Canada: Obtain a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL/TAL) through your designated learning institution before submitting a study permit application; public master's and doctoral students are exempt from 2026

For international students heading to Canada, most post-secondary study permit applications require submitting a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) or Territorial Attestation Letter (TAL), which serves as evidence that the applicant falls under the provincial study permit allocation cap. This document must accompany the initial visa submission and cannot be retroactively submitted. If your visa is approved, refused, or if you transfer institutions, a new PAL is required. Graduate students pursuing master's or doctoral degrees at public institutions are exempt starting in 2026.

Free from the government; requested through your admitting educational institution. Most designated learning institutions (DLIs) require accepting an offer and paying a tuition deposit before applying for a PAL.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) mandates that international study permit applicants submit an official Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) or Territorial Attestation Letter (TAL) issued by the province or territory where the designated learning institution is located, confirming the applicant has been allocated a permit within the annual national cap. Applications submitted without a PAL/TAL are returned without processing. Primary and secondary school students (kindergarten to grade 12) are exempt. Effective January 1, 2026, students admitted to master's and doctoral degree programs at public universities are also exempt. Students bound for Quebec submit the Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ). Non-paying exchange students and students renewing permits within the same institution/level are also exempt. PALs typically remain valid until the end of the calendar year of issuance (December 31). If an initial permit application is refused, reapplying requires requesting a newly issued PAL. Starting January 22, 2025, transferring between designated learning institutions also requires securing a new PAL.

Study permit cap allocations are reset annually. Always review the latest IRCC documentation guidelines prior to submission. Before paying non-refundable tuition deposits to obtain a PAL, clarify the institution's refund policies in the event of permit refusal. For off-campus work hour limits in Canada, see Chapter 32, Rule 3.

IRCC. Provincial attestation letter or territorial attestation letter（页面 2026-09-02 修改）. https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/study-canada/study-permit/get-documents/provincial-attestation-letter.html；IRCC. Study permit: Get the right documents（页面 2026-10-06 修改）. https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/study-canada/study-permit/get-documents.html