Masters and PhD applicants are exempt from Canada’s study permit cap under new Canada student visa rules. According to IRCC’s recent updates, Master’s and PhD applicants are exempt from the study permit cap, and the PhD application process will take 2 weeks. Students will not be required to submit a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL).
From 1st January 2026, Master’s and Doctoral students are free from Canada’s study permit cap. From now on, international graduate students can apply to public Canadian institutions without worrying about Cap. Students won’t need a Provincial or Territorial Attestation Letter (PAL/TAL) to support their study permit application. On top of that IRCC also announced new application processing time. The processing time for international doctoral students’ applications is 14 days from now on.
New IRCC rules in 2026 Graduate students:
- No PAL/TAL required
- Lower costs
- Faster processing, especially for PhD Students
Additionally, doctoral students’ family members will also benefit from faster processing for visa and study permits, work permits, etc.
New Canada student visa rules benefits Bangladeshi students:
For many students in Bangladesh, arranging a large sum at the very beginning of the process is difficult. As Bangladesh is a developing country, it’s not easy for students to make large deposits. Because of the previous rule, many students couldn’t apply as the quota gets filled very early, before they could arrange enough money.
This was a curse because many Bangladeshi students, even if they wanted to, couldn’t afford their tuition and they had to wait for a long time. But now because of this they don’t have to face that problem and they can apply without fear of quota fill and huge deposit. It would be easier for them to apply because they can show the money later on. Many students who suffered from this will now be in a big relief. The removal of the permit gap will make Bangladeshi students’ lives easier, as they can bring their families and, while pursuing their master’s and PhD, obtain work permits very easily.
Previous barriers:
The quota filled up before students could arrange the deposit. To get PAL students need to pay a deposit.
Benefits under new rules:
This pressure is reduced according to the latest update from IRCC. Students can apply without fear now because the cap will close before they are ready. From January 1st students do not need PAL/TAL for graduate programs at public institutions and will not be forced to pay a big deposit at the beginning.
For Bangladeshi students;
- There is more time to arrange funds. Flexibility
- There will be less stress about quota filling.
- Better chance to use offers from Canadian Universities.
- Easier ways to bring eligible family members during their studies.
Overall, with this latest update from IRCC, the removal of the study permit cap for masters and PhD applicants is very beneficial.
The CAP exemption for master’s and doctoral students:
Before the cap exemption, international students needed a provincial attestation letter for their study permit applications. For master’s and doctoral international students in Canada, PAL and TAL are no longer required for graduate students who are applying to public institutions for master’s or doctoral programmes. They won’t have to spend as much money at the start of the process, so that more of them can study in Canada.
So, graduate applications are now exempt from the study permit cap, IRCC will not limit how many studies permits they approve for masters and PhD students. This means graduate students don’t have to worry that the yearly quota will be full before they apply. To get PAL students had to pay a deposit to their desired institution so that they could apply for their study permit but now graduate students don’t need PAL and won’t have to pay the deposit first. This decreases the cost of getting a study permit.
Fast application processing for PhD students:
Within two weeks, the study permit applications for PhD students will be processed.
To be eligible for the processing, students must be enrolled in a PhD program and apply for their study permit.
- Be enrolled in a PhD program
- Please apply online for their study permit
- Submit a complete application with all required documents
Applicants’ family members are also eligible for the processing, but only if they are spouses or dependent children. They will get faster processing if they are applying for a visitor visa, a work permit, or a study permit.
However, there are two conditions they must obey. Their application must be linked to PhD student’s study permit application, which will show that they are listed as family members. And secondly, they will need to submit their applications at the same time as Doctoral students.
Eligible Family members are:
- Spouse
- Dependent Child.
Required Documents for New Canada Study Permit Applications:
Even though graduated students are exempt from PAL; they still will need to submit all the key documents for a complete study permit application.
- Letter of Acceptance (LOA)
- Proof of Identity: Passport, Travel documents,
- Recent photos with name and Birth date on the back attested.
- Proof of funds with explanation.
- A letter of explanation explaining why the applicant wants to study in Canada.
- Medical Report.
- Police clearance certificate.
- Proof of care. (If applicants have minor children in Canada).
Applying to a Canada study permit applications sometimes can be tricky and complex process. If you think you need help or assistance book a free consultation with our Canada student visa experts either in our Dhaka or Sylhet branch.