i)a prolonged failure of power, communications or other infrastructure systems,
(ii)a natural disaster,
(iii)a public health emergency, or
(iv)a labour dispute; or
(b)in the case of a report required under paragraph (1)(b) or information required under paragraph (1)(c) or (d), the Minister determines that the designated learning institution’s provision of the report or information has been prevented or impeded by exceptional circumstances.

IRPR r. 222.2

Verification of compliance with conditions

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What that means

An officer can audit a designated school's compliance in four situations. The first is suspicion that the school is not meeting its conditions or gave wrong information. The second is suspicion that a letter of acceptance in its name was improperly issued. A random check is the third, and a past record of non-compliance is the fourth. The school can be ordered to hand over relevant documents and to make a representative available for questions at a set time. Some failures are excused. That covers a school that made all reasonable efforts or acted in good faith.

The law says

(1)An officer may verify a designated learning institution’s compliance with the conditions set out in subsection 222.1(1) in the following circumstances:

(a)the officer has a reason to suspect that the designated learning institution is not complying or has not complied with those conditions, including by providing inaccurate information;
(b)the officer has a reason to suspect that a letter of acceptance that purports to be from the designated learning institution was improperly issued;
(c)the designated learning institution is chosen as part of a random verification of compliance with the conditions; or
(d)the designated learning institution has not complied with those conditions in the past.

Documents and questions

(2)The officer may, for the purpose of verifying compliance with the conditions, require the designated learning institution to

(a)provide any relevant documents; and
(b)make a representative available to respond to questions at a time and by a means specified by the officer.

Justification

(3)A failure to comply with a condition is justified if the designated learning institution made all reasonable efforts to comply with it or if the failure results from anything done or omitted to be done by the designated learning institution in good faith.

IRPR r. 222.3

Notice of preliminary finding

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What that means

When an officer concludes a school broke one of its conditions and finds no justification for it, a written preliminary finding has to go out. It names the school, the condition broken and the details of what happened. It also says how long the officer recommends the school stay on the suspension list, the public list of suspended schools. The reasons for the finding and for that period are included. The notice counts as received 10 days after it is sent. Nothing is settled yet. The officer can still correct or cancel the notice.

The law says

(1)An officer who determines that a designated learning institution has failed to comply with a condition set out in subsection 222.1(1) must, unless they are satisfied that the failure is justified, issue to the designated learning institution a notice of preliminary finding that sets out

(a)the name of the designated learning institution;
(b)the condition with which the designated learning institution failed to comply;
(c)the details of the designated learning institution’s failure to comply with the condition;
(d)the period for which the officer recommends that the designated learning institution be placed on the suspension list referred to in subsection 222.6(1);
(e)the reasons for the determination and for the recommended period of placement on the suspension list; and
(f)an indication that the designated learning institution may make written submissions with respect to the information referred to in paragraphs (b) to (e) or any justification under subsection 222.2(3) within 30 days after the day on which it receives the notice.

Receipt of notice

(2)Despite subsection 9.3(2), the notice of preliminary finding is deemed to have been received 10 days after the day on which it is sent.

Correction or cancellation of notice

(3)The officer may, at any time before the notice of final determination is issued, cancel a notice of preliminary finding or issue a corrected notice of preliminary finding.

IRPR r. 222.4

Written submissions

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What that means

A school has 30 days from receiving the preliminary finding to answer in writing, and it can attach any document that helps its case. The response can attack the finding itself or argue the breach was justified. One extension of up to 30 more days is available, and it is granted only where exceptional circumstances stopped the school from responding in time.

The law says

(1)A designated learning institution to which is issued a notice of preliminary finding under subsection 222.3(1) or a corrected notice of preliminary finding under subsection 222.3(3) may, within 30 days after the day on which it receives the notice, make written submissions with respect to the information referred to in paragraphs 222.3(1)(b) to (e) or any justification under subsection 222.2(3) and include with those submissions any relevant document.

Extension of time

(2)The Minister may, on the request of a designated learning institution, grant a single extension of not more than 30 days for the designated learning institution to make written submissions under subsection (1) if the Minister determines that exceptional circumstances have prevented or impeded the designated learning institution from making those submissions.

IRPR r. 222.5

Notice of final determination

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What that means

Once the response window closes, the Minister issues a final determination if the breach stands and was not justified. One of two outcomes follows. The school goes on the suspension list for a stated period, or it receives a warning that counts against it if it slips again. In setting the period, the Minister weighs how often the school has failed and how serious those failures were. Twelve months in a row is the longest a school can stay on the list.

The law says

(1)If, after the time for making written submissions has elapsed, the Minister determines that a designated learning institution has failed to comply with a condition set out in subsection 222.1(1) and that the failure is not justified, they must issue to the designated learning institution a notice of final determination that sets out

(a)the name of the designated learning institution;
(b)the condition with which the designated learning institution failed to comply;
(c)either
(i)the period for which the designated learning institution is to be placed on the suspension list referred to in subsection 222.6(1), or
(ii)a warning advising the designated learning institution that it is not to be placed on the suspension list but that the determination of non-compliance may be considered in determining whether, in the event of any subsequent failure to comply with a condition set out in subsection 222.1(1), the designated learning institution is to be placed on the list; and
(d)the reasons for the determination and, if applicable, for the designated learning institution’s placement on the suspension list.

Considerations — suspension

(2)In determining whether the designated learning institution is to be placed on the suspension list referred to in subsection 222.6(1) and, if applicable, the period for which it is to be placed on that list, the Minister must consider

(a)the frequency with which the designated learning institution has failed to comply with the conditions set out in subsection 222.1(1), including any such failures for which a warning was issued;
(b)the seriousness of the designated learning institution’s failure to comply with the conditions;
(c)the designated learning institution’s efforts to comply with the conditions;
(d)the designated learning institution’s cooperation during the verification referred to in subsection 222.2(2); and
(e)any written submissions made by the designated learning institution under subsection 222.4(1).

Maximum period of suspension

(3)The maximum period for which a designated learning institution may remain on the suspension list is 12 consecutive months.

IRPR r. 222.6

Suspension list

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What that means

The suspension list is public. It gives each school's name, mailing address and website. It also shows the conditions the school broke, the date it was listed, and how long it stays there. The consequence lands on students. A study permit application naming a suspended school is returned unprocessed, along with the documents and the fee. Students already there are protected. A renewal to finish a program already under way is not affected.

The law says

(1)The Minister must publish and maintain a suspension list that is accessible to the public and that sets out, for each designated learning institution that received a notice of final determination indicating that it was to be placed on the list,

(a)the designated learning institution’s name, mailing address and website;
(b)the conditions set out in subsection 222.1(1) with which the designated learning institution failed to comply;
(c)the date on which the designated learning institution was placed on the list; and
(d)the period for which the designated learning institution is to remain on the list.

Application not to be processed

(2)An application for a study permit that names a designated learning institution and that is received during a period in which that designated learning institution is on the suspension list must be returned to the applicant without being processed, along with all documents submitted in support of the application and the fee for processing it.

Clarification

(3)For greater certainty, subsection (2) does not apply to an application for the renewal of a study permit to allow the applicant to complete their course or program of study.

IRPR r. 222.7

Cancellation due to error

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What that means

An officer can cancel a study permit that was issued through an administrative error, meaning a mistake made in handling it. You need not have done anything wrong.

The law says

222.7 An officer may cancel a study permit that was issued to a foreign national if the officer is satisfied that the study permit was issued based on an administrative error.

IRPR r. 222.8