Postdocs must have a source of funding for the length of the contract period, through an external granting agency or a supervisor’s grant.
Some of principal Canadian and Quebec granting agencies:
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
Fonds de recherche québécois sur la nature et les technologies (FRQNT)
Fonds de recherche québécois sur la société et la culture (FRQSC)
Fonds de recherche en santé du Québec (FRSQ)
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)
Mitacs programs:
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)
Improving your language skills is important to your success at Polytechnique, both academically and socially.
In the fall and winter terms, Polytechnique offers cours SSH0345 - Pratique du français écrit, which allows students with a knowledge of French to improve their writing skills (grammar, syntax, lexicon). Please note that SSH0345 is not a course for beginners.
Polytechnique offers English courses with grammar reminders and technical vocabulary. They will help you improve your understanding of technical documents and improve your oral skills:
- SSH3351 – English for engineers 1 (Elementary and intermediate level - 1)
- SSH3352 – English for engineers 2 (Intermediate level - 2)
An evaluation test will have to be done at the first class to put you in the appropriate level group.
The « Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration du Québec (MIFI) » offers free French courses for immigrants living in Quebec. Find out about the various courses offered.
The “Ecole de langues de l'Université de Montréal” offers online credit courses in French for all levels. To register, you must first apply for admission and then register for the mandatory online evaluation test. For more information, consult the procedures to follow.
According to federal and Quebec laws, each year, before April 30, you must declare your income for the previous year to the Canada Revenue Agency and the Revenu Québec, as any amount received as part of a postdoctoral fellowship is taxable.
The tax slips (T4 and RL1) necessary for your tax return will be available on Safirh platform around the end of February (for the previsous year). If you have active status at Polytechnique, you can download the documents using this link: safirh-portail.polymtl.ca. Those who have left Polytechnique or who do not have access to the SAFIRH employee portal, they must use the following link and complete the requested steps: safirh-inactif.polymtl.ca.
If you have any problems with your tax slips, please contact the Remuneration (Payroll) Sector of Finance Services: by phone : extension 4833 or by email : paie@polymtl.ca.
Scholar Postdocs are responsible for ensuring that they comply with Canada Revenue Agency and Revenu Québec regulations for annual income tax reporting. They are paid directly by the external granting agencies and Polytechnique does not deduct any taxes from the awards amount. Therefore, they must have the financial resources to make the payments required by the two governments.
To find out the current tax rate, we invite you to consult:
- Canada Revenue Agency: Canadian tax rates for individuals - current and past years - Canada.ca;
- Revenu Québec: income treshold and tax rates
Quebec Tax exemption – international postdocs
According to the rules of Revenu Québec, " a foreign researcher in postdoctoral fellowship, who does not reside in Canada and who comes to work in Quebec can benefit, for a continuous period of five years, from a tax exemption (total or partial) on his/her salary or on all of his/her income, as the case may be ".
For eligibility requirements, please refer to the conditions for a deduction for a foreign employee.
The postdoc is responsible for the application for eligibility for the provincial tax exemption and for the renewal applications.
The application is for the year following the date of commencement of employment as a postdoc.
Required documents
- copy of the letter of invitation to the postdoctoral fellowship or the letter of extension;
- copy of the postgraduate diploma (Ph.D) or an equivalent recognized by Polytechnique Montreal. Diplomas written in a language other than French, English, Spanish or Latin must be translated or approuved by a member of the "Ordre des traducteurs, terminologues et interprètes agréés du Québec (OTTIAQ)";
- copy of the summary of the doctoral thesis;
- description of the position and tasks of the postdoc;
- copy of the current curriculum vitae;
- copy of the work permit issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
These documents must be sent before the end of the calendar year for which you wish to apply for an exception to Ms. Guylaine Martin: guylaine.martin@polymtl.ca
She will forward your application and documents to the « Ministère de l'Éducation et de l'Enseignement supérieur ».
Please note that Polytechnique Montreal has no control over the processing time of applications submitted to the « Ministère de l'Éducation et de l'Enseignement supérieur ». However, we can assure you that as soon as we receive a response, a copy will be forwarded to you and to the Finance Department and, if necessary, adjustments will be made.
Renewal
The renewal application for your tax exemption eligibility certificate must be made annually. Certificates may be renewed up to four (4) times for a maximum of five (5) years. The application and required documents must be submitted by email to Ms. Guylaine Martin: guylaine.martin@polymtl.ca by the 15th day of February of the year following the renewal year.
If you are a postdoc with an employee or a mixed status, please contact srh-soutien@polymtl.ca.
If you are a scholar postdoc, please contact stage.postdoc@polymtl.ca.
In your request, please specify the language of the required attestation, and whether you would like a standard attestation (which specifies your salary, duration of your contract and your title) or a detailed attestation (which adds your research topic, the name of your supervisor, your tasks and your skills).
It is essential to notify your supervisor, your Department and the Postdoctoral coordination team when your fellowship ends. The coordination team will liaise with the appropriate internal authorities.
Please ensure that your mailing address and personal email address are up to date.
Below you will find links to websites that offer interesting information on skills development.
PapaPhD : Career & Life Balance Exploration for Academics and Graduate Researchers
The 2ndLab : Empowering masters and PhDs for impactful careers beyond academia
Canadian PhD Graduate Career Path Portal : A virtual platform to serve as a hub promoting the value of doctoral training and the strategic role that Canadian doctoral (PhD) graduates can play in tackling the unprecedented and complex challenges of the new millennium.
Canadian Career Symposium for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows held online on October 25 th , 26 th and 27 th 2022:
The Streetsmart Researcher Building and Leveraging an Impactful Career Narrative from Day One, with David Mendes
Skills for Innovation: Insights from Industry and Intern Skills Surveys
Career Storytelling for the Job Search
Using Informational Interviews to Boost Your Career
Optimizing Power Skills in Interdisciplinary, Diverse & Innovative Academic Networks
- Policy to prevent and counter sexual violence
- Policy Regarding Technological Intellectual Property
- Probity policy
- Regulation for a living environment that respects the integrity of people and property (Fr) - this regulation replaces the Anti-Harassment Regulations and the Threats and Assault Regulations
- Property and People Security regulations and policies (Fr)
- Health and Safety Management Policy
- Information resources regulations and policies (Fr)
If you use public transit, you can take advantage of the employee discount. For more information, please consult the following links:
- Public transit : special offers for employees
- If you live in Montreal : OPUS & CIE
- If you live outside Montreal : OPUS + ENTREPRISE
