International Education Centre

Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced on January 22, 2024 that a provincial attestation letter (PAL) would be required for most new study permit applications. The Government of Ontario now has a PAL process in place and Algonquin College is now issuing PALs to eligible students. 

All new international students, with some exceptions, are required to submit a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) with their study permit application.

Algonquin College will NOT issue a PAL to students who are exempt from requiring a PAL when applying for a new study permit or to extend an existing study permit.  Please review below for a list of students who do not require a PAL:

• In-Canada students who meet any of the following criteria are exempt from requiring a PAL:
  • Have a valid study permit
  • Have a study permit and are applying for a study permit extension
  • Have a study permit that expired and can apply to restore status as a student within 90 days after the study permit expired. (Note that it may take up to 3 weeks or more for admissions assessment and the issuance of a Letter of Acceptance (LOA.)
  • Have a work permit (including spousal work permit or working holiday open work permit)
  • Are applying for English for Academic Purposes (EAP) plus an Academic Program or Private Pathway Program plus an Algonquin Academic Program
  • Are the dependant (under 22) or spouse of a study permit holder or a work permit holder

Please see IRCC link for a complete list of exemptions to find out if you need to provide a PAL with your study permit application. 

To receive a PAL, you must first confirm your seat by paying the tuition fees indicated on your Letter of Acceptance before the deadline. You must indicate that you need a PAL in the chat feed of your application portal or instruct your agent (if you have one) to do so on your behalf. Before you pay your fees, confirm that the name and date of birth on the LOA are correct and complete and match your passport name and date of birth. If there are any errors, notify us in your application before fees are paid since the PAL will use the same name and date of birth. If the information on the LOA and PAL do not match, we will not be issuing a second PAL, so it is essential this information is correct.  

Please monitor your student application portal as the PAL will be uploaded after your fees have reached your account and once the PAL has been approved by the Government of Ontario. If you applied via an agent, they will receive it in their Algonquin portal. 

Once you receive a PAL, apply for your study permit before the PAL expiry date as PALs must be used for a study permit application which is begun before the PAL expiry date.  Please note that the PAL expiry date refers to the date before which your study permit application must be submitted and NOT the start date of your program.  

If you do not require a PAL, the college will ask for proof of PAL exemptions such as your study permit, work permit, proof of relationship, etc.  

Due to a limited number of PALs available, Algonquin College will NOT issue a PAL in the following cases:

• English for Academic Purposes (EAP) only applicants.
• Anyone who has had a previous Canadian study permit rejection.
• Anyone who holds a current PAL from another Canadian institution.

Your PAL needs to be valid when IRCC receives it with your study permit application. Unless your PAL has an expiry date on it, it is valid until January 21, 2025. You can resubmit a study permit application with the same PAL if the PAL is still valid.