DLI Compliance Reporting: A Practical Checklist for Private Colleges

Every post-secondary designated learning institution (DLI) outside Quebec must report on the enrolment status of its international students through IRCC’s DLI Portal. Since November 8, 2024, responding to these compliance requests is mandatory, and amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations published in November 2024 give IRCC the power to act against DLIs that do not comply.

How reporting works

• Periodic reports, twice a year. In spring and fall, DLIs report each international student’s enrolment status as of the date IRCC sends the request. You have 60 days to complete it.
• Ad hoc requests, any time. IRCC can ask about specific students at any point. You must respond within 10 days of receiving the request.
• Hard deadlines. Requests expire at midnight UTC on the final day of reporting, and late submissions are not accepted. Extensions are considered only for exceptional circumstances, by email to IRCC before the deadline.
• Leave from studies. Students who exceed 150 days of leave must change their status with IRCC or are considered non-compliant with their study permit conditions.

A practical checklist

• Name one accountable owner for the DLI Portal, plus a trained backup.
• Keep a single, current record of every international student’s status: enrolled, on authorized leave, transferred, completed, withdrawn or never arrived.
• Put the spring and fall reporting windows in the institutional calendar with internal deadlines well before IRCC’s.
• Create a 48-hour process for ad hoc requests so the 10-day deadline is never at risk.
• Keep an audit trail of what was reported, when and by whom.
• Reconcile reports against admissions, attendance and finance records each term.

Good reporting is also good management: the same data shows where students are dropping out, which programs are at risk and where student services need attention.

Need help? PTIA can review your compliance processes and help set up a reporting calendar and records system. Book a confidential consultation with PTIA.

This article is general information, not legal or immigration advice. Rules change; always confirm current requirements with the official source before acting.

Sources

• Designated Learning Institution Portal: Student Compliance Reporting – IRCC
• Access the Designated Learning Institution Portal – IRCC
• Canada Gazette, Part II – Regulations Amending the IRPR (Designated Learning Institutions), Nov 20, 2024