When your spouse and children accompany you

Find out about employment and study opportunities for your spouse and children while you are working in Québec.

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

Your spouse could 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

To do so, you must submit the application for your spouse alongside your own application.

Your spouse may be eligible for an open work permit in the following cases:

• You hold a Certificat de sélection du Québec (Québec Selection Certificate) and a work permit issued under the Labour Market Impact Assessment (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; 
• Hold a job in TEER category 0 or 1;
• Hold certain jobs in TEER category 2 or 3 as identified by the federal government.

The partners or spouses of foreign nationals working in occupations in TEER categories 4 and 5 are therefore not eligible for an open work permit.

Visit the federal government's website to check a person's eligibility. 

If the person does not meet the eligibility criteria, they may still come to Québec as:

• International student. To do so, they must obtain authorization to study in Quebec;
• As a temporary foreign worker. To do so, they must take the necessary steps to come to Quebec to work temporarily under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) or the International Mobility Program (IMP). 

If your spouse or partner wishes to study full-time in Québec while you are working there on a temporary basis, they will need to obtain the necessary permit.

Your spouse may study part-time only if they already hold a work permit. If they come to Québec primarily as a student. In this case, their studies must be their main activity.

First, check whether your partner is eligible for a tuition fee exemption. If not, be aware that you will have to cover the cost of their studies if they come to study in Québec. 

If your children are accompanying you, the authorizations required for their education depend on their age and school year.

Before elementary school

Children who are not old enough to attend primary school do not need to obtain authorization.

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 to a school (usually the one nearest to where you will be living during your stay) so that your child can attend either:

• Kindergarten,
• Elementary school,
• Secondary school.

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

• A private institution,
• A college institution,
• A university institution.

Studies in French

If your children are enrolled in the public school system but do not have a sufficient knowledge of French, they will be placed in a reception class to learn the basics of French before joining regular classes.

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