Certification of educational institutions under the Income Tax Act – How to stay certified

How to stay certified

Length of certification

Certification comes into effect January 01 of the year the application is submitted and is valid for a maximum of 5 calendar years.

After 5 years, a new application for certification must be submitted for the institution to remain on the list of certified institutions.

Update your institution information

Once an educational institution is certified, it must inform Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) if any of the following changes occur:

• change of owner
• change in the institution's name
• change of status (loss of designation or loss of provincial registration), or
• change of address

De-certification

An educational institution can lose its certification if it does not provide the information and documents required to renew its certification. If the educational institution no longer meets the criteria of the province where the institution is located and loses its status at the provincial level.

Requesting a review of the certification decision

Educational institutions that are denied certification can request a review. A request in writing should be submitted to ESDC within 30 days of receiving the decision letter. ESDC may request additional information.

ESDC will review the documents originally provided and all other information provided with the request for review. Once the review is complete, ESDC will send the educational institution a letter informing them of the decision.