British Columbia has launched the issuance of attestation letters for students
On March 4, the Province of British Columbia officially launched the provincial attestation letter system required for student visas.
It is known that on January 22, 2024, the Government of Canada changed the rules regarding study visas for international students. One of the innovations was the system of obtaining provincial attestation letters (PAL).
The Province of British Columbia officially announced that the new system for issuing attestation letters came into effect on March 4, 2024. The province will now begin issuing attestation letters to institutions so that international students can apply for admission and be authorized to study in Canada.
B.C. Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills Lisa Beare said the provincial government is committed to minimizing as soon as possible the negative impacts on educational organizations and international students that may result from the new restrictive measures.
Under the new allocation, the province of British Columbia will be able to process 83,000 student visa applications from foreigners for undergraduate education programs in 2024, which is 14,000 less than the previous year. 50,000 applications are expected to be approved.
The percentage of letters of certification will be 53 percent for public post-secondary institutions and the remaining 47 percent for private institutions. In this way, British Columbia seeks to support public educational institutions and their international student programs.
Earlier there was information that the province of Alberta had also launched the issuance of attestation letters. However, it remains unconfirmed, as the official website of Alberta has not provided updated data. The launch date of the process is the same as before, by March 31, 2024.
What do provincial attestation letters stand for?
The Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) will be one of the main documents on the basis of which international students will be able to apply for a student visa. This letter is first sent from each province to their educational institutions and then to an international applicant. Accordingly, this letter will serve as evidence that a study application is processed within the provincial quotas for student places.
However, this innovation does not apply to everyone. Some groups of students are exempted from submitting attestation letters:
- primary and secondary school students;
- students enrolled in master's and doctoral degree programs;
- students authorized to study or work in Canada and their family members;
- students currently studying in Canada and applying for a student visa extension;
- students who applied for a student visa before January 22, 2024.
How to apply for a student visa in 2024
This weekend Canada switches to winter time
A new era for Canadian athletes
Canada celebrates its National Day and reflec...
Rising inflation in May threatens rate cuts i...
Canada Prepares for a Sharp Increase in the E...
High Auto Insurance Rates for Immigrants Spar...
Canadian intelligence raises alarm: China's i...
Canada continues to attract skilled professio...
How the food supply chain in Canada works and...
The mysterious disappearance of a taxidermy g...
The remains of a mysterious ship have been fo...
Saskatchewan raises age limit for tobacco pur...
As we can see, despite some restrictive measures, Canadian provinces are doing their best to allow international students to get a quality education.
For our part, we are ready to assist you in applying for a student visa, as well as selecting a university and study program. Our specialists carefully follow all updates and will help you to properly collect and prepare a full package of necessary documents so that you can make your dream come true.
