Your educational institute in Canada is responsible for obtaining the Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) for you from the relevant province. Provinces have already started issued PALs.
What is a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL)?
Provinces and territories of Canada will be issuing Provincial Attestation Letters (PAL) to some groups of international students. The attestation letter serves as proof that the student has been accounted for under a provincial or territorial allocation within the national cap. Some international students will need this PAL to apply for a Study Permit.
Why do we need a PAL?
Government of Canada has set an intake cap on international student permit applications for a period of two years i.e. 2024 & 2025. For 2024, the cap is 360,000 approved study permits, a decrease of 35% from 2023. This cap has further been divided between the 13 provinces and territories of Canada, weighted by population. This attestation will serve as proof that the student has been accounted for under a provincial or territorial allocation within the national cap.
Who needs a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL)?
- most post-secondary study permit applicants
- most non-degree granting graduate programs (for example, certificate programs and graduate diplomas)
- anyone else not included in the exception list below
Who doesn’t need a provincial attestation letter?
- primary and secondary school students
- master’s or doctoral degree students
- in-Canada visiting or exchange students studying at a designated learning institution
- in-Canada study permit and work permit holders (includes study permit holders applying for an extension)
- in-Canada family members of study permit or work permit holders
- students whose application we received before 8:30 a.m. EST on January 22, 2024
What to do after obtaining the letter of attestation?
Once you obtain your PAL, the next step is to apply for a study permit. If you need help with your study permit application, feel free to get in touch with me. If you’d like to apply yourself, this video may help you in obtaining an approval for your study permit application.
