91社区

The CAQ

The Certificat d'acceptation du Qu茅bec (CAQ), issued by Immigration Quebec, is a mandatory immigration document for all international students at 91社区*.

In order to study in Quebec, you must:

• Apply for a Qu茅bec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) for studies from Immigration Quebec (you must obtain your CAQ before you apply for your study permit)
• Hold a valid CAQ for the entire duration of your studies (if your CAQ will expire before the end of your program, you must apply to renew it)
• Meet the conditions of your CAQ for the duration of your studies

Some students do not need a CAQ to study in Quebec. For example:

• students studying in a program that is less than 6 months in total (e.g. one-term exchange students)
• recognized refugees and protected persons

See Immigration Quebec鈥檚 website for a full list of .

鈥嬧�婥AQ Conditions:

You must respect the during your studies. These conditions include:

• Making your studies your main activity. You must be enrolled as a full-time student for the entire听duration of your studies, with the exception of your final semester. International undergraduate and masters non-thesis students are considered full-time as long as they are registered for at least 12 credits. Thesis students (masters thesis and PhD students) are considered full-time in every term that they are registered in.
• Receiving the level of education that appears on your CAQ. The CAQ is level specific 鈥� i.e., your CAQ is only valid to use in the same level of studies it was issued for. If you change level of studies (e.g. Bachelors to Masters), you must obtain a new CAQ for your new level of studies, even if your current one is still valid.
• Holding valid health insurance for the entire duration of your studies.

When to Apply

You should apply for your CAQ as soon as you have been admitted to 91社区. You will have to access your official admission letter through . In general, you do not need to wait to meet the conditions listed in your official admission letter before applying for your CAQ.

The electronic version is the only version of the admission letter you will receive. You should download and save a copy of your admission letter, as you may be required to provide it in future immigration applications.

If you are an undergraduate student, you must first pay your confirmation deposit in order to access the 鈥渙fficial鈥� letter of acceptance you will need to apply for your CAQ.

Processing times:

The for the CAQ is 25 business days听from the day Immigration Quebec confirms in your online portal that they have received your supporting documents. Note that processing times may be longer. If the estimated processing time has passed, you may wish to by telephone to follow up on your application. We do not recommend that you resubmit your supporting documents or start a new application.

How to Apply

• Follow our application guide below
• Follow our PDF step by step guide
• Watch our 2 Part Video Tutorials
  • Video Part 1 :
  • Video Part 2 :

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CAQ Application Guide

The CAQ application process is entirely online and involves two steps:

• Completing an on the Immigration Quebec portal; and
• , paying the application fee, and uploading your supporting documents. At this time, the Arrima system is available in French only. You can use a webpage translation tool for assistance and/or refer to our PDF step by step guide.

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Step 1: Complete the online application

Complete the on the Immigration Quebec portal (you can also access this questionnaire by clicking on the 鈥淎ccess the application for temporary selection for studies鈥� button on Immigration Quebec鈥檚 webpage)

PERSONAL INFORMATION SECTION

Enter your name exactly how it appears on your passport.

• If you have a first name and middle name on your passport, enter your first and middle name in the first name section.
• If you only have one name on your passport (no first name or no last name) enter your name in both twice in the first and last name sections of the CAQ application.

ACCOMPANYING SPOUSE SECTION

• Immediate family members include: De facto (common law) spouse, child, spouse (married), mother and father who are temporary residents in Canada (visitors, students, workers), refugees, persons without status, foreign diplomats and consulars, permanent residents or Canadian citizens.

START & END DATE OF PROGRAM

CAQs can be issued for a maximum of 4 years at a time.

• For the start date, indicate the first day of courses. See Key Academic Dates for details.听If your starting term does not yet appear, see Future dates for information on upcoming terms.
• For the end date, indicate an end date that reflects the approximate duration of your entire degree or program of studies. For example:
  • Undergraduate or PhD degree: Maximum 4 years
  • Masters Thesis degree: Maximum 2 years
  • Masters Non-thesis degree: Duration of your program

听EXAMPLE:

• Undergraduate or PhD degree student admitted to Fall 2025:
  • Start date = August 27, 2025.
  • End date = August 31, 2029

If your CAQ will expire before the end of your program, you must apply to renew it before it expires.

ANNUAL TUITION FEES

Refer to the 91社区 Fee Calculator for Undergraduate and Graduate tuition and fees. If the fees have not yet been announced for the upcoming academic year, you may estimate the fees using last year鈥檚 total and calculating the proposed annual increase.

WHO WILL BE PAYING FOR YOUR LIVING EXPENSES & TUITION

Depending on your * you may be required to provide . If this is the case, you will be asked who will be paying for your living expenses and tuition.

• If you are a graduate student receiving a stipend, award or grant, select 鈥淢测蝉别濒蹿鈥� as the person who will be responsible for your living expenses and tuition.
• If more than one parent will be paying for the cost of your studies, select either 鈥淢y father鈥� or 鈥淢y mother鈥�. Your Personalized Document Checklist will contain one Declaration of Financial Support form that is partially filled out with one of your parent鈥檚 contact information. The second parent will also need to complete their own form. You can access a blank Declaration of Financial Support form on Immigration Quebec鈥檚 website.

*The current place of residence means the country or territory where you are currently living, whether it is a permanent or temporary address.

After you have completed all of the required questions:

• Save a copy (鈥減rint this page鈥�) of all of the answers you provided (Step 9 鈥� Verification of information provided)
• Create your consultation profile (Step 10)
• Save your application
• Receive and record your听CAQ application number.

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Step 2: Create an Arrima profile and pay the CAQ application fee

After you complete the on the Immigration Quebec portal, you will be prompted to and submit the payment for the processing fee using your CAQ application number within 1 hour of completing your CAQ online application.

• On click on the Acc茅der aux services en ligne/Access online services option and then click on Cr茅er un compte/Create an account. Enter your email and create a password to make a profile on Arrima and choose Je suis un individuel/ I am an Individual to continue.
• Enter your personal information (name, birthdate, place of birth, current address, etc.) exactly the way you entered it in your CAQ application. You can go back to your saved to ensure all the information matches what you are entering on Arrima (verify everything, including your use of capital letters, commas, etc.).
• Once you have successfully created your Arrima profile, go to the Mes Paiements/My Payments page to pay your CAQ application fee. There you will select Programme pour 茅tudiants 茅trangers /Foreign Student Program and enter in your CAQ application number. If all of the information you entered is exactly the same as the information you included in your online CAQ application and in your Arrima profile, you should be able to proceed with the fee payment. The credit card does not need to be in your name.
• You must pay the processing fee within 1 hour of completing your CAQ online application. If you are not able to pay within 1 hours, you may have to restart the CAQ online application on the
• After making the payment, you may have to wait up to 48 hours to obtain your num茅ro de dossier/ file number and your Personalized Document Checklist. You will need in order to upload your supporting documents to Arrima and complete your CAQ application.
• You can view your payment confirmation on the Mes Documents/My Documents page in your on Arrima account.

TROUBLE SHOOTING:

• If you receive an error message that your CAQ application cannot be found, this may be because the information you entered in the online questionnaire portion of your CAQ application and the information you entered in your Arrima profile does not match exactly. You can modify your profile on Arrima by clicking on the person icon in the top left corner.
• We have noticed that the Arrima profile sometimes automatically changes the date of birth as one day earlier even when students have entered the correct date. In order to overcome this technical issue, try logging into Arrima on a PC or try entering the date as one day later than the real birth date and proceed to make a payment.

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Step 3: Obtain your CAQ file number and Personalized Document Checklist

48 hours after paying your application fees on Arrima, you can log into the to view your Personalized Document Checklist and your CAQ file number.

• Your CAQ num茅ro de dossier/file number starts with 鈥淐00鈥� and is followed by 8 digits (C00XXXXXXXX). This number is different from your CAQ application number.
• Gather all the documents on your Personalized Document Checklist. See the Documents section in this guide for more information.

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Step 4: Submit supporting documents on Arrima

Log back into your account in order to upload your documents.

• Go to your Mes Dossiers/My Folders page and click Cr茅er un nouveau dossier/Create a new folder. Select Programme des 茅tudiants 茅trangers 鈥� D茅p么t de documents/Foreign Student Program 鈥� Submission of Documents and enter in your CAQ num茅ro de dossier/file number (C00XXXXXXXX), not your CAQ application number.
• Attach your required documents by clicking Joindre des Documents/Attach Documents (the paper clip icon) at the bottom of the screen. Select the type of document you will be uploading using the drop-down menu.
• You will receive a confirmation pop-up message once all your required documents have been uploaded.
• You can upload additional document(s) that are not included in your checklist combined into one pdf file. When selecting the type of document from the drop-down menu, choose 鈥�Autres types de documents鈥� (other types of documents).
• When you have finished uploading all of your documents, click Soumettre/Submit IMPORTANT: If you do not click Soumettre/Submit, your documents will not be transmitted to Immigration Quebec and you will not get a decision on your application.
• Within a few minutes of submitting your application successfully, the File Status of your application should change from D茅p么t des documents en cours/Submission of Documents in progress to Deposer/Deposit.

TROUBLE SHOOTING:

• If you start attaching your documents and then leave the Arrima page, the 鈥淎ttach Documents鈥� button (paperclip icon) will disappear. To continue attaching documents, go to your Mes Dossiers/My Folders page and scroll your screen all the way to the right of the page using the bottom scrollbar. You should see 3 dots appear on the right of the screen on the same row as your file number. Click on the 3 dots and then click on Continuer 脿 mettre 脿 jour les documents/Continue Filing Documents鈥�. The Joindre des Documents/Attach Documents and Soumettre/Submit buttons will reappear on the screen.

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Step 5: Obtain your Letter of attestation of issuance of your CAQ for studies from Immigration Quebec

The is about 25 business days.

• Your CAQ application decision will be issued to you on your , not on Arrima.
• If your application is approved, a PDF of your CAQ (Letter of Attestation) will appear in your Immigration Quebec portal. This is the only version of the CAQ you will receive. You can use this CAQ to apply online for the study permit. Print a copy of your CAQ and bring it with you when you travel to Canada.
• If you are a US citizen or US permanent resident and will be applying for the study permit at a Port of Entry (POE), print your CAQ (Letter of attestation of issuance of your CAQ for studies) and bring it with you when you travel to Canada. See our Study Permit Application Guide for US Citizens & US Permanent Residents for information on what documents you will need to show at the POE.

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IMPORTANT: If you receive an Intention of refusal letter (Intention de refus) from Immigration Quebec requesting that you provide them with additional documents, contact us right away for guidance on how to proceed. You will have to submit your additional, required documents to Immigration Quebec electronically through the Arrima system. For a tutorial on how to submit your additional document(s), see our .

Required Documents

After you pay your CAQ application fee, you will receive a Personalized Document Checklist in your . You must gather all the documents listed on your checklist and then submit these to Immigration Quebec .

• Save a copy of all the documents on your checklist before submitting them to Immigration Quebec. You will also be using some of these documents in support of your study permit application.
• Review your Personalized Document Checklist听and this guide before submitting your documents on Arrima. Not all students will have the same documents listed on their checklist.
• Any document not in English or French must be accompanied by a certified translation.

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SIGNATURES

Immigration Quebec accepts the following signatures on all documents, letters, and declaration forms:

• An original handwritten signature;
• A photocopied handwritten signature;
• A handwritten signature applied using a technological tool (for example, a stylus, touch screen or mouse);
• A digitalized handwritten signature (for example, by applying a handwritten signature to a paper document and digitalizing the signed document).

Immigration Quebec does not accept typed signatures or digital signatures generated using a digital certificate produced by a specialized tool.

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DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR ALL STUDENTS

• Declaration, Commitments and Authorization (DCA) form: Along with your document checklist, you will receive a Declaration, commitments and authorizations form that you must sign.
  • It is very important that you carefully read the form as it describes the obligations that you must respect as a student in Quebec.
  • Your name and signature must match the name and signature in your passport. For example, if the name in your passport is written in Chinese characters, you must sign your DCA form in Chinese characters as well.
• A photocopy of the identity pages of your passport. Make sure to include the page (or pages) that contain:
  • Your personal information;
  • Your picture;
  • Your passport expiry date
  • Your signature
• Letter of Admission: Use your official letter of acceptance (鈥淥ffer of Admission鈥� letter) that you can access in the . If you are a graduate student, make sure to submit your 鈥淥ffer of Admission鈥� letter signed by the Dean of Graduate and Post-Doctoral Studies听and not the offer letter from your department.听

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FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR CERTAIN STUDENTS ONLY

If your checklist includes a request for , you must demonstrate to Immigration Quebec that you have sufficient funds to pay for the cost of your studies (tuition and fees and ) for at least your first year of studies.

• IRCC has increased the estimated cost of living in Canada for . This increase will not affect students applying to study in Quebec.
• See 91社区鈥檚 Tuition Fee Calculator for the tuition and fees amount in undergraduate programs and in graduate programs.

• To determine how much money you need to show to cover living expenses, see on Immigration Quebec鈥檚 website. If you have accompanying dependents, the amount will be higher.
• If you are applying for U.S. government aid, a copy of your application for aid will not be sufficient: the approval of aid awarded will be required.

The Personalized Document Checklist includes a list of documents that you can provide as proof of financial capacity. You do not have to provide all of them.

In general, we recommend that you include the following document(s), where applicable, as proof of financial capacity:

1. A cover letter briefly explaining how you will be paying for your first year of studies. The letter should clearly indicate the estimated cost of your first year of studies and the source and amount of funds available. We suggest putting some of this information in a table and/or using bullet points.
2. If applicable, proof of financial aid, scholarship/award, or student loan. A document proving you have applied for financial aid or a scholarship is not sufficient. You must have proof that the funds have been awarded.
3. A recent bank letter and the 4 most recent bank statements indicating the balance in the account(s) of the person(s) paying for the cost of studies 鈥� e.g. your own, parent(s), family member, etc.
4. Declaration (Statement) of financial support form. Required if someone other than yourself is paying for your studies 鈥� e.g. parent(s), family member, friend, etc. If you are providing bank statements with more than one account holder listed, all account holders named must sign a Declaration of financial support form. This form is not required for graduate students who are receiving departmental funding.
5. If the above documents do not, on their own, demonstrate that you have sufficient financial capacity, you can try to supplement them with:
   1. Proof of employment (e.g. parents鈥� employment contract)
   2. Recent pay stubs (e.g. parents鈥� 3 most recent pay stubs)
   3. Proof of assets such as property
   4. Other documents indicated on or .

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DOCUMENTS FOR MINORS

• If you will be under 17 years of age when you arrive in Canada for studies, you will have to provide with your CAQ application. If you plan to live in 91社区 student housing (residence), your custodian will be the Associate Dean of Students.听See the instructions on our website for more information.

CAQ FAQs

Visit our鈥�听CAQ FAQs for more information.听