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New International Admissions Process
and Provincial Attestation Letters

Following the Canadian government’s announced changes to the international study permit process, Humber launched its new process on Thursday, March 28, 2024. All Humber applicants without a study permit are required to submit a provincial attestation letter (or “PAL” for short) along with their study permit application. Humber began issuing PALs to applicants on March 28th. All international students and applicants who already have Study Permit do not need a PAL and are not impacted by this announcement.

Humber does not have a public-private partnership.

International students approved to study at Humber remain eligible to apply for post-graduate work permits after they have completed their studies. A series of info sessions are held every week for current and prospective Humber international students to help provide answers to common questions.

New Steps to Enrolment at Humber – Fall 2024

On January 22, 2024, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced a series of changes to the requirements international students must meet to be able to secure a study permit. All applications for a study permit must now include a letter of acceptance (LOA) and a provincial attestation letter (PAL).

Every institution enrolling international students, including Humber, has a limited number of PALs available to grant to applicants to apply for a study permit. We want to make sure that every applicant to Humber that is given a PAL completes their enrolment process, including applying for a study permit.

In order to give the highest priority to students planning on attending Humber in the coming term, applicants for the Fall 2024 term and beyond now require an enrolment deposit of $3,000 before we will issue a PAL to them. $1,500 of the deposit is non-refundable. The remainder of the tuition will be due on July 15, 2024 prior to fall registration. All applicants must have a PAL in order to apply for a study permit.

The new admissions process follows these steps:

Step 1
International student applies to Humber

Step 2
Humber review application and provides LOA

Step 3
International student confirms LOA

Step 4
International student pays $3,000 deposit

Step 5
Humber requests PAL for student from Ontario gov't

Step 6
ON gov't prepares PAL and sends to Humber

Step 7
Humber sends PAL to international student

Step 8
International student applies for study permit and includes PAL

Important Note

This change in policy and process is happening in the middle of the Fall 2024 enrolment cycle. As a result, some of our Fall 2024 applicants have already paid one or two semesters of tuition. Fall 2024 applicants who have already paid fees are not required to pay an additional deposit. Once the PAL process is authorized by the Ontario government, we will begin issuing PALs to eligible applicants who have either paid their deposit or paid fees for a future semester.

For refunds or deferral requests please review our new Fall 2024 Refund Policy  

Please contact us through our contact form if you have any questions about applying to Humber.

Provincial Attestation Letter FAQ's

As of January 22, 2024, most international applicants to Humber must include a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) with their study permit application to the IRCC. The attestation letter is a document issued by the Province of Ontario confirming that you have applied to study at one of they post-secondary institutions in Ontario. To learn how these changes may affect you, please take the time to review our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Humber’s PAL process.

If you currently have a study permit, you are welcome to apply to our May 2024 intake and begin your studies with Humber. Please review the list of programs that are still open for May to applicants that have a valid study permit.

If you do not have a study permit, and have not submitted an application, please apply for our September intake instead.

Yes, Humber has issued PALs for our May and September intakes. Be sure you confirm your offer of admission and make a tuition payment (full balance of first semester fees for the May 2024 intake and minimum deposit $3,000 tuition deposit as of the Fall 2024 intake) in order to be considered for a PAL.

Students do not need to apply for their Provincial Attestation Letter. If you do not currently have a study permit, and you have an active offer of admission, confirmed your offer and paid your tuition deposit, Humber will request a PAL on your behalf.

When Humber applies for your PAL, you will receive an email telling you the application has been submitted.  When your PAL is approved by the province, Humber will send you an email communication, with a link to your PAL which you can view and download.

You can only submit one PAL and one LOA when applying for your study permit to Canada. This means you must choose an institution to attend and include the LOA and PAL for that specific institution and province with your study permit application.

You will receive your Letter of Acceptance (LOA) first by email. You will then have to confirm your offer and pay the minimum tuition deposit ($3,000 as of the Fall 2024 intake). Once Humber has received your payment, we will submit a PAL on your behalf.

No. The information on the PAL is specific to your chosen institution according to the acceptance letter that was submitted.

No. Paying the non-refundable deposit is part of the eligibility criteria to be considered for a PAL but does not guarantee that you will receive one. The Ontario government decides who receives a PAL and who does not. 

Study permit applications submitted to the IRCC before January 22, 2024 will be processed without PALs. Students who submitted their study permit application prior to January 22, 2024, are exempt from needing a PAL. For more information, please visit the IRCC website.

Final decisions on applications are made by IRCC officers and applicants must ensure they meet all the requirements to be issued a study permit. Having a PAL does not guarantee that your study permit will be approved.

No, students applying to extend their study permit are exempt from needing an attestation letter. More information can be found on the IRCC website.

You do not need a PAL when applying for a study permit if you:

  • are applying to study in a preschool, primary school or secondary school (up to grade 12)
  • are applying to study in a master’s degree or doctoral degree program or
  • have entered Canada and one of the following situations applies to you:
    • You have a study permit and are applying for a study permit extension.
    • You have a work permit.
    • You’re a temporary resident who is a visiting or exchange student studying at a designated learning institution (DLI).
    • You’re a temporary resident who has completed a course or program of study that is a prerequisite to you enrolling at a DLI.
    • You’re under a removal order, but can’t be removed from Canada at this time.
    • You have a temporary resident permit valid for at least 6 months.
    • You’re a protected person.
    • You’re eligible for permanent residence
    • You’re the family member of a foreign national who lives in Canada and is one of the following:

A PAL cannot be re-used or re-purposed. If you receive a study permit refusal letter and need to re-apply, a new PAL will need to be requested.

No, the PAL cannot be changed once it has been issued. You must ensure that all information, such as your date of birth, address, name, etc. are correct and match your passport information when submitting your application. A PAL will not be reissued to you if there is incorrect information on the original version.

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