Students Studying in Canada POA, PAL, and Deposit Process

Starting in 2024, the Government of Canada introduced the Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL), a new requirement for international students applying for a study permit to begin graduate studies in Fall 2025 and Spring/Winter 2026. For more details, visit the Government of Canada website. 

If you are applying to study at one of Northeastern University’s Canadian campuses, you will need to submit a PAL along with your Proof of Acceptance (POA) when applying for a study permit. This requirement applies to all study permit applications submitted on or after January 22, 2025. Admitted students who applied for their study permit before this date are exempt from the PAL requirement. 

To be considered for a PAL, you must complete the following steps beginning March 3, 2025. All communications from the enrolment team about your admission and your PAL will be sent to the personal email you used to submit your application for Northeastern: 

1. Confirm Your Enrolment 
   • After receiving your admission decision, submit the enrollment intention form through your applicant portal. 
     • If you already completed the “Decision Reply Form” upon your admission, it is likely that you have already filled out the “enrolment intention” form.
     • The Enrolment Intention Form should be found in your application portal homepage.
2. Submit the PAL Deposit
   • Upon successful completion of the enrolment intention form, applications will be reviewed to determine eligibility for a PAL.
   • If you are selected to receive a PAL you will receive a notification via email from the enrolment team with a PAL Confirmation Letter and information about paying the deposit. 
     • The PAL Confirmation Letter is NOT your PAL and it should not be used in your study permit application. It is just a notification that you have been selected to get a PAL and the letter will inform you of next steps to accept the PAL and pay the deposit.
   • A $3,000 CAD deposit will be required before you receive the official PAL document. You can login to your Student Hub and go to Billing to pay the deposit. 

If you are not selected to receive a PAL you will not receive an invoice for the deposit and you will be redirected to another Northeastern campus.

POA and PAL Issuance

• Once your $3,000 CAD deposit is received, your PAL and POA will be issued electronically within five (5) business days.
  • The PAL will be sent to your personal email that you have on your application to Northeastern. 
  • The POA will become available in your applicant portal and you will be able to download the PDF. You will get an email notification from the admissions portal when your POA is issued and ready for download.
• Failure to pay the deposit by the designated deadline stated on your PAL Confirmation Letter may impact your ability to obtain a study permit and attend your program. 

Study Permit Application Support

To support your study permit application, the Office of Global Services (OGS) is hosting virtual preparation sessions. It is highly recommended that students attend one of the many sessions prior to submitting your study permit application. For more information attending a study permit information session, please visit the OGS Canada Information Sessions webpage.

If you have further questions or for more information please submit an inquiry to the Enrolment/Admissions team by following these instructions – How to submit an inquiry to the Enrolment/Admissions team?

Next Steps

Once you have received your PAL and your POA the next step is to Apply for your Study Permit

Proof of Acceptance (POA)

POA letters will be generated in your application portal for download along with the Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) once you are eligible for the PAL and you have paid the PAL deposit.

Your admission decision letter is NOT your Proof of Acceptance, and it should NOT be used to apply for your study permit. 

OGS Canada does not directly issue POAs. The are located in your admissions portal. 

The POA contains information you have provided in your application to Northeastern University. If there is an error, such as your name is misspelled, or your date of birth is incorrect, then please connect back to the admissions team to correct this information:

• You can submit an inquiry form from your application portal. To login to your portal click here: http://enroll.northeastern.edu/apply/status
• At the top of the page, you will see a tab called Manage Your Application
• Here you will click on Make a request and then click on the the available link to Submit an Inquiry/Submit a Request. 

Deposits

For more information about deposits and billing, please see the Student Accounts Canada webpage here.

For information about payments, please see here.

Refunds

Northeastern University’s refund policies can be found on the Student Accounts Canada webpage or on the Student Financial Services page.

Other Questions?

For other questions related to payments, deposit and refund policies, submit an inquiry to Student Accounts Canada here.