Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced an important update for graduate students. As of January 1, 2026, Master’s and PhD students enrolling at public institutions will be exempt from the Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) requirement and will not be included in federal cap allocations.

In addition, doctoral applicants applying from outside Canada will benefit from a new 14-day study permit processing standard, which also applies to their accompanying family members.

IRCC has also launched a new webpage dedicated to graduate students, providing detailed information about these updates and other related resources.