Canada's attestation letter has been the least predictable step in any study permit timeline since it was introduced. For one group of applicants it is now gone. For the rest, the arithmetic of the 2026 cap — up to 180,000 permits against 309,670 application spaces — makes the timing of your application matter more than it ever has.
In preparation
The full guide is still being written.
We publish a guide once every figure in it has been checked against the government page it came from — and not before. The summary above is the whole of what we are prepared to state on this subject today. The official sources this piece will be built on are listed below, and until it is finished you are better served reading them than reading a draft of ours.
If this is the question in front of you now, put it to an advisor rather than waiting for the article. The answer for your file is always more specific than the answer for a page.
Built on these sources
SourceIRCC — 2026 provincial and territorial allocations under the international student capIRCC — Attestation letters (PAL/TAL) operational guidanceLast verified September 2026
