To confirm your spot at Brock, we encourage you to accept your offer early. A non-refundable tuition deposit may also be required, so please check your offer letter.

To request a PAL from Brock, you must accept your offer, pay your non-refundable tuition deposit (if applicable) and submit a PAL request form available on your student portal. Final approval by the Government of Ontario must be granted before a letter can be issued. Please monitor your student portal as applicants eligible for a PAL will have the authorized letter uploaded if approved.

Important note: The number of PALs made available by the Government to each post-secondary institution is limited. We encourage you to accept your offer, pay your tuition deposit (if applicable) and complete your PAL request form as early as possible.

It depends on the reason for the extension. Please use IRCC’s Find out if you need a PAL/TAL question tool to find out if you require a PAL.

Important Notes:

• A PAL is not required to continue studies at the same level AND at the same institution.
• If you are changing levels of study but continuing at Brock (e.g., undergraduate to graduate student), you can continue to use your current study permit to start your new program, but you may need a PAL when you apply for a study permit extension. You must extend your study permit before you start your new program.
• If you are changing institutions, you need a PAL. You also cannot start studying at your new institution until you get your new study permit. You must comply with the conditions of your current study permit while waiting for your new study permit to be approved.
  • Exception for students going from high school to post-secondary. In this case, you must apply for a study permit extension before you start studying at your new institution, but do not need to wait for an approval on the application.
• Extensions can only be made from inside Canada. Please check the expiry date of your study permit carefully. We recommend you apply for an extension 3-4 months before your study permit expires. If you need help or have questions, please join one of our study permit extension webinars as posted on ExperienceBU.

A PAL can only be used one time. Your PAL needs to be valid when you apply. You can’t use a PAL that was issued during a previous study permit cap year. Check the issuance date on your PAL to determine which rules you fall under.

2026 PAL Rules

Exchange students are exempt.

Graduate degree students are exempt. See Get your graduate degree in Canada for details.

If you are not sure if you are exempt, please use IRCC’s Find out if you need a PAL/TAL tool. Do note that the PAL tool is based on current exemptions only.

If you do not require a PAL, you will need to provide proof of the exception on your IRCC application. You will need to write a short letter of explanation stating that you meet an exception on IRCC’s website and state which exception you meet.

Please visit Application Resources and select “Letter of Explanation for Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) Exemption” for a template of this letter.

No, you need a PAL. Your application will be returned without a required PAL.

Your PAL must be valid at the time IRCC receives your application. Please check the expiry date noted on your PAL carefully. PALs are issued for a specific institution and can normally only be used once. You cannot reuse a PAL after receiving a refusal. If you are changing schools, you need a new PAL.