...  Documents officiels   
Invitation procedure for research interns from foreign institutions     
Table of contents
1 - Identification
2 - Statement of principle
3 - Definitions
4 - Invitation procedures
4.1 - Student intern
4.2 - Professors
4.3 - Department director’s administrative management assistant
5 - Financial compensation
6 - Entry authorizations
7 - Fees
8 - Health insurance
9 - Administrative formalities upon arrival
10 - Minor amendments
11 - Appendices

1    Identification

Title: Invitation procedure for student interns from foreign institutions

Person in charge of application: the Dean of Academic and International Affairs

This procedure applies to: All student interns from foreign institutions.

Approval:

  • Adopted by the Assemblée de direction on June 1, 2010 (ADD-515-393)

2   Statement of principle

Every year, Polytechnique Montréal welcomes a large number of students from foreign institutions who wish to undertake internships as part of their study programs. These student interns add an international, cross-cultural dimension to our research units and contribute to broadening Polytechnique’s reputation. In this regard, their presence is part of the strategic vision to distinguish ourselves as a world-class engineering school and an active partner in technological, economic and social development.

This procedure aims to harmonize and facilitate the invitation process for interns from foreign institutions. It also contains samples of the forms to fill out.


3    Definitions

Student research intern from a foreign institution: student from a foreign institution who comes to undertake an internship in the form of an internship or a research activity as part of a university-level program of study in a foreign institution.


4   Admission procedures

(Diagram – revised procedures: Appendix A )

4.1   Student intern

Student interns who wish to undertake an internship at Polytechnique Montréal and be supervised by one of our professors must first ensure that they are eligible. To be eligible, they must meet the following criteria:

  1. Be a university-level student in engineering or in a related field (science, technology…)
  2. Be able to obtain a work permit from Citizenship and Immigration Canada, including a Labour Market Opinion Application Form (LMOAF). For more information on this subject, interns may visit the following website: http://www.polymtl.ca/inter/en/stavisi

Eligible interns must:

  1. 1. contact a Polytechnique professor who teaches in the student’s field of research interest (http://www.polymtl.ca/recherche/rc/en/expertises)
  2. come to an agreement with the professor on the internship terms (topic, length, supervision and remuneration)
  3. send the professor a complete CV, the specification sheet prior to invitation (Appendix B ) duly filled out,  and the internship agreement to sign, if the home institution prepares one..
4.2   Professor

Professors must:

  1. come to an agreement with the student about the terms of the internship (topic, length, supervision and amount of bursary provided)
  2. fill out the specification sheet prior to invitation (Appendix B ) and ensure that the intern fills out his/her part
  3. send the file to the department director’s assistant or the person designated by the department, including:
    • the specification sheet prior to invitation (Appendix B)
    • the intern’s CV
    • proof of registration at the home university (if the professor is providing a bursary)
    • the internship agreement to sign, if applicable

The professor will advise the director’s administrative management assistant of any changes to the file or should the student abandon his/her plans.

4.3    Department director’s administrative management assistant

Once a professor has agreed to supervise a student intern’s research activity, the department director’s administrative management assistant opens a file in the intern’s name, verifies whether an agreement exists with their home institution, and sends an official invitation letter to the intern on department letterhead.

The invitation letter specifies the terms of the internship (topic, dates, supervision), the type of agreement that exists with the intern’s home institution, the type and amount of financial compensation, and the intern’s responsibility to procure appropriate medical insurance for the stay. The information is added to a database that must remain accessible for statistical purposes.

The letter is sent to the address listed on the intern’s CV. An e-mail is sent simultaneously to the professor and the intern to advise them that the invitation letter has been sent.

If an internship agreement must be signed, it must be signed by an authority from within the department who is empowered to represent Polytechnique. The department director’s assistant must first ensure that its content matches the terms set by the professor.


5   Financial compensation

Professors are free to decide whether to financially compensate the interns they supervise, and in what manner and for what amount. The details are set out in the invitation letter. Here are the types of financial arrangements that may be proposed:

  • No financial compensation
  • Reimbursement of travel or accommodation costs
  • Granting of a research bursary (In this case, the intern must provide an original proof or registration with his/her home institution, valid for the entire duration of the internship. If the proof of registration does not include the student number, the intern must present an original document that does.)
  • Payment of a salary (The intern must present Polytechnique with a valid Canadian social insurance number (SIN). To obtain this, he/she must present a work permit, passport and invitation letter to a Service Canada office.)

6    Entry authorizations

Interns do not hold status as students with Polytechnique Montréal. They must hold valid work permits for the entire duration of their internships, regardless of what that duration is. The normal time frame for obtaining a work permit varies depending on country and can take several months.

Work permits must be applied for through the Canadian visa office serving the person’s place of residence. A classic work permit application requires that an LMOAF (Labour Market Opinion Application Form) be obtained from HRSDC (Human Resources and Skills Development Canada) and that a CAQ (Certificat d’acceptation du Québec) for temporary work be obtained from the MICC (Ministère de l’Immigration et des communautés culturelles). However, since an AMT and a CAQ are not normally granted for internships at Polytechnique, the intern must be able to obtain a work permit that does not require an AMT or a CAQ.

Here are the various situations that can exempt the intern from the AMT and the CAQ:

  • The intern is eligible for a youth exchange program with Canada, also called “International Experience Canada”.
  • The internship is taking place as part of a multilateral exchange program (ex.: IAESTE, AIESEC, etc.).
  • There is an agreement between Polytechnique and the intern’s home institution (bilateral agreement or CRÉPUQ agreement). If this is the case, the invitation letter must state this.
  • The intern is the recipient of a research bursary granted for the quality of their academic record (whether by their home institution, by the Polytechnique professor who is inviting them, or by an outside organization).

Exception: Students who have military status and whose internships are part of a mission order from an establishment reporting to an army that is present in Canada (listed in section 3 of the IR1 guide from Citizenship and Immigration Canada) may be exempted from a work permit. The mission order from the home institution must explicitly mention the country of origin.


7   Fees

Unless other arrangements have been made with the inviting professor, expenses for entry authorizations, transportation, lodgings and food are the intern’s responsibility.

No fees are charged by Polytechnique for the internship.

Because interns do not have student status at Polytechnique, they may have to pay certain fees if they wish to have access to campus student services (ex.: CEPSUM sports centre).


8   Health insurance

No health insurance coverage is provided to Polytechnique research interns. It is their responsibility to procure appropriate coverage for health and hospitalization risks for their stay in Canada.

Interns who are citizens of Québec social security partner countries (Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Sweden) may benefit from RAMQ (Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec) health insurance if they meet the conditions. They must obtain an attestation from the appropriate organization in their country before their departure (for French work permit holders, this is form SE-401-Q104), and undertake the process with RAMQ upon their arrival.


9    Administrative formalities upon arrival

Upon arrival at Polytechnique Montréal, interns must visit the department director’s administrative management assistant at their professor’s department (or the person he or she designates), who will inform them of the various steps to undertake for their stay at Polytechnique.

Interns must present:

  • Their passport
  • Their work permit covering the entire period of the research activity
  • Their Canadian social insurance number (if a salary is to be paid)
  • Proof of registration at their home institution (if a research bursary must be paid).

If a salary is to be paid, a copy of the intern’s file is sent to Human Resources to have an employee number assigned (pMatricule). In all other cases, a visitor number (uMatricule) is requested from Computer Services.

Once the number has been obtained, the department requests a Polytechnique ID card from the Institutional Security Service.


10    Minor amendments

Minor amendments to this procedure may be made by the Dean of Academic and International Affairs. These amendments are submitted to the Assemblée de direction for informational purposes.

http://www.polymtl.ca/sg/docs_officiels/en/1312aese.en.htm   par   Webmestre-SG.     Mis à jour : 2012-11-27