General Notice

With the COVID-19 crisis, what is happening with full-time and part-time French courses offered in educational institutions and community organizations?
For the most part, French courses will be held remotely until further notice. A few beginner classes will take place in the classroom.

For all classes held remotely or in the classroom, student participation and regular attendance are required.

Participation allowances will be maintained for students who are registered for courses. Allowances for childcare will be paid upon presentation of supporting documents; transportation allowances are suspended when it is a remote course.

If you are unable to participate in your classes remotely or wish to cancel your course, you must contact the Centre de contacts clientèle (information service) at 514-864-9191, for the Montréal area, or 1-877-864-9191 (toll free) everywhere else in Québec.

Can I register for online francization classes (FEL)?
Students who are registered for a course and have attained Level 4 on the Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence des personnes immigratnes adultes are eligible for online francization (in French only) at the intermediate level. This is a complement to their education.

The reception at the Direction du registraire de la francisation located on the 2nd floor, at 1200 Boulevard Saint-Laurent in Montréal, is closed until further notice.

• If you have documents to send us, you can mail them, or drop them in our document deposit box, located on the ground floor, at 1200 Boulevard Saint-Laurent in Montréal.
  
  

The Premières démarches d’installation (PDI) and Objectif intégration (OI) information sessions resumed on August 31, 2020 in partner organizations whose layouts comply with public health directives.

The Personalized Integration Plan is now called Accompagnement Québec. The services related to Accompagnement Québec are maintained. You can complete the steps remotely with an assistance agent over the phone or by video call.

The vast majority of services provided by the MIFI’s partner organizations are maintained. You can obtain assistance over the phone, by email or by video call, depending on the organization’s preferred method of communication.

The services offered to businesses by the MIFI are maintained, and businesses can continue to formulate their application for support services using the online form (in French only).

The Québec government is taking all the necessary measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) as much as possible. As a protective measure, all Journées Québec recruitment missions that had been announced have been suspended.

Is the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) still processing applications for permanent selection?
The Ministère is continuing to process applications for permanent selection, regardless of the program under which they were submitted. Currently, the government as well as all ministries are mobilized to slow the spread of the virus and limit the impact of the unprecedented crisis we are facing. The government measures implemented over the last few days to respond to the current situation could affect application processing times.

Can CSQ holders who are in Québec and have lost their job renew or obtain a work permit?
To find out about the measures put in place by the federal government regarding access to the territory and the issuing and validity of work permits, consult the Government of Canada’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) page.

Work permits

What happens to temporary foreign workers whose work permit is about to expire or has already expired, and who have lost their job due to COVID-19 and cannot leave the territory?
A number of assistance programs are available for workers residing in Québec who have lost their income due to COVID-19.

The Government Assistance Program – COVID-19 page will help you determine the type of assistance that may apply to your situation.

To find out about the measures put in place by the federal government regarding access to the territory and the issuing and validity of work permits, consult the Government of Canada’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) page.

What happens to temporary foreign workers who have submitted an application to prolong their work permit before the expiry of the initial work permit, and who have lost their job due to COVID-19?
A number of assistance programs are available for workers residing in Québec who have lost their income due to COVID-19.

The Government Assistance Program – COVID-19 page will help you determine the type of assistance that may apply to your situation.

To find out about the measures put in place by the federal government regarding access to the territory and the issuing and validity of work permits, consult the Government of Canada’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) page.

What happens to temporary foreign workers who had an open work permit and who have lost their job due to COVID-19?
The open work permit allows temporary foreign workers to find a new job with any other employer.

A number of assistance programs are available for workers residing in Québec who have lost their income due to COVID-19.

The Government Assistance Program – COVID-19 page will help you determine the type of assistance that may apply to your situation.

To find out about the measures put in place by the federal government regarding access to the territory and the issuing and validity of work permits, consult the Government of Canada’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) page.

Programme de l’expérience québécoise (PEQ – Québec experience program)

Can temporary foreign workers, with a valid work permit or another authorization to work in accordance with the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, who have accumulated one year of full-time work experience in Québec, and who have lost their job due to COVID-19, submit a PEQ application?
The 12 months of full-time work experience required to be eligible for the Québec experience program do not have to be acquired consecutively. Temporary workers have 24 months to accumulate the 12 months of experience required. Being employed when submitting the application is also a condition for selection as stipulated in the Québec Immigration Regulation. Once they have resumed employment, temporary foreign workers who have the required full-time work experience in Québec can submit their application under the PEQ.

Can temporary foreign workers, with a valid work permit or another authorization to work in accordance with the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, who had not yet accumulated 12 months of work experience when they lost their job, take into account this first work experience when applying for the Québec experience program?
Yes. The 12 months of full-time work experience required to be eligible for the Québec experience program do not have to be acquired consecutively.

Temporary foreign workers who have lost their job due to COVID-19, and would have wanted to submit an application for the PEQ can therefore submit their application once they have resumed employment and have accumulated 12 months of full-time work in Québec during the 24 months preceding the date of submission of their application.

Medical coverage

I am a temporary foreign worker living in Québec to occupy a job and I am currently eligible for Québec’s health insurance. What will happen to my health insurance coverage if I am laid off due to the pandemic?
Given the current exceptional circumstances, the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) will maintain the health insurance coverage of temporary foreign workers as well as that of their dependents, if applicable, including coverage for those who have started the process to extend their stay in Québec.

If the permit authorizing you to work in Canada expires soon, you must contact Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to find out how to extend your work permit.

I am a temporary foreign worker and I have still not received my health insurance card. Can I have a screening test for COVID-19?
Foreign workers who need to go to a COVID-19 screening clinic must first call 1-877-644-4545. If their condition warrants it, they will be referred to a screening clinic where they will be tested, whether or not they have a health insurance card.

Financial assistance

Does the type of work permit (open permit, closed permit, working holiday, accompanying spouse) impact the temporary worker’s eligibility for the financial assistance programs announced by the government?
The Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) is a federal government program. For more information, go to Canada Emergency Response Benefit.

Québec businesses

I operate a business in Québec. What are my obligations to a temporary foreign worker (TFW) who will be arriving in the next few days and will have to be in quarantine?
Employers must respect the obligations stipulated in the employment contract, while respecting the exceptional laws and measures implemented by the Québec government.

The Québec government has prepared a  protocol for newcomers (in French only), and a FAQ section for the arrival in Québec of temporary foreign workers in the biofood sector (in French only). The federal government has also provided information about this on the Temporary Foreign Workers – COVID-19 page.

Have changes or adjustments been made to the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)?
The federal government has made temporary changes to the Labour Market Impact Assessment for employers in the agriculture and food processing sectors as well as for low-wage positions.

Important note to foreign students regarding applications for post-graduation work permits

Foreign students whose Québec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) and study permit expire on December 31, 2020, and who will have completed their study program, will be able to maintain a status allowing them to work while their post-graduation work permit is being processed. They can do so even if they have not received the documents attesting to completion of their studies.

They will have to submit their application for a post-graduation work permit to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) before December 31, 2020, with an explanatory letter specifying:

• the reason why they are submitting an incomplete application;
• the fact that their CAQ and study permit were automatically extended due to COVID-19;
• if applicable, the changes that occurred in their studies due to COVID-19.

For more information, consult the IRCC’s website.

Submitting electronic documents — Application for temporary selection for studies

Foreign students must submit, starting January 26, 2021, the required supporting documents electronically after having submitted an application for temporary selection for studies. This online service is available 24/7 on the Arrima platform. Consult the page Submitting documents — Application for temporary selection for studies to find out more.

You must have on hand your file number for the Application for temporary selection for studies, which is either provided in the section “Access my file,” if you submitted your application online, or when you receive a response in the mail.

Does the same procedure apply for renewal applications?
Yes. Foreign students must also submit their documents on the Arrima platform to renew their application for temporary selection for studies.

Postponement of the start date of a study program from the summer semester to the 2020 fall semester

Students who were issued a Québec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) to start a study program in the 2020 summer semester and who have to postpone the beginning of that program until fall 2020 will not have to apply for a new CAQ for studies.

With this measure, students will not have to repeat the administrative steps involved in applying for a new CAQ application now.

However, this measure does not change the period of validity of CAQs.

For the federal guidelines regarding the postponement of the semester, please follow the instructions of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Extending the duration of the Québec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) for studies

The Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) is extending, until December 31, 2020, the minister’s consent for the duration of the stay in Québec of foreign students whose Québec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) for studies expires as of April 30, 2020 and before December 31, 2020. This extension is set out in a regulation applicable to CAQs for studies that had not already expired on April 30, 2020.

This decision is intended to facilitate the steps that must be taken by foreign students who were in the process of completing their study program but who must extend their stay in Québec due to the current health state of emergency and the temporary interruption of their courses.

These students can therefore submit an application to the federal government as soon as possible to have their study permit extended without having to include a new CAQ, which will allow them to maintain valid temporary residence status and to complete their study program when their courses resume.

Will students have to pay fees for extending their CAQ?
No, foreign students will not have to pay any fees for extending their CAQ to December 31, 2020, since the required fees were already paid when they submitted their application for the CAQ that they obtained.

What about students who would like to continue their studies after December 31, 2020?
Foreign students who would like to extend their stay in Québec for studies beyond December 31, 2020, in order to complete a study program or to begin a new program in the fall 2020 semester, must submit a new application for a CAQ for studies to the MIFI and a new application for a study permit to the federal government. In all cases, students should start the required immigration procedures at least three months before their current authorization for studies expires.

Programme de l’expérience québécoise (PEQ – Québec experience program)

What happens to foreign students whose semester has been interrupted and who were waiting for their diploma in order to submit an application for the PEQ?
Foreign students who have earned their degree can submit an application for permanent selection under the PEQ if they have been awarded, by an educational institution in Québec, within three years of the date of submission of their application, one of the following:

• a university diploma attesting to a bachelor’s, a master’s or a doctoral degree
  
• a college diploma for technical studies or a vocational diploma at the secondary level, with or without attestation of vocational specialization, obtained consecutively, attesting to 1800 hours or more of consecutive study and leading to a trade
  
  

The Ministère accepts attestations of successful completion of a study program as well as final transcripts issued by the registrar of the educational institution. Since the programs admissible under the PEQ must have a minimum duration of 1800 hours, these graduates can obtain a three-year post-graduation work permit.

Also, a transitional measure, following changes to the Québec Immigration Regulation, is planned for foreign students who obtain their diploma by December 31, 2020. These students can submit an application for permanent selection based on the selection conditions that were in effect before July 22, 2020.

Study permits

Will study permits for foreign students who are already in Québec be automatically renewed?
The federal government is responsible for issuing study permits. If you have any questions about study permits, please visit Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s website.

Medical coverage

I am a foreign student in Québec and I am eligible for Québec’s health insurance plan under a social security agreement. What happens to my coverage if my studies are interrupted or disrupted due to the pandemic?
Given the current exceptional circumstances, the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) will maintain coverage for foreign students who are covered by a social security agreement and who are currently eligible for Québec’s health insurance plan. The insurance will also be maintained for dependents who are accompanying the student, if applicable.

Are the MIFI’s requirements regarding the format of documents to be included with the official immigration application still in effect?
All of the documents required must be included with the application. The MIFI will exceptionally accept photocopies and non-certified copies of these documents if the applicant is unable to provide certified true copies.

Note that the reduced requirements for document formats does not apply to comparative evaluations.

Is it possible to send documents by email rather than by mail?
The MIFI is concerned about protecting its clientele’s personal information. Until further notice, all documents must be sent by mail or by a private courier service (e.g., Purolator, FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc.). Should there be any change in the procedure for submitting documents, we will notify our clientele as soon as possible.

Is it possible to submit documents in person?
Is it possible to submit documents to the Registraire de la francization in the document deposit box, located on the ground floor of the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration, at 1200, boulevard Saint-Laurent, in Montréal.

All other documents must be mailed to us. No documents will be received in person.

Should there be any change in the procedure for submitting documents, we will notify our clientele as soon as possible.

I have an appointment for a language evaluation in order to register for a French course. Do I have to attend this evaluation?
All interviews to evaluate language competency levels before registering for a French course are now being done over the phone. Clients have been notified as to when they will receive a call from the Direction du registraire de la francization for their language evaluation.

Will the workshops, seminars and presentations given by MIFI consultants be held?
The MIFI’s consultants have been instructed to cancel their participation in all public events and seminars for the time being. The MIFI is currently working with the organizers to reschedule these events. We are also looking at the possibility of using technological tools for virtual presentations.

Is the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration still issuing the Québec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ)? If so, can I receive a copy by fax instead of in the mail?
The MIFI is still processing the CAQ applications it has received. Acceptance letters and CAQs are sent, in their original format, by mail. Transmission by fax is not planned.