Big news: British Columbia implements provincial verification letter system for international students

Victoria: The Province of British Columbia is now issuing Provincial Verification Letters for international students. This provincial verification letter system has come into effect from March 4, 2024. International students must submit a Provincial Verification Letter (PAL) along with their study permit application to prove that they have been accepted by a Designated Learning Institution (DLI) within the limits of their allocated quota of seats.

The BC Government says that the provincial government issues PALs to education institutions, which then issue letters to international applicants. The BC government says the province has approved a total of 83,000 graduate study permit applications from Immigration Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Based on past approval rates, the state expects approximately 50,000 approved study permit applications from the federal government for 2024.

Last year B.C. There were 97,000 study permit applications for graduate programs, of which only about 60,000 study permits were approved.