A member had a study permit approved based on an LOA from one university (Designated Learning Institution, or DLI), but received another offer from a different university at the same program level and wanted to switch before traveling to Canada.
What all three answers agreed on:- Changing your DLI requires a new study permit application — it is not a simple online update, even though the GCKey portal has a link that appears to let you change your DLI.
- You have two options for timing: either submit a brand-new study permit application (with a new LOA and new application fees) before traveling, or wait until you land in Canada and file the DLI change/new application there.
- Waiting until after landing in Canada was suggested as the practically easier route by more than one answer, since you can then update your DLI once you're already in the country.
The practical takeaway: don't rely on the GCKey "change DLI" link alone — it doesn't complete the switch on its own. If you want to change schools before or after arrival, plan on submitting a new study permit application with a new LOA and paying the application fee again; consider doing this after you land in Canada if that's feasible for your timeline.