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Study PermitsMinor update

Canada Updates Study Permit Instructions for Scholarship and Exchange Students

IRCC updated staff instructions for specified scholarship and exchange programs, including who issues the official scholarship letter.

Published
May 8, 2026
Last verified
August 30, 2026
Effective
April 1, 2026

GuideCAN impact rating

Minor update

The change is narrow and applies to specified scholarship programs.

What happened?

IRCC updated its program-delivery instructions for study permits involving scholarships, award recipients and exchange programs.

These instructions are operational guidance used by IRCC staff and apply to specific programs rather than every study-permit applicant.

What changed?

  1. For the Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program and Study in Canada Scholarships, the receiving Canadian DLI issues the official scholarship letter as of April 1, 2026.
  2. UMAP–Canada Scholarships was removed from the listed instructions.

What changed since the previous position?

Previous position

The prior instructions reflected an earlier scholarship-letter process and program list.

Current position

The receiving Canadian DLI issues the official letter for the two named programs, and UMAP–Canada is no longer listed.

Who is affected?

  1. Recipients of the two specified Government of Canada scholarship programs.
  2. Receiving Canadian designated learning institutions preparing official letters.
  3. Applicants relying on older program-delivery instructions.

What this means for you

  1. Most international students are not affected by this narrow operational update.
  2. If you are in one of the named programs, confirm that your scholarship documentation comes from the correct institution and matches current IRCC instructions.

What should you do next?

  1. 1Confirm the exact scholarship or exchange program name.
  2. 2Ask the receiving DLI which official letter it will provide.
  3. 3Use the current IRCC document checklist for your application type.

Does this affect me?

Start with your current status

Official sources

This GuideCAN summary was checked against the linked Government of Canada sources.

IRCC program delivery update: Study permits – Scholarships, award recipients and exchange programs

This article is general information, not legal advice or an eligibility decision. Immigration rules, dates and program instructions can change. Confirm your situation with IRCC or an authorized immigration professional.

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