Studying in Québec at a college holding SRACQ membership
General and vocational colleges (generally known as Cégeps, the French acronym for Collège d'Enseignement Général Et Professionnel) are the first rung of the higher education ladder in Québec, the second being university. General and vocational colleges offer two types of programs: advanced technological programs of study which are primarily designed with the labour market in mind although they also provide access to university, and pre-university programs that prepare students for university studies. Both types of program lead to diplomas of college studies (generally known as DECs, the French acronym for Diplôme d'Études Collégiales).
All students who wish to be admitted to an educational institution holding SRACQ membership must submit an application for admission before the relevant deadlines in order to be admitted for the school year beginning in late August for the fall semester and mid-January for the winter semester.
Steps to follow to study in Québec at a college holding SRACQ membership
- Check the academic requirements for studying in Québec;
- Choose a program of study and a college;
- Complete the admission application form on line;
- Pay the file analysis fee;
- Provide the documents needed to establish your eligibility;
- Obtain a Québec acceptance certificate for studies;
- Obtain a study permit; and
- Submit proof of health and hospitalisation insurance coverage.
Application for admission
1- Check the academic requirements for studying in Québec
To be admitted to college, you must have completed studies equivalent to Year 5 Secondary School studies in Québec, which corresponds to eleven years of study; you must also meet the particular requirements set for your chosen program of study, if applicable.
- For example :
- In the French education system or a similar system, you must have successfully completed at least the Première level.
- In the Mexican education system, you must have successfully completed at least the second year of the second cycle of secondary school.
- In the Algerian education system, you must have successfully completed at least the second year of secondary school.
- In the American education system, you must have successfully completed at least Grade 11.
2- Choose a program of study and a college
You must choose a program of study and an educational institution that corresponds to your interests. You can choose only one college from amongst those represented by SRACQ and only one program at your chosen college.
Consult our program list. Once you have identified the program that interests you, please come back to this page and move on to step 3 to complete the admission application form.
3- Complete the admission application form on line
The admission form is available only via the Internet. Please choose the link that corresponds to your situation. .
4- Pay the file analysis fee
Send a registered cheque or money order for 80,00 $ or 63 Euros made to the order of SRACQ to cover the cost of analysing your file and doing a comparative analysis of your previous studies.
5- Provide the documents needed to establish your eligibility
- Document describing your academic path.
- A legible copy of your academic transcripts for your last three years of study and the related diplomas, if applicable. It they are not written in either French or English, these documents must be accompanied by a French or English translation.
- A legible copy of your birth certificate indicating the names of your parents and place of birth.
IMPORTANT: Upon arrival at your college, you must show the originals of these documents.
For more information about taking the TFI and to register for this test, please go to the following page: www.sracq.qc.ca/etranger/tfi_inscription.asp.
When you apply for admission, SRACQ gives you a confirmation number. It is important to include this number on each of your documents. These documents must be sent to SRACQ within weeks of submitting your admission application on line. You can also fax your documents to 418-659-4800.
Please take note that only properly completed files will be analysed so make sure all the requested items have been added to your file.
Application for a Québec acceptance certificate for studies and a study permit
6- Obtain a Québec acceptance certificate for studies
Once you've received your official letter of admission, you must without delay apply for a Québec acceptance certificate for studies (CAQ for studies) by contacting :
Ministère de l'Immigration et des Communautés culturellesForeign Students Service
285, rue Notre-Dame Ouest, Ground floor, Suite G-15
Montréal (Québec) H2Y 1T8 Canada
Phone : 514-864-9191
You will find the application form as well as information about the conditions you must meet to obtain a CAQ for studies and the fees charged for this application at the following address : www.immigration-quebec.gouv.qc.ca/en/immigrate-settle/students/
When you submit a correctly completed application, it takes about 20 days to obtain a CAQ for studies.
7- Obtain a study permit
After you've obtained your CAQ for studies, you must apply for a study permit at a Canadian Visa Office (CVO). Contact information for CVOs and the conditions you must meet to obtain a study permit are provided at the following address : www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/student.asp
Health and hospitalisation insurance
8- Submit proof of health and hospitalisation insurance coverage
Under regulations established by the Ministère des Relations avec les citoyens et de l'Immigration du Québec and the Department of Citizenship and Immigration, all international students must have a health and hospitalisation insurance policy valid in Canada that provides coverage for the student and any accompanying dependents or they must be covered by a health and social security reciprocity agreement.
If they are already covered by their own country's social security program, students from France, Denmark, Finland, Luxemburg, Norway, Portugal and Sweden are covered free of charge by the Régie de l'Assurance-maladie du Québec (dental costs, eye examinations, glasses and medication are not covered).
To obtain a Québec health insurance card, students must bring with them the original of the relevant document when they arrive at their college. The colleges will give students information about how to obtain Québec health insurance.
France : Form SE-401-Q-102 for college students or form SE-401-Q-106 for students taking part in exchange programs; the forms can be obtained from the Caisse primaire d'assurance maladie where you live;
Danemark : Form Que-Dan4 issued by the health department in Copenhagen;
Finlande : Form SF-Q4 issued by the social coverage institution;
Luxembourg : Form Lux-Que4 issued by the Caisse de maladie luxembourgeoise;
Portugal : Issued by the Portuguese social security office for social security abroad; ;
Norvège : Certificate issued by the national social security office for social security abroad;
Suède : Swedish social security certificate issued by the national social security office.
If you come from a country that has not concluded a reciprocity agreement, you must absolutely purchase a group health and hospitalisation insurance policy for foreign students at the college where you are registered. The annual premium (from August 1, 2011 to July 31, 2012) is $600.
Other informations
If your admission application is not retained, SRACQ will tell you what you need to do to continue your admission process.
Tuition fees
All students who attend college must pay tuition fees based on their status in Québec. Consequently, students with Québec resident status will have to pay registration fees that vary from college to college. They are generally about $200 CAD.
Students from other provinces in Canada must add tuition fees of 1 198,00 $ per semester. There are two semesters per school year.
Student from other countries (except France) must pay the following fees :
| Fields | Fees per semester (full-time students) |
Hourly fees (part-time students) |
| Formation préuniversitaire Techniques humaines Techniques administratives | 4 949,00 $ | 24,06 $ |
| Techniques physiques Techniques des arts et des lettres | 6 406,00 $ | 31,21 $ |
| Techniques biologiques | 7 670,00 $ | 37,32 $ |
Confirmation of course selection and timetable
The college sends admitted students the documents they need to make their course selections. These documents must be returned as soon as possible together with the registration fee, which is generally about $200. When you arrive in Québec, the college will bill you for the applicable tuition fee for your chosen program.
You must pick up your timetable at the college, generally one week before classes start. The college will send you a letter regarding this in early August. You must absolutely pick up your timetable on time.
Beginning of classes
Classes generally begin :
- Fall semester: Around August 20 and end around December 20
- Winter semester: Around January 17 and end around May 25
Classes are generally scheduled throughout the week (weekdays only) beginning at 8 am at the earliest and ending at 6 pm at the latest
Work-related legislation for foreign students
Foreign students may be authorised to work while they pursue their studies in Québec but they must first obtain a Québec acceptance certificate for studies (CAQ for studies) and a valid Canadian study permit.
ON-CAMPUS WORK: WORK PERMIT NOT REQUIRED
Foreign students enrolled in full-time studies are authorised to work, without the need for a work permit, on the campus of the institutions at which they are enrolled.
OFF-CAMPUS WORK DURING YOUR STUDIES: WORK PERMIT REQUIRED BUT THERE ARE NO FEES
- " Coop programs and internships
Students who participate in coop programs or who must complete internships as part of their program of study can work off campus but must meet some conditions.
Conditions :
- Students must hold study permits;
- Student pursue their studies at a public or private educational institution: university, college (Cégep or other college), professional vocational training school, language school;
- The job does not constitute over 50 percent of the total program of study;
- The job can be paid or unpaid;
- The name of the student's educational institution appears on the work permit as the employer;
- The educational institution must indicate that the internship is a mandatory component of the program of study in a letter supporting the application for a work study.
- The work permit is an open permit;
- Students are allowed to submit their applications in Canada (send to Vegreville) or from abroad;
- The Canadian government does not charge any fees for this type of work permit;
- The work permit issued covers the duration of the internship or, in the case of programs of study that require several internships, the same period of validity as the study permit
- For more information about work permits, go to : http://www.immigration-quebec.gouv.qc.ca/en/
- The job validation process that examines the impact of the arrival of temporary workers on the Canadian labour market so as to avoid adverse impacts on the employment of Canadian residents is not required for foreign students who apply for work permits under this program. A validation waiver code will be added to the work permit; in the case of coop programs and internships, the waiver code is C30.
- All individuals who hold job validation waivers are also exempted from CAQ requirements for temporary work
- Foreign students whose internships are required only by a foreign institution;
- Internships of medical interns and residents, except those involving veterinary medicine;
- College-level coop programs (Alternance Travail Études - ATE) since in this case the internship is not a mandatory component of the program of study. This explains why, in practice, foreign students cannot be admitted to this type of program.
The following information has been approved and reviewed by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Full information for foreign students and about work for foreign students is available on the following Web sites :
- CIC Guide for foreign students, OP 12, available on the CIC Web site http://www.cic.gc.ca/francais/ressources/guides/op/op12-fra.pdf
- Guide for foreign workers also available on the CIC Web site at : http://www.cic.gc.ca/francais/ressources/guides/fw/fw01-fra.pdf
Students doing internships in Nursing must obtain work permits. If the internship simply involved observation, without any practical work being done, the situation would be different.
- Particular situations involving students who are here for up to six months only
Foreign students who plan to study in a program for six months or less, during which time they must complete an internship, may need a CAQ for studies and a study permit, as well as a work permit, depending on the situation. The following two examples illustrate such situations :
- A student takes a five-month course in cuisine that requires him to work for one month as a chef in a restaurant with little supervision. He will be paid for his work. The student must obtain a CAQ for studies, a study permit and a work permit (C30 waiver).
- A student takes a six-month course dealing with plumbing connections. His course includes an on-the-job internship for which he will not be paid. He begins by observing, and then will have to do the work to acquire practical experience. A trainer will always be present to help the student. The student does not need a CAQ for studies, study permit or work permit.
Employment after graduation: work permit required, $150 fee
After having successfully completed their studies, students can accept jobs connected to their field of study for a period of up to one year. Students still have their valid study permits; they apply for work permits by contacting :
- Citizenship and Immigration Canada
- Work Permit Application Processing Centre
- Vegreville, Alberta
- T9C 1X6
You can also consult the CIC Web site at : www.cic.gc.ca
The education system in Québec
The education system in Québec is composed of a public education network that provides preschool (kindergarten) to university instruction. Education is free for all residents of Québec from kindergarten to college inclusively.
There is also a network of private institutions, recognised by the Ministère de l'Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport (MELS), that teaches the official programs of study. However, tuition fees are charged for attending these schools and each has its own admission conditions that potential students need to meet.
School attendance is compulsory for all children between the ages of 6 and 16. The school year begins in late August or early September and usually runs until June 24. It lasts at least 180 days.
College studies
Secondary school studies (also known as high school studies) open the way to college, the first tier of higher education. General and vocational colleges (generally known as Cégeps, the French acronym for Collège d'Enseignement Général Et Professionnel) and some private colleges offer students two types of programs, notably:
- Pre-university programs that last two years and, as the name indicates, prepare students for university; and;
- Three-year technology programs that lead directly to the labour market or to university
Regardless of the program they choose, students take general education courses some of which are the same for both types of program.
Colleges offer a range of pre-university programs: natural science, humanities, arts, music, fine arts, literature, arts and letters, communication science, history and civilisation.
There are numerous technological programs of study, grouped in five different areas: biological technologies, physical technologies, human technologies, administrative technologies and art.
There are also various specialised educational institutions like institutes and conservatories that offer a broad variety of training programs: circus arts, music, agrifood technologies, tourism and hotel science, fashion design, horticulture, etc.
Students who successfully complete their college studies obtain diplomas of college studies (diplôme d'études collégiales - (DEC).
Economy
Canada
Canada is one of the world's ten leading industrialised countries: the high tech and service sectors in particular are experiencing rapid growth.
Canada's manufacturing industries are concentrated primarily in Ontario and Québec, where automobile manufacturing represents the most important segment of this sector of activity. The other main manufacturing industries are food and beverages, pulp and paper, primary processing of metal and metal, petrochemical and chemical products. The economy of the Atlantic, Prairie and Pacific provinces are more closely focused on natural resources. In the Atlantic Provinces, fishing, forestry and mining predominate while the Prairies depend especially on agriculture and combustible minerals. In British Columbia, the main industrial sectors are forestry, mining and tourism.
Québec
At the forefront of high tech
While Québec's economy has long been focussed on the exploitation of its formidable natural resources, it has been able to change directions and now participates fully in the knowledge-based economy of today: information technologies, aerospace, biotechnologies and pharmaceutics.
Most particularly in the information technologies sector, Québec is home to a great number of world-scale industry leaders and innovators in cellular telephony, wireless transmission, fibre optics and multimedia. In fact, Montréal, Québec's metropolitan area boasts the highest density of high tech jobs in North America!
Growing exports
In the area of exports, Québec has also made a good name for itself. Export trade volumes, particularly to the United States, have been growing steadily. The percentage of trade to American markets reached 83 percent in 1998, compared to about 65 percent in the early 1980s. Québec alone is the United States' sixth largest trading partner.
An undeniable entrepreneurial spirit
In Québec, over 98 percent of all companies are small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) and 76 percent of them have fewer than 5 employees. Over the last ten years, their number has grown by about 12 percent. As for the self-employed (independent workers), they accounted for 1 out of every 6 workers in 1996 and this is expected to increase to 1 out of 5 within the next few years. The expansion of SMEs and to a lesser degree the number of people creating their own jobs are eloquent indicators of the dynamic nature of Québec entrepreneurship.
A few sectors in which Québec excels
- Aerospace
- Agrifood
- Biotechnologies
- Call centres
- Electrical system equipment
- Land transportation equipment
- Chemical industry
- Pharmaceutical industry
- Cultural industries
- Metallurgy
- Plastics processing
- Forest product industry
- Information technology
2336, chemin Sainte-Foy, bureau 2200 Québec (Québec) Canada G1V 1S5
Téléphone : 418 659-4873 Télécopieur : 418 659-4800 admission@sracq.qc.ca