EC English and ILAC closures:
Updates and FAQs

eCAP™ means Education Completion Assurance Plan. It is the process that Languages Canada follows to help students finish the language studies they have already paid for in the event that a Languages Canada member closes.

When a member closes unexpectedly, we work with our members to find a comparable replacement course. This is called a placement. Tuition means the fees paid for teaching.

No. eCAP is not insurance or a program that pays students back for their tuition. Languages Canada does not pay another school to enrol an affected student.

Our members offer places to help students continue learning. We work with these schools to arrange placements. Their support makes this possible.

No. Languages Canada does not offer refunds for tuition or other fees paid to EC English or ILAC. Through our Education Completion Assurance Plan (eCAP™), our role is to help eligible students complete the language education they have paid for by arranging a placement at another Languages Canada member, at no additional tuition cost.

Languages Canada also cannot reimburse accommodation, travel, insurance, or any other expenses.

Languages Canada collects and reviews student information, finds suitable courses with available places, and coordinates placements. We send students their placement details and next steps.

Members tell us which courses and places they can offer. Once a placement is confirmed, the new school provides the replacement course.

The aim of a placement is for you to finish your remaining paid language studies in a similar course without paying extra tuition for the period being replaced.

Other costs are not included. For example, you may need to pay for textbooks, materials, housing or transport.

Study that you had not already paid for is also not included. For example, if you have paid for 8 weeks out of a 12 week course, you will have to pay the remaining 4 weeks.

Support applies to eligible English and French language courses. These include general language classes, online classes, pathway programs and language courses that prepare students for exams such as IELTS or CELPIP. Tests themselves are not covered.

High school, career college and co-op programs are not members of Languages Canada and are not included in this language education support. eCAP also excludes special programs such as teacher training, internships and summer or winter camps.

Yes, if you were accepted into an eligible language course and paid tuition in advance. This includes future courses in 2027.

Languages Canada will review and verify proof of your registration and tuition payment before arranging a placement.

We are prioritizing students whose courses are already underway or scheduled to begin soon. If your start date is further in the future, your placement will take more time to arrange. We cannot promise a particular school or start date.

Please do not send follow-up emails requesting placement updates. We will contact you when your placement is ready. Repeated inquiries will not speed up your placement and increase the volume of correspondence our team must review, slowing the placement process for everyone. Only email us again if you have important new information to provide or if we have asked you to respond.

You or your agency may choose to make your own arrangements with a Languages Canada member without Languages Canada’s approval. Please see the 'Making your own arrangements' section below for details, including how to notify us so we can remove you from our placement list.

Languages Canada will review and verify proof of your registration and tuition payment before arranging a placement. We will assess how much of your course can be replaced.

For example, if you booked 48 weeks but paid for 24, the paid 24 weeks are the basis for support. The unpaid weeks are not included.

If you only paid a registration fee or have a credit for future study, we will review your case.

There is no general limit on the number of remaining paid weeks. We will verify how much eligible study you paid for and have not yet received. Your placement will also depend on suitable courses and available places.

We consider your original course, where you studied or whether you studied online, how much paid study remains, and which schools have suitable places. For pathway students, we also consider the requirements of the college or university they plan to attend.

You or your agent cannot require a particular school to accept you because it is a Languages Canada member. Not every member must accept every affected student. A school needs a suitable course and an available place.

However, you or your agency may choose to make your own arrangements with a Languages Canada member without Languages Canada’s approval, provided the member agrees to accept you. Please see the ‘Making your own arrangement’ section below for details, including how to notify us so we can remove you from our placement list.

Please do not send follow-up emails requesting placement updates. We will contact you when your placement is ready. Repeated inquiries will not speed up your placement and increase the volume of correspondence our team must review, slowing the placement process for everyone. Only email us again if you have important new information to provide or if we have asked you to respond.

We first help current students whose courses are due to finish soonest. We then work on other current students and students who have paid and will arrive soon. We understand that this is a very difficult situation for you, your families, and your agents. We will try to place you as quickly as possible, but given the number of students affected, we must prioritize cases in order of urgency.

Please do not send follow-up emails requesting placement updates. We will contact you when your placement is ready. Repeated inquiries will not speed up your placement and increase the volume of correspondence our team must review, slowing the placement process for everyone. Only email us again if you have important new information to provide or if we have asked you to respond.

You or your agency may choose to make your own arrangements with a Languages Canada member without Languages Canada’s approval, provided the member agrees to accept you. Please see the ‘Making your own arrangements’ section below for details, including how to notify us so we can remove you from our placement list.

We will email you when your placement is confirmed. We use the email address you were registered under with EC English or ILAC. Please remember to check your spam or junk folder. Due to the volume of students requiring placement, we cannot accommodate requests to cc additional email addresses on correspondence.

An email from Languages Canada requesting information or clarification does not mean your placement is confirmed. Wait for specific instructions from us on where and when to start, and what to do next.

Please do not send follow-up emails requesting placement updates. We will contact you when your placement is ready. Repeated inquiries will not speed up your placement and increase the volume of correspondence our team must review, slowing the placement process for everyone. Only email us again if you have important new information to provide or if we have asked you to respond.

However, you or your agency may choose to make your own arrangements with a Languages Canada member without Languages Canada’s approval, providing the member agrees to accept you. Please see the ‘Making your own arrangements’ section below for details, including how to notify us so we can remove you from our placement list.

We look for a similar course, taking account of what you study and your class hours. The new school, timetable or way the course is taught may be different.

We will try to place groups together, but this depends on suitable places being available. We cannot promise that every group will stay together.

Ask your new school to confirm your schedule and end date. Do not assume the end date will stay the same or automatically move later.

Yes. You or your agency may make your own arrangements with another Languages Canada member without Languages Canada’s approval, provided the school agrees to accept you. Being a Languages Canada member does not require a school to accept you. It may not have a suitable place or it may not offer a comparable course.

If you make your own arrangements, please notify us so we can remove you from our placement list. Email student@languagescanada.ca with the subject “PLACEMENT NO LONGER REQUIRED”. Include the student’s name, student ID and new school name in the body of the email. You can verify Languages Canada membership status on the Languages Canada website.

You may accept an independent offer, but Languages Canada does not oversee that school or placement. We cannot confirm its quality, the outcome for your studies, or guarantee pathway continuation.

IMPORTANT STUDY PERMIT AND PATHWAY CONSIDERATIONS: Before accepting an offer from a school that is not a member of Languages Canada, check any effect on your immigration status in Canada and whether the course meets your next college or university’s requirements. Seek advice from a licensed immigration consultant or Canadian immigration lawyer about how the proposed program would affect your study permit and immigration status.

You can verify Languages Canada membership status on the Languages Canada website.

Please tell us as soon as possible if you or your agency has arranged a placement and you no longer need our placement help. This applies whether the new school is a member or a non-member.

Email student@languagescanada.ca with the subject “PLACEMENT NO LONGER REQUIRED”. Include the student’s name, student ID and new school name in the body of the email. We can then remove you from our placement list and focus on those still waiting.

No. We do not pay agency commissions or repay fees agreed separately with another school. Our own placement service does not charge a placement fee.

If a closed school owes an agent money, the agent must use the claims process for that school. Getting the money back is not guaranteed.

Not having heard from us about your placement does not mean we are not working on it. Arranging placements takes time, particularly for students with future start dates or who have made partial payments.

We are doing our best to arrange placements as quickly as possible. However, timing depends on receiving schools’ capacity, suitable course availability, your intended start date, and the review of your student and payment information. We cannot tell you in advance when you will receive a placement offer. We will contact you when we have an update on your placement or need further information.

Please do not send follow-up emails requesting placement updates. We will contact you when your placement is ready. Repeated inquiries will not speed up your placement and increase the volume of correspondence our team must review, slowing the placement process for everyone. Only email us again if you have important new information to provide or if we have asked you to respond.

We email information requests and placement details directly to students. Due to the volume of students requiring placement, we cannot accommodate requests to cc additional email addresses.

If you work with an agent, please share these emails with your agent.

We cannot send separate routine progress reports to every agency. Agents can help by staying in touch with their students.

Yes. Support includes eligible online English and French courses, including ILAC KISS courses. We work with members to find similar online courses.

If you were in an online pathway course, we will work to find another pathway course that supports your next stage of study.

A pathway is a language course that can help you meet the English or French requirements for a college or university. We look for another member pathway course accepted by the college or university you plan to attend.

We will contact the college or university to check which other courses it will accept before placing you. Another pathway is not automatically accepted.

For ILAC certificates, grades or attendance records, contact info@ilac.com. Languages Canada cannot issue or verify records of your past study at ILAC. Your new school can issue records for study you complete there.

For a post-secondary school (Designated Learning Institution / DLI) change, you must apply to extend your study permit. Ask your new school for a Letter of Acceptance (LOA) and a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL). These confirm your admission and provincial approval. Follow IRCC’s instructions.

Yes, if the school-closure exception applies to you. All these conditions must apply:

• Your extension application is in progress.
• You have stayed in Canada since receiving the new LOA.
• You still meet your previous permit’s conditions.
• Your former school closed before you finished your program.

Check IRCC’s rules before starting.

If your application is still being processed, send the new LOA and PAL through the IRCC web form.

If you already hold an approved study permit naming ILAC as your DLI,you will need to apply for a new study permit using an LOA and PAL from your new school. Students are advised not to travel to Canada using a study permit that names ILAC as the DLI, as you risk being denied entry into Canada at the border. Check IRCC’s instructions before travelling.

Check the Quebec section of IRCC’s instructions, including requirements for the Quebec Acceptance Certificate, or CAQ.

Having only a few weeks left does not automatically remove school-change requirements. It is still recommended that you apply for a new study permit to maintain compliance with IRCC requirements.

Ask your new school for a letter explaining that your replacement tuition is being provided through the Languages Canada eCAP. Keep proof of your original payment and any communication you have received regarding the school’s closure. Submit all documentation related to your new school placement and ILAC or EC closure along with your new study permit application.

Note: An eCAP placement does not guarantee immigration approval or pay your application fees.

eCAP does not extend to:

• Housing, homestay or residence fees.
• Transport, flights and other travel costs.
• Activities and trips.
• Textbooks and course materials.
• Insurance.
• Visa and immigration fees.
• Any other expenses outside the replacement language tuition.

You may still need to pay these costs. Ask for a clear list of charges before agreeing to an arrangement.

Students will not be charged a new registration fee for a placement with a Languages Canada member. Textbooks and materials are not included.

Languages Canada helps students finish their education by arranging replacement courses. We cannot offer a refund instead of a placement.

Languages Canada cannot pay housing costs or help you make alternative arrangements.

You may choose to check if the third-party offers below are still available and/or apply to your situation. Languages Canada does not provide or manage these offers. We are simply sharing the information. Ask the provider directly about prices, who can use the offer, available places and how to book.

• For ILAC students: MS Homestays has offered to remove its $250 registration fee. You still need to pay the usual homestay fees. Contact info.ms@mshomestays.com or 514-430-1005.
• For EC students: 4stay has shared a temporary housing offer for eligible students in Toronto or Vancouver. Contact reservations@4stay.com. Details are on our EC update page.

No. We cannot repay or guarantee money owed to host families or other housing providers.

guard.me has confirmed support for insured EC students and that it will honour health insurance paid through ILAC. Ask customercare@guard.me to confirm your own coverage and the date it ends.

If you use another insurer, contact that company directly.

The British Columbia government’s PTIRU funding helps eligible students complete their studies. It is paid directly to the school receiving affected students and cannot be used for refunds.

Only students who meet specific requirements qualify for this funding. If you qualify, you will need to complete a form when you arrive at your new school.

Other programs, such as career college courses, may have a separate provincial process. Check the rules for your own program.

These programs are outside Languages Canada’s support framework. Ask the provincial authority responsible for your type of education and any school you may transfer to about your options. For ILAC study records, contact info@ilac.com.

We are talking with agency representatives and other education partners about stronger protections, including costs beyond tuition. Our first priority is helping currently affected students continue their studies.

Languages Canada membership and accreditation do not guarantee that a school will never close. We are grateful to the members offering places and helping students continue learning.

Check your email regularly, reply when we ask for information, and share placement details with your agent.

For general updates, check this page and follow us on social media:

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• Languages Canada on Instagram