International Students

Québec Certificate of Acceptance for Studies (CAQ)

Update: 02/03/2025

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, a document required when applying for a study permit. 

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.
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). 

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.  The MIFI provides videos (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 (in pen) are accepted; documents with an electronic signature will result in a letter of intent to refuse.

Once your application has been processed, you will receive a letter attesting to your CAQ for studies.  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

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.  

Important details
  • A CAQ Certificate is issued according to the level (cycle) in which your are studying. Upon receiving your CAQ Certificate, verify that the cycle mentioned is correct, and that there are no other mistakes. The cycle indicated on the certificate must be that which is indicated in your letter of admission to Polytechnique. Should you find a mistake on your CAQ Certificate, please see: Immigration paper loss and/or errors.
  • If you are a student who needs to do a preparatory year before your bachelor's degree (admission to bachelor's degree + 5 years), make sure you apply for a CAQ for the duration of your studies, not just for the duration of the preparatory year.  Please note that the CAQ cannot exceed 49 months, and must be renewed at the end of your studies.  
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 CapacityNote 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 $132CND (Canadian dollars) as of January 1st 2025. 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.  

PROCESSING TIME

Application processing time take a maximum of 25 working days when the application is complete (i.e. once the MIFI has received your online application AND your accompanying documentation uploaded on Arrima).  During the Spring peak season (April to June), processing times can sometimes be longer. 

 

Obligations to be met during 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;
  • If you have already obtained your CAQ and need to postpone your admission to Polytechnique Montréal by one term (e.g., from fall to winter or from winter to summer), you can continue to use the same CAQ.  If you postpone your studies by more than one term (e.g., from winter to the following fall), you will need to obtain a new CAQ. You'll have to make a new application, provide all the required supporting documents and pay the processing fee again.

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.