Required conditions to study in Québec

To study in Québec, you must respect the following conditions: 

• Be admitted to an educational institution in Québec;
• Demonstrate your financial capacity to cover the costs of studying in Québec;
• Pay the required fees to process your application;
• Commit to respecting all the obligations related to your Certificat d'acceptation du Québec (Québec Acceptance Certificate) (CAQ);
• If you are aged 16 or under and your parents are not accompanying you to Québec, you must be under the care of an adult, either at your place of residence or at your educational institution's boarding house.

You must demonstrate your financial capacity to assume the costs of studying in Québec:  

• Tuition fees;
• Transportation costs;
• Basic needs.  

You must provide proof that you can afford these costs. 

If you do not respect the obligations related to your Québec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ), it could be cancelled. You must commit to:  

• Receiving the level of education that appears on your CAQ for studies or on your Attestation of issuance of your Certificat d’acceptation du Québec  (CAQ) for studies;
• Study at the educational institution listed on your CAQ attestation letter, if applicable;
• Maintain, for the entire duration of your study stay, health and hospital insurance for yourself and, where applicable, for any family members accompanying you;
• Making your studies your main activity (study full time). This obligation does not apply if you are a:
  • Temporary worker;
  • Family member accompanying a temporary worker;
  • A minor child accompanying a parent who is a temporary worker;
  • A minor child accompanying a parent who is a foreign student;
  • A minor child accompanying a parent to receive medical treatment;
  • Person who has refugee or protected person status in Canada;
  • Person seeking asylum;
  • A foreign student who is in the last semester of your study program.  

You must remain covered by a health and hospitalization insurance policy for the entire duration of your study stay. This obligation also applies to accompanying family members.  

Check if your country of origin has signed a social security agreement with Québec.  

If your country of origin has a social security agreement with Québec  

You can benefit from the protection of the Québec public health insurance plan free of charge.  

Before your departure for Québec, contact the medical insurance organization for your country to obtain information on this subject as well as the affiliation form required to register for health insurance in Québec upon your arrival. 

Upon your arrival in Québec, contact immediately the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec to apply for a health insurance card. Your accompanying family members can usually benefit from this health insurance.

Otherwise, they will need to arrange private health insurance as soon as possible.

A waiting period of usually three months applies to all new registrations with RAMQ (with a few exceptions).

It is strongly recommended that you take out private insurance and arrange for any additional coverage you or your accompanying family members may need, especially for certain services that may not be covered, such as medication, dental care, pregnancy care or mental health care.

Check with your educational institution.

If your country of origin does not have a social security agreement with Québec  

Some educational institutions offer a group health insurance plan for foreign students. Check with your educational institution. 

If your educational institution does not offer this option or if you do not wish to join the group insurance plan, you must arrange private health and hospitalization insurance for yourself and any family members travelling with you.

This private insurance may not cover certain non-covered services, such as medication, dental care, pregnancy care or mental health care.

It is therefore strongly recommended that you arrange any additional insurance you or your accompanying family members may need.

Please note that all health and social services not covered by RAMQ will be billed to you, with a 200% surcharge (except for certain exclusions).

Your educational institution can suggest private insurance. Otherwise, contact the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association (CLHIA) for information on insurance companies that offer this type of protection.  

When you arrive in Québec, you will have 5 to 30 days to obtain private insurance. After this time, you may not be able to get insurance. In this case, you will not respect the conditions of your stay and your CAQ could be revoked.