Update on Saskatchewan's International Post-Secondary Student Application Process

Released on April 4, 2024

Province Receives Allocation of Over 15,000 Study Permit Applications and is One of the First in the Country to Launch an Automated Provincial Attestation Letter Processing System

The Government of Saskatchewan is pleased to provide an update on the province's response to the federal government's cap on international students approved to study in Canada. 

As of April 1, Saskatchewan's 2024 allocation allows for 15,054 undergraduate or college-level study permit applications, which is an increase from the original allocation of 12,000 assigned by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in February. It takes into account the province's historical acceptance rate and could result in a total of 7,200 study permits for the year. 

“In Saskatchewan we have been responsibly building our international student program and are committed to providing the supports international students need to succeed at our post-secondary institutions,” Advanced Education Minister Gordon Wyant said. "We appreciate IRCC increasing its allocation for Saskatchewan, as international students play a key role in maintaining economic growth and are a critical component to helping meet our labour market needs."

Provincial attestation letters (PALs) are also a new requirement by IRCC, which mandates that most new post-secondary international students at the college or undergraduate level must now submit a PAL with a corresponding letter of acceptance from a post-secondary institution when applying for an international study permit. Saskatchewan is one of the first provinces to establish an automated system to facilitate study permit applications from international students for 2024. 

To date, the Ministry of Advanced Education has successfully processed over 1,200 PALs from 11 different post-secondary institutions. The ministry successfully launched an automated PAL system quickly through the use of MyCreds, a national information technology platform for official academic documents that already partners with provincial education and post-secondary sectors. 

The ministry will continue to work closely with sector partners to implement the changes to the international study program. It has also temporarily paused accepting any new applications for designation in the Saskatchewan International Student Program. Post-secondary institutions interested in becoming designated to host international students for programs longer than six months will be able to apply for designation once again starting in January 2026.

Information about the federal changes to study permit processes, including exemptions, is available on the IRCC website. Details about Saskatchewan's processes can be found at studyinsask.ca.

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