Québec Certificate of Acceptance for Studies (CAQ)

Update: 02/17/2026

The application for a Certificat d'acceptation du Québec (CAQ) for studies is intended for foreign nationals who wish to study in Quebec. The CAQ for studies, issued by the Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration (MIFI), is in most cases a prerequisite for the issuance of a study permit.

Your CAQ for studies will be issued for a specific level of study and educational institution, depending on the expected duration of your program. In Quebec, this document also acts as a provincial attestation letter (PAL), a document required when applying for a study permit. Therefore, you do not need to take any additional steps to obtain a LAP.

If you are admitted to a Bachelor's program, you should apply for a CAQ fo studies for 1st cycle. For a Master's program, you need to request a CAQ for 2nd cycle and for a PhD, you need a CAQ for 3rd cycle.

Some students are not required to obtain a CAQ, like students on a one-term exchange program. Consult the CAQ exemption list to find out more, and see our section Studying without CAQ or Study Permit.

IMPORTANT You must apply for a CAQ for studies with the letter of admission from the institution where you intend to study in Québec, as its name will appear on the letter. If you obtained a CAQ for studies with a letter of admission from an educational institution other than Polytechnique, you must apply for a new one before submitting your application for a study permit.

Approval of a second application for a CAQ for studies invalidates the first, so you cannot hold two valid CAQs for two different institutions at the same time.

SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION

Online application

You need to apply for a CAQ by completing an online form and by paying processing fees with a credit card (Visa, Mastercard or American Express; yours or a card belonging to someone you know).

Prepare your information in advance, as you won't be able to save the form while you're filling it in and come back to it later. As you fill in the online form, you can always obtain further details on the questions by selecting the orange “?” icon.

Once you have paid for your application and submitted your online form, you will need to send supporting documents for your application via the Arrima platform, within a 15-day period. The MIFI provides v ideos (in French) to assist students in navigating the system. It is essential that you send all documents required by MIFI in a single transmission. In the event that you are unable to do so, you must wait for MIFI to process your application and send you a letter of intention of refusal before you can send any missing documents.

Some forms require a signature. Please note that only handwritten signatures made with a pen, or using a technological tool such as a digital pen or mouse, are accepted; electronic signatures inserted into a document are not accepted. PDF forms must also be saved in such a way that they cannot be modified (e.g., by selecting the “Print this file” and “Print to PDF” options).

If your application is successfully processed, you will receive a letter confirming the issuance of your CAQ for studies. The MIFI should inform you of any updates to your file by e-mail. However, we recommend that you regularly check the status of your application by consulting your online file.

The CAQ is issued based on your academic cycle and your educational institution. Upon receipt, please ensure that the information it contains is accurate. Please note that the cycle must be the one used in Quebec (mentioned on your letter of admission) and not the one used in your country of origin! If there is an error on your CAQ, or if you lose your CAQ, please refer to the section error on your immigration documents or loss of your immigration documents.

You generally need to wait to receive your CAQ approval letter before applying for a Study Permit. However, some Canadian visa offices (CVO) allow future students to apply before receiving a response about their CAQ certificate. If you believe that you are running out of time to obtain all the necessary documents prior to the beginning of the term, find out if you can contact a Canadian visa office, as mentioned above. For more information, please refer to our page about Study Permits.

Specifications regarding certain questions on the form

To the question “Are you eligible for an exemption set out in the application management rules indicated in the Table of exemptions from management of requests ?”, you must answer “no” unless you are in one of the following situations:

“I am a dependent child of a temporary foreign worker or a foreign student...”

“I am an asylum seeker.”

“I hold a certificate issued by the Protocole of the Gouvernement du Québec.”

If you are a student who must complete a preparatory year before your bachelor's degree (admission to bachelor's degree + 5 years), be sure to indicate the end date of your entire program and not that of the preparatory year. Despite this precaution, you may still be issued a CAQ for studies lasting one year. In this case, you will need to submit applications to renew your immigration documents from Canada a few months before they expire.
Refer to the figures on your offer of admission when asked to indicate your annual tuition fees. If the tuition is listed per term rather than per year, be sure to multiply the amount by two.

PROOF OF FINANCIAL CAPACITY

Depending on your country of residence, you may be asked to demonstrate proof of sufficient financial resources to pay for tuition fees, living expenses, and other expenses for your stay (and proof of financial resources for those accompanying you) when applying for the CAQ . For more information about the type of proof and minimal monetary amounts needed, see the MIFI website under Financial Capacity . Note that you will also need to present proof of financial capacity when applying for a Study Permit.

Note that as of your first year, you are not required to demonstrate that you have sufficient financial capacity for the entire length of your studies. Instead, the MIFI will ask you to prove financial capacity for the first year. However, for CAQ issuance purposes, the agent who processes your application will need to be able to conclude that it is likely that funds will remain available for the duration of your studies.

Your tuition fees are normally indicated on your letter of admission. If you are an exchange student, immigration authorities will understand that your tuition will be paid in your home country educational institution, thus, tuition fees won’t factor into the calculation of your financial capacity.

If you are a French national, a French-speaking Belgian national, or have obtained an International student exemption of differential fees, immigration will calculate your fees accordingly, upon presentation of your French or Belgian passport, confirmation of your exemption, or confirmation of scholarship.

Each individual that finances your studies and who present proofs of financial capacity on your behalf will need to fill out and sign a "Declaration of Financial Support." This form is automatically generated when you indicate in the online application that someone else will be supporting you financially during your stay in Québec. Only one person can fill out and sign the form, therefore other indiviaduals who support you will have to use separate forms. The form can be downloaded here, and you will need to add it to the documents to be uploaded on the Arrima platform.

If you are a graduate student whose supervisor is able to provide financial support, ensure the letter confirming the annual amount granted is included in your documents. You supervisor does not need to fill out a declaration of financial support.

Note that bank letters and statements presented as proofs of financial capacity must come from personal accounts. Proofs from business accounts or land or property ownership documents are not accepted as financial proof for a CAQ.

To find out more about possible financial assistance during your studies, consult our website.

PROCESSING FEES

The fee required to process your application is $135CND (Canadian dollars) as of January 1st 2026. You must pay this fee via credit card, whether Mastercard, Visa or American Express. The card can be someone else's who is willing to pay for your application fees. Make sure to provide your supporting documents via the Arrima platform within 15 days of having made your payment.

PROCESSING TIME

Once the application is complete, the average processing time is normally a maximum of 25 business days from the date the MIFI receives all the necessary documents (forms and supporting documents). If you receive a notice of intent to refuse requesting additional documents, please note that this can typically add between 2 and 3 weeks to the processing time once the documents have been submitted.

These processing times may be longer during the spring peak period (between April and June).

Obligations to meet during your studies

Holding a CAQ for Studies comes with a number of obligations that must be met throughout your stay in Quebec:

You must receive the level of education indicated on your CAQ letter;
You must study at the educational institution indicated on your CAQ letter;
The CAQ for studies requires that you make your studies your principal activity. This means that you must be enrolled as a full-time student in the semesters in which you are required to register in your program, and pass the majority of your courses;
You must also maintain health and hospitalization insurance for the duration of your stay for yourself and any accompanying family members;
You will need to reapply for a CAQ each time you change your level of study or change educational institution. For example, if you move from a bachelor's to a master's degree, or decide to study at a new institution, you'll need to apply for another CAQ;

Failure to comply with the conditions of the CAQ for Studies could result in refusal to renew in the future, and therefore jeopardize your program! Please note, however, that certain categories of CAQ for Studies holders are exempt from making their studies their principal activity. Visit the MIFI website to find out all about the conditions to be met during your studies in Quebec.

LINKS

Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration (MIFI)

International Students