University Canada West is now accepting requests for Provincial Attestation Letters (PAL).

Prospective on-campus undergraduate students with an offer letter will receive the link and instructions to request a PAL along with their LOA, after their deposit is paid. Both documents are required to apply for a study permit.

Please note that prospective students of the Master of Business Administration program (MBA) directly entering the program will not require a PAL. On April 22, 2024, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) expanded the Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) requirements to include preparatory programs for master’s degrees. At University Canada West, this includes the MBA Foundation (MBAF) program and UAP courses.

Institutions in British Columbia are currently awaiting the provincial government to update the PAL process for MBA Foundation (MBAF) program and UAP courses. Consequently, UCW is unable to issue the PAL for students who need to take MBA Foundation (MBAF) program and UAP courses.

Until such updates are issued, UCW is unable to issue a PAL for prospective MBA students who need to take MBA Foundation (MBAF) and UAP courses.

If you are accepted or required to take preparatory courses (MBAF or UAP) before starting your MBA please contact your recruitment advisor to discuss the alternatives available or email [email protected].

The PAL system adds just one more step to the admissions process for select students and UCW is confident that the PAL system will be efficiently integrated into our admissions pipeline.

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.

Below is an FAQ about PALs that should answer many of your questions. We look forward to continuing to welcome new undergraduate students to UCW.

The Provincial Attestation Letters (PAL) 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, which verifies the authenticity of their offer when they apply for their study permit. 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.

In the context of UCW’s program offerings, prospective undergraduate students applying for a Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Arts in Business Communication or Associate of Arts programs will require a PAL along with the Letter of Acceptance (LOA) when applying for their study permit.

Students taking prerequisites for the MBA program, MBA Foundation (MBAF) and/or University Access Program (UAP), will also require a PAL along with the Letter of Acceptance (LOA) when applying for their study permit, however, as institutions in British Columbia are currently awaiting the provincial government’s launch of the process for PAL distribution we are currently unable to issue the PAL until this process is in place.

Prospective students of the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program will not 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 directly entering the program and current UCW students do not need a PAL.

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 directly entering the program 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.

Students will be able to request a PAL through UCW after their deposit is paid and they receive their LOA. They will be emailed a link to request their letter. At this time, there are no additional fees associated with the PAL request process.

UCW is now ready to accept PAL requests. Students who already have received an LOA for the upcoming terms will be emailed the link to request the PALs first and will be given priority for PAL processing.

Please allow up to three (3) business days for the processing of your PAL request, although processing time may vary if additional information is needed. Requests for upcoming terms are given priority, which might cause a slight delay for other requests in the queue.

Students will receive an email notification through the MyUCW Student Portal regarding the decision on their PAL request. If approved, the student will need to contact their UCW representative to get the letter.

Upon obtaining their Letter of Acceptance (LOA) and PAL, it is important that students promptly submit their application for a study permit.

  • International/domestic master’s degree on-campus and online students, as long as they are directly entering the program and not taking prerequisites such as MBAF or UAP
  • International undergraduate online students
  • Domestic undergraduate on-campus and online students
  • Visiting students
  • Current students
  • In-Canada study permit and work permit holders (includes study permit holders applying for an extension)
  • Students whose application was received by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) before 8:30 am ET on January 22, 2024

Updated August 22, 2024