Provincial attestation letter or territorial attestation letter

Who doesn’t need a PAL/TAL

You don’t need a PAL/TAL when applying for a study permit if any of the following applies to you.

• You’re applying to study at a
  • preschool
  • primary school (including kindergarten)
  • secondary school (up to grade 12)
  • school participating in the Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot (FMCSP) and you have a letter of acceptance from this school identifying you as an applicant under the FMCSP
  • federally designated military college or
  • school in Quebec in a vocational training program that leads to one of the following:
    • a diploma of vocational studies (DVS)
    • an attestation of vocational specialization (AVS) or
    • a skills training certificate (STC)
• You’re applying to study in a master’s degree or doctoral degree program.
• You’ve received a scholarship from Global Affairs Canada.
• You’re eligible for an exemption from study permit requirements based on a public policy as part of a migration response to a crisis or other pressure.
• You’ve entered Canada and one of the following situations applies to you:
  • You’re applying for a study permit extension or to restore your status.
  • You have a work permit, unless you received it through International Experience Canada.
  • You’re a temporary resident who is a visiting or exchange student studying at a designated learning institution (DLI).
  • You’re under a removal order, but can’t be removed from Canada at this time.
  • You have a temporary resident permit valid for at least 6 months.
  • You’re a protected person.
  • You’re eligible for permanent residence
    • based on humanitarian and compassionate grounds
    • based on a current public policy, or
    • as a spouse or common-law partner (through the spouse or common-law partner in Canada class).
• You’ve entered Canada and you’re the family member of a foreign national who lives in Canada and who is in one of the following situations:
  • a study permit holder
  • a work permit holder
  • a temporary resident permit holder with a permit that’s valid for at least 6 months
  • a member of armed forces in another country under the Visiting Forces Act
  • an accredited foreign government representative
  • a participant in certain sports activities or events
  • a worker in Canada who is a member of a foreign news company
  • a religious worker
  • a protected person
  • eligible for permanent residence based on humanitarian and compassionate grounds
  • eligible for permanent residence based on a current public policy
  • eligible for permanent residence as a spouse or common-law partner (through the spouse or common-law partner in Canada class)

You need to provide proof that you meet one of the above exceptions if you don’t provide a PAL/TAL with your study permit application.