Canadian College Safety Checker
Answer the checklist below. See your risk score for the school or offer you are considering, and get the right verification links.
How Nigerian Students Get Scammed
- 1.Fake schools with real-looking websites. Scammers create convincing college websites that look like real Canadian institutions. The school may have a DLI number that does not match its name or province.
- 2.Real schools, fake offer letters. Fraudulent agents create forged offer letters from legitimate institutions. The school is real; the offer is not. Always verify directly with the institution’s admissions office using contact details from the official website, not from the agent.
- 3.Real school, unaccredited program. Some legitimate DLIs run specific programs that are not PGWP-eligible. The school exists, the program exists, but the PGWP eligibility is zero. Always verify the specific program, not just the school.
- 4.Guaranteed admission agents. Legitimate Canadian schools have their own admissions processes. Any agent who guarantees admission or asks you to pay them (not the school) for the offer letter is a red flag.
- 5.Schools removed from the DLI list. IRCC removes schools from the approved DLI list periodically. If a school was removed after you enrolled, your study permit may not be valid. Verify the DLI status is current, not just historical.
How the Risk Assessment Works
The checklist covers three categories of risk: institution legitimacy (is the school real and approved?), offer letter integrity (is the specific offer you received authentic?), and agent conduct (are the people facilitating this acting legitimately?). Each yes answer to a red flag question adds to the risk score.
Each confirmed red flag = 1 to 3 points (by severity)
Low Risk: 0–2 points
Caution: 3–5 points
High Risk: 6+ points (do not pay)
What Is a DLI and Why Does It Matter?
A Designated Learning Institution (DLI) is a school approved by its province or territory to host international students. To hold a valid Canadian study permit, you must be enrolled at a DLI. IRCC maintains a searchable list of all active DLIs at canada.ca. A school that is not on this list cannot legally host international students, and paying tuition to such a school is money lost with no valid visa outcome.
Being a DLI is not the same as being PGWP-eligible. Some DLIs host international students under study permits but their programs do not qualify for a Post-Graduation Work Permit. If PR through CEC is part of your plan, PGWP eligibility is a separate check.
The Four Official Checks You Must Do
Check 1: Verify the DLI Number
Every legitimate Canadian DLI has a DLI number in the format: O123456789 (starts with O). Your offer letter should include this number. Search the official IRCC DLI list at canada.ca and confirm that the number matches the school name and province. A mismatch is an immediate red flag.
Check 2: Verify PGWP Eligibility
IRCC maintains a separate list of programs eligible for PGWP. Not all DLIs or all programs at a DLI qualify. You must search by institution name and confirm the specific program (not just the institution) is listed. This list changes; verify on the date you plan to enroll, not just when you first looked.
Check 3: Verify Directly with the Institution
Find the institution’s official website using a Google search of the school name, not a link from an agent or email. Call or email the international admissions office using contact information from the official website and ask them to confirm your offer letter is genuine. Ask them for the DLI number and PGWP eligibility status for your specific program.
Check 4: Verify the Agent (If Applicable)
Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants (RCICs) are licensed by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC). Any Canadian immigration representative in Canada must be registered with CICC or be a licensed lawyer. You can verify an RCIC’s registration at the CICC website. Overseas agents (in Nigeria) who assist with applications are not regulated by CICC, but they should not be charging you for the offer letter or guaranteeing visa approval.
Red Flags: The Scam School Warning List
| Warning Sign | Risk Level | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| Cannot find the school’s DLI number on IRCC’s official list | High | School is not approved to host international students |
| DLI number on offer letter does not match school name in IRCC database | High | Likely forged or misrepresented |
| Agent says you do not need to verify the school yourself | High | Legitimate agents always encourage independent verification |
| Agent asked you to pay them (not the school) for the offer letter | High | Offer letters are issued by schools; no payment to agents for this |
| School website has no physical Canadian address or has a generic email domain | High | Possible fake institution |
| Program is not listed on IRCC’s PGWP-eligible program list | Medium | You can study but cannot get a PGWP after graduation |
| School has been removed from the DLI list | High | Existing enrollment may become invalid |
| Tuition is significantly below typical ranges for Canada | Medium | Possible unaccredited institution |
| Agent guarantees visa approval | Medium | No one can guarantee visa approval; this is a scam indicator |
| Admission was granted without required documents (transcripts, tests) | Medium | Legitimate schools require standard documents |
Well-Known Legitimate Canadian Institutions (for Reference)
These are examples of large, publicly-funded, widely-recognized DLIs that are consistently PGWP-eligible. This list is illustrative, not exhaustive. Verification of any specific program still requires checking the official IRCC lists.
| Institution | Province | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Humber College | Ontario | College of Applied Arts |
| Seneca Polytechnic | Ontario | College of Applied Arts |
| George Brown College | Ontario | College of Applied Arts |
| University of Toronto | Ontario | University |
| McMaster University | Ontario | University |
| BCIT (British Columbia Institute of Technology) | BC | Institute of Technology |
| University of British Columbia | BC | University |
| SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology) | Alberta | Institute of Technology |
| University of Alberta | Alberta | University |
| University of Saskatchewan | Saskatchewan | University |
| University of Manitoba | Manitoba | University |
| Dalhousie University | Nova Scotia | University |
What Nigerians Should Know About the Ontario College Scam Wave (2022-2024)
Between 2022 and 2024, IRCC received thousands of fraudulent study permit applications using forged offer letters from legitimate Ontario colleges, particularly in the Humber, Seneca, and Centennial College families. IRCC responded with stricter document verification and a wave of rejections and revocations that affected applicants who paid agents for what they believed were legitimate offers.
This episode cost many Nigerian families CAD 20,000 to 60,000 in tuition deposits paid to fraudulent agents, plus the cost of refused visas and in some cases deportation proceedings. The lesson is that direct verification with the institution, using official contact details, is not optional.
Common Questions
Is a school being a DLI enough to confirm it is legitimate?
Not entirely. DLI status confirms the school is approved to host international students, but does not confirm: that the specific program is PGWP-eligible; that the offer letter you received is genuine; or that the school is currently active and not under suspension. All three need separate verification.
What should I do if I suspect my offer letter is forged?
Contact the institution’s international admissions office directly using contact details from their official website (not from your agent). Ask them to verify that an offer letter was issued in your name for the specific program. If they cannot confirm it, do not pay any deposit and do not submit the study permit application using that letter.
Can I get my money back if I was scammed?
Recovering money from immigration scammers is very difficult in practice. If you paid through a Nigerian bank transfer, the funds are typically unrecoverable. Some credit card companies may assist with chargebacks if payment was made by card. Report the scam to Nigeria’s EFCC and, if the agent claims to be in Canada, to the CICC and RCMP. File a report with the Canadian High Commission in Lagos as well.
Does every agent who helps with Canadian applications need to be licensed?
In Canada, yes. Anyone who provides immigration advice for compensation must be an RCIC or a licensed lawyer. Nigerian agents operating in Nigeria are not regulated by Canadian law, but they should not be guaranteeing visa outcomes, charging for offer letters, or asking you to submit fraudulent documents. Working with a legitimate RCIC in Canada directly (rather than through a Nigerian intermediary) provides the most protection.
How can I tell if a school’s website is real?
Check that the website domain matches the institution’s official DLI registration (many legitimate colleges use .ca or .edu.on.ca domain formats). Search for the school name on Google and verify the official website appears in the top results from a standard search, not just from a link provided to you. Phone the listed number and verify it is answered professionally. Check that the school appears in the IRCC DLI list with the same name and DLI number as on the website.
