When your spouse and children accompany you

Discover the employment and educational possibilities for your spouse and children who accompany you during your work stay in Québec.

Note that it is also possible to stay in Quebec as a visitor.

Your spouse may work during your stay in Québec, regardless of whether you are:

• Legally married
• Partners in a de facto union
• The same sex or a different sex

You must take the steps for your spouse at the same time as your own application. 

Your spouse is entitled to an open work permit, whether your work permit is open or linked to an employer, in the following cases:

• You hold a Certificat de sélection du Québec (Québec Selection Certificate) and a work permit issued under the LMIA exemption A73, A75 (Bridging open work permit) or A76 (Programme de mobilité internationale plus - International Mobility Program Plus);
• You hold a Certificat de sélection du Québec from the Programme des entrepreneurs (Entrepreneur Program) or the Programme des travailleurs autonomes (Self-Employed Worker Program);
• You are currently applying for the Programme des investisseurs (Investor Program).

Otherwise, the steps to be taken vary according to the type of job you will hold in Québec. You must first find the title and the code of the TEER category for your occupation from the National Occupational Classification.

As of January 21, 2025, access to the open work permit is limited to the married and common-law partners of temporary foreign workers who, at the time of submitting the work permit application:

• Hold a work permit valid for at least 16 months;
• Work in an occupation classified as TEER 0 or 1;
• Work in occupations in category TEER 2 or 3 identified by the federal government.

Please refer to the federal government's website for all eligibility criteria for occupations classified as TEER 2 or 3.

Spousal and common-law partners of foreign workers in occupations falling under categories TEER 4 and 5 are not eligible for an open work permit.

In these situations, your spouse can come to Québec:

• As a foreign student; to do this, you must obtain the authorizations to study in Québec; or
• As a temporary worker To do this, you must take your own steps to come work temporarily in Québec under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), or under the International Mobility Program.

It is possible for your spouse to study full time or part time in Québec while you work there temporarily.

To do this, she or he must obtain the authorizations to study in Québec. Your spouse may submit an application from abroad, at the same time as your application as a temporary worker.

Youe spouse will have to assume the cost of her or his studies to come study in Québec, unless they are eligible for a tuition exemption.

The authorizations to be obtained for the education of your children who accompany you vary according to their level of schooling and their age. 

Before elementary school

Your children who accompany you and who are not old enough to attend school do not need to obtain authorizations.

Starting from elementary school

Starting from elementary school, your minor children who accompany you generally will have to obtain: 

• A Québec Acceptance Certificate, issued by the Gouvernement du Québec
• A work permit, issued by the Government of Canada.

For the steps to take, go to Authorizations to study in Québec page.

You must apply for admission to a school in the neighbourhood where you will reside during your study so that your child can attend:

• Kindergarten
• Elementary school, or
• Secondary school

You may not have to pay tuition, except if your children are enrolled in:

• A private institution
• A college institution, or
• A university institution

You then may have to pay the same fees as residents of Québec.

Children 18 years or older

Your children over 18 years old who accompany you must submit their own application for studies or temporary work.

Language of education

Even though Québécois children must attend Francophone schools to the end of their secondary education, you have the possibility of choosing your children's language and institution for the duration of your temporary stay.

Studies in French

If your children are enrolled in the public sector but do not have a sufficient knowledge of French, they will be integrated into a welcome class to learn basic French. They then will be integrated into regular courses.

Studies in English

If you wish to enroll your child in a school where education is given in English, you must apply for a temporary authorization from that institution. You will have to provide your child’s birth certificate or any other official document attesting to:

• Your child's date of birth
• Your child's sex
• The names of your child's parents