Maple News reports that British Columbia has officially begun issuing Provincial Attestation Letters (PALs) for international students as of March 4, 2024. This move comes in response to new federal regulations that cap the number of study permits issued across Canada in 2024.
The PAL system requires international students applying for undergraduate study permits to include a letter confirming their acceptance to a Designated Learning Institution (DLI) within the province’s allocated quota. British Columbia’s government is responsible for distributing these letters to educational institutions, which then forward them to prospective students.
British Columbia has been allocated 83,000 undergraduate study permit applications by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Based on historical approval rates, this is expected to lead to approximately 50,000 approved permits in 2024—a major reduction from the nearly 60,000 approved permits last year out of 97,000 applications.
In line with the goal of managing growth sustainably, B.C. is distributing 53% of PALs to public post-secondary institutions, while 47% will go to private schools. This marks a 27% decrease in private institution applications compared to 2023. Officials say the rebalancing measure is intended to curb unsustainable expansion within the sector.
B.C. is the first province to operationalize its PAL system following IRCC’s announcement of a national cap on new study permits. The rest of Canada’s provinces and territories are expected to implement similar systems by March 31. The federal cap is designed to limit new study permits issued in Canada in 2024 to 360,000—a 35% decrease from last year.
Notably, the new restrictions apply only to new undergraduate study permits. Postgraduate students, such as those pursuing master’s or doctoral degrees, along with those renewing existing study permits, are exempt from the cap.
IRCC allocated study permits to provinces based on population. With around 5.6 million residents, British Columbia is Canada’s third most populous province, after Ontario and Quebec.
The implementation of PALs introduces an extra layer of oversight, aiming to ensure that study permit issuance aligns more closely with institutional capacity and regional priorities. Observers say this change, while challenging for some applicants, is expected to improve integrity and regional balance in Canada’s international education system.