International Language Academy of Canada files for bankruptcy, leaving 1,300 students in limbo

International Language Academy of Canada (ILAC) filed for bankruptcy Friday, September 18, and ceased all operations immediately, leaving students without classes or clarity on next steps.

The school, which operated four Vancouver campuses and one in Toronto, offered short-term English courses, high school programs, and college pathways lasting up to two years. ILAC had welcomed thousands of international students from over 75 countries and maintained partnership agreements with over 85 Canadian post-secondary institutions. The school opened its first campus in 1997 and expanded to Vancouver in 2014, operating for nearly 30 years.

"ILAC no longer has the financial resources necessary to continue operating," the school stated. It cited "significant regulatory changes affecting the sector" over the past three years as the primary driver of its financial challenges. KPMG Inc. has been appointed as Licensed Insolvency Trustee to manage the bankruptcy.

The closure disrupts students mid-program and mid-arrival. José Carlos Chavez, an incoming student from Guadalajara, Mexico, had paid the school tuition for a two-year marketing program set to start in mid-October. Chavez learned of the closure from social media, not directly from ILAC, and now faces a penalty to cancel his Vancouver apartment lease — his flight was booked for the following week.

The school said it is "working closely with the relevant regulators to ensure students have the support they need during this difficult transition," but has not detailed what that support includes or whether tuition refunds are available. The federal government's recent tightening of international student permit intake caps has pressured English-language schools across Canada; ILAC's collapse suggests the financial strain has become acute.