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 suitable 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.

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.

You will be asked to provide proof that you registered and paid. We cannot promise a particular school or start date.

We will ask you to send us proof of what you or your agent paid to the closing member. We will review 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 check 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.

An eCAP placement is coordinated by Languages Canada. We recommend waiting for our instructions before booking another course.

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

Please wait for our placement instructions. We cannot guarantee your preferred school or city.

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.

We will email you when your placement is confirmed.

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.

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.

A member school may not have a suitable place available. A course it offers you directly may also be separate from the eCAP process.

Ask what the offer includes and what you would have to pay. We cannot pay you back if you book and pay for another course yourself.

You may choose to do this. However, we recommend waiting for Languages Canada’s placement instructions so we can find a suitable course with an available place.

A course you arrange yourself is not automatically an eCAP placement, even if the new school is a Languages Canada member. Confirm the fees and conditions directly with the school. Languages Canada cannot pay the school or pay you back.

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 pathway continuation.

Before accepting, check whether the course meets your next college or university’s requirements. Also check any effect on your immigration status in Canada. You can find current members on the Languages Canada website.

Please tell us as soon as possible if you arrange a course yourself and 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 “ILAC/EC CLOSURES - STUDENT ALREADY PLACED”. Include the student’s name, student ID and new school. We can then remove the student from our placement list and focus on those still waiting.

Confirm the placement with Languages Canada. Being a member does not mean a school must accept you, or that every course it offers is part of eCAP.

For pathway courses, also check that your future college or university will accept the course.

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.

As of September 25, 2026, Languages Canada has emailed all students with start dates after the EC English and ILAC closure dates to request that they complete the Student Information and Proof of Payment Form. Please check the email account you used to register for your course, including your junk or spam folder. Complete the form even if you or your agent has already reached out to us by email.

If you have not received our message after checking these folders, please email student@languagescanada.ca with the subject line ILAC/EC STUDENT — FORM EMAIL NOT RECEIVED as soon as possible. Do not wait until your course is due to start. If we have not contacted you, please email us as soon as possible. Do not wait until your course is due to start.

eCAP sets a deadline of 30 business days from its defined Program Closure Date to request support.

Please do not send the same request again. Send another message only if you have important new information, such a new email address or a course you arranged yourself.

We receive many messages and may not be able to reply straight away. This does not mean your message has been overlooked.

We email information requests and placement details directly to students. 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.

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.

eCAP says students should not be charged a new registration fee for an eCAP placement. Textbooks and materials are not included. If a charge is unclear, check with Languages Canada and the new school.

eCAP helps students finish their education. It is not a tuition refund program. We are arranging replacement courses. We cannot offer a refund instead of a placement.

Ask what payments they received and what they say is still owed. Show them your receipts and booking details. Ask your agent to help check the original arrangement.

If you may lose your place to stay, tell your agent and housing provider straight away. Unfortunately, Languages Canada cannot pay housing costs. Check if the third-party offers shared below are still available and/or apply to your situation.

We have received these separate offers:

• 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.

Languages Canada does not provide or manage these offers. They are not part of eCAP. Ask the provider directly about prices, who can use the offer, available places and how to book.

No. We cannot repay or guarantee money owed to host families or other housing providers. Contact the company or person responsible for the booking and any agent involved to check the payment arrangements.

Students and hosts can also ask their own insurer whether their policy offers any help.

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.

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.

These programs are outside our language education 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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