What are Provincial Attestation Letters (PALs)?
The Provincial Attestation Letters system is a tool that the provincial government has created to implement the cap on international students mandated by the federal government. PALs are documents issued by institutions to international students who have received a letter of acceptance, that verifies the authenticity of their offer when they apply for their visa. Institutions have a set number of letters they can issue over the course of a year, which serves to cap the number of new students that can enrol.
What programs require prospective international students to have a PAL?
In the context of UCW’s program offerings, prospective undergraduate students applying for our Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Arts in Business Communication and Associate of Arts programs will require a PAL along with their Letter of Acceptance (LOA) when applying for a study permit.
Prospective students of the Master of Business Administration program, including those taking MBA Foundation (MBAF) and/or University Access Program (UAP) will not require a PAL.
Do students who have already applied for or been approved for a visa require a PAL?
International students whose applications were received by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada before 8:30 am ET on January 22, 2024, as well as those who have already been approved for a study permit and intend to travel to Canada for an upcoming program, do not need to take further action. Prospective MBA students and current UCW students do not need a PAL.
How will this affect UCW?
Based on the number of attestation letters allocated to UCW, we expect little to no impact on our undergraduate enrolment with these new measures in place. Furthermore, prospective MBA students do not require a PAL. University Canada West commends the BC government for taking a balanced approach to implementing federal changes to the international student visa program, accounting for the unique environment in our province. We look forward to continuing to offer quality education and meaningful experiences for our students.
For those requiring one, how will students request a PROVINCIAL ATTESTATION LETTER
Students will be able to request a PAL through UCW after their deposit is paid and they receive their LOA. At this time there are no additional fees associated with the PAL requests process.
When can students start requesting a PAL?
UCW will begin processing PAL requests in the coming days. A communication will be circulated outlining the request process in detail and will state when our team will begin to accept PAL requests.