Our office and phonelines will be closed May 18th 2026, due to the Holiday.
ISS is now located in Brown Bldg., Suite 4100.
ISS is open Mondays to Fridays, 10am - 4pm both in-person and virtually.
What is a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL)?
- A Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) confirms that you have been assigned one of the available spaces to study in the province you plan to study in.
- Immigration Canada now requires certain international students to obtain a PAL to apply for or extend their study permit.
- In Quebec, the CAQ will serve as both your CAQ and your PAL.
- For your CAQ to act as your PAL, it must include the following line:
This letter of attestation confirms that the applicant has a place in the Québec share of the distribution of study permit applications or that he or she has been exempted.
If you are applying for your study permit and have a valid CAQ without the PAL line, you will need to request an updated CAQ attestation letter from Immigration Quebec via their webform (select “CAQ – Updated Letter of Attestation”) before applying for your study permit.
Who needs a Provincial Attestation Letter?
You must provide a PAL if:
- you are applying for your study permit using the outside of Canada application (IMM1294) and:
- You are an undergraduate student or
- You will be doing a program that is not a Master’s or PhD program – e.g., graduate certificate, graduate diploma, or post-graduate diploma program.
- If you are applying for a study permit from inside Canada (IMM 5709) and you do not qualify for a PAL exception.
You do not require a PAL if:
- you are an incoming Master’s or PhD student
- If you are applying to extend your study permit from inside Canada (IMM 5709) for studies at the same designated learning institution (DLI) and at the same level of study as your current study permit.
Almost all international students require a CAQ – even if they are exempt from the PAL requirement. NOTE: A very small number of students do not need a CAQ to study in Quebec. See the short list of situations where a CAQ is not required.
I require a PAL. What do I need to include in my study permit application?
If you require a PAL, upload your CAQ in both:
- The CAQ section of your document checklist; and
- The Provincial or Territorial Attestation Letter (PAL or TAL) section of your document checklist.
I am PAL-exempt. How can I prove this?
- If you qualify for an exception to the PAL, you must provide proof of your exception in your study permit application. If you do not provide proof of your PAL exception, your application could be refused.
- In the eligibility questionnaire, for the question:
Do you have a provincial or territorial attestation letter or meet an exception from submitting a provincial or territorial attestation letter?
- ANSWER: Yes, I meet an exception from submitting a provincial or territorial attestation letter.
- Upload Proof of Provincial or Territorial Attestation Letter (PAL or TAL) Exception in your document checklist.
Example
You do not require a PAL if you are applying to extend your study permit from inside Canada (IMM 5709) at the same designated learning institution (DLI) and level of study as your current study permit.
For example:
- You are an undergraduate, Master's or PhD student and you need one or more semesters of enrolment beyond the expiration date of your current study permit in order to complete your degree requirements.
As proof of your PAL exception, you can upload as one pdf file:
- A cover letter explaining which exception you qualify for and how you qualify for it. For example:
To whom it may concern,
I am exempt from the PAL requirement as I am applying to extend my study permit from inside Canada in order to continue my studies at the same designated learning institution (McGill University) and at the same level of study (indicate Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD) as my current study permit. Please see attached documents as proof. - Proof of Enrolment Letter confirming that you are still enrolled at the same level of study and DLI as your current study permit. *NOTE: Your study permit should indicate “McGill” or “Designated Learning Inst-QC” for the DLI.
- Official e-transcript (recent)
- Copy of your current study permit