When to arrive in Montréal?

We recommend that our international students arrive within two to four weeks of starting their program.  This should provide you time to ease into the adaptation process, to find a place to live and to complete the necessary administrative procedures. You should also never underestimate culture shock: even for very good students, adapting to a new educational environment in a new country takes time. 

Avoid arriving more than four weeks before school starts however, since some Canadian Border Services Agents might question your motives for arriving this early.  Note that international students are not allowed to work or to conduct research activities in Polytechnique Montréal's facilities before the start of their program.  

It is important to consult the academic calendar before you book your plane ticket. You must ensure that you are present at the welcome activities that take place before the start of classes, until the last day of your final exams, the dates of which should be communicated to you around mid-session (i.e. mid-October and mid-February).

There are plenty of administrative procedures to complete upon arrival and arriving late could lead to academic problems. Students cannot arrive after the deadline for registration and course modification, which takes places some two weeks after the start of classes.   Registration to the ongoing term will not be maintained if the student is unable to arrive in Canada by the deadline indicated in the grid below. 

If you are likely to arrive late, please take good note of the information available on this page, as you might have to defer the start of your program and your arrival to Canada to the next term.  

University calendar - main dates

Below you will find a summary of the most important dates for planning your stay.