Respecting the conditions of your stay

You must register full time for all of your program’s mandatory semesters, which are the fall and winter semesters. Some programs of study may also require you to register for the summer semester. If you are unsure, contact your program’s Academic Advising team.

If you are living outside Canada during a mandatory semester, you must still register full time to maintain your eligibility for a post-graduation work permit.

If you have registered full time for the mandatory semesters throughout your program of study, you may register part time for your last semester of study. Please note that this is the only exception and all graduation requirements must be met by the end of the final semester, including language requirements, if applicable. Furthermore, at the end of the last semester, you must have received all your grades for your coursework and internships, and have defended and submitted your thesis, if applicable.

Please note that the deemed full-time status granted by Université Laval’s policy for student parents does not reflect the full-time status required by the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). As such, that section of the policy does not apply to those who hold a study permit and a CAQ.

Full-time registration for the summer semester is required in the following situations:

• The summer semester is mandatory for your program of study – see the list of programs that require registration for the summer semester.
• For graduate studies, your research supervisor requires you to register or undertake other academic activities during the summer semester (writing, awaiting corrections, initial submission, final submission, or defence).
• The summer semester is the first semester of your program of study.

If the summer semester is not mandatory for your program of study, you can register part time, full time, or not at all.

As an international student, you need to be careful about dropping courses. Withdrawing from a course with or without a refund (withdrawal with grade X) could cause you to lose your full-time status, which would have repercussions:

• You will no longer be authorized to work on or off campus using your study permit for the remainder of the semester and the break that follows. You will only regain the right to work in Canada using your study permit on the first day of the next semester for which you are registered full time.
• When you renew your CAQ, you will need to explain and justify your part-time registration. The same applies if you fail courses and do not earn at least 12 credits per semester.
• Loss of status could affect your eligibility for a post-graduation work permit if you complete the program of study.
• You may no longer be eligible to stay at Université Laval residences.
• Access to the laissez-passer universitaire (LPU) transit pass could be cancelled.
• Your eligibility for certain scholarships may be affected.

Losing your full-time student status has consequences for your academic progress and your short- and long-term plans. That being said, it is still possible to withdraw from a course without a refund; it may be the best decision in certain circumstances, and may be preferable to failing. You can contact your faculty’s Academic Advising team to discuss the impact of your decisions on your academic career, and make an appointment with the Student Life Office advising service to learn more about the consequences for immigration.

If you decide to withdraw from one or more courses, document the steps you take (email correspondence with your faculty, guidance counselling meetings, medical appointments, etc.) so that you can justify your situation to IRCC and MIFI, if necessary.

During your studies, you may need to take a semester off for personal reasons. In such a case, you can ask your faculty’s Academic Advising team to grant you authorized leave lasting a maximum of 150 days (one semester). Here are some examples of situations for which you may be granted leave:

• Illness
• Pregnancy, maternity or paternity leave
• Family emergency
• Death or serious illness of a family member
• Being removed from a program, if it is not possible for you to apply for another program for the current semester

Please note that financial problems are not usually considered valid reasons for taking leave.

When you contact the Academic Advising team to find out if you are eligible for authorized leave, you must provide them with proof of your situation (e.g., doctor’s note, death certificate, removal letter).

If you are granted authorized leave, the Registrar’s Office will issue an attestation to that effect. You should keep the attestation and any other proof of your situation for future immigration purposes.

During authorized leave, IRCC considers you to be actively pursuing your studies, and you remain eligible for a post-graduation work permit. However, you are not authorized to work using your study permit during your leave. You will only regain the right to work in Canada using your study permit on the first day of the next semester for which you are registered full time.

If you have health and hospitalization insurance coverage with Desjardins, your coverage will continue. If you have a reciprocal agreement with the RAMQ, you should contact them directly to find out whether your coverage is maintained, and take out private insurance if necessary.

International graduate students who remain in Canada on a study permit must maintain their registration until the end of their studies and final graduation. Registration is therefore required while the essay, report, or thesis is evaluated, right up until the final defence or submission, as the case may be. This also applies if the summer semester is your last semester of study. By keeping yourself registered, you ensure that you:

• comply with Québec and Canadian immigration requirements
• retain the right to work using your study permit
• maintain your health and hospitalization insurance coverage
• retain access to library and PEPS services

For further information, check the "International students: Registration for additional semesters after initial submission" section on the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies website.

New students at Université Laval can start work as of the first day of their first semester. If you arrive a few weeks before classes start, you will not be able to hold a job before the date the first semester of your program officially begins.

If you were already studying at another learning institution in Canada during the previous semester, an exception may be allowed.

For comprehensive information on the right to work on and off campus during your studies, see the Working during your studies page. For information on the right to work between finishing your studies and obtaining a post-graduation work permit, see the Applying for a post-graduation work permit page.

In Québec, work is governed by the Act respecting labour standards. The law aims to protect employees by imposing minimum working conditions, and it applies to international workers as well. Here are resources to inform you on the subject:

• Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST)
• Éducaloi
• "International students: Working while studying, you have rights and obligations" presentation

It is essential to have valid health and hospitalization insurance as soon as you arrive in Canada. You must take out private insurance in the following situations:

• For people covered by Desjardins insurance, if you arrive before the insurance takes effect.
• For people covered by the RAMQ, if you arrive before the date indicated on your proof of affiliation.

For comprehensive information on insurance coverage during your studies, see the Enrolling in the health and hospitalization insurance plan for international students page. For information on insurance coverage during the transition to a post-graduation work permit, see the Applying for a post-graduation work permit page.

If family members are accompanying you, they must also have health and hospitalization insurance coverage as soon as they arrive in Québec and maintain it throughout their stay.

To avoid problems, we strongly recommend starting the process to renew your CAQ followed by your study permit 6 months before they expire. You will lose the right to study and work if you apply to renew your study permit after your current permit has expired. For details on the deadline for renewing your study permit, see the "Maintained status" section of the Extending or changing your student authorization documents page.

You will find all the information about renewal procedures on the Extending or changing your student authorization documents page.

If your current study permit is still valid and you hold a valid eTA or visa when you return to Canada, you can travel outside Canada while your study permit renewal application is being processed. If you return to Canada before your current study permit expires with all the required documents in hand, you should not encounter any problems.

If your current study permit is expired and you attempt to return to Canada while your renewal application is still being processed, you may be refused entry and the Canada Border Services Agency may return you to your country of origin. It is also possible that you may be allowed to enter Canada, but you will not be able to study or work until you have obtained your new study permit.

For more information, see I’ve applied to extend my study permit. Can I travel outside Canada and be able to return?

When you receive a new CAQ or study permit, you must provide the Registrar’s Office with a copy through monPortail ("Documents officiels" menu, "Documents légaux" section).

Those with maintained status must provide the confirmation that IRCC has received your study permit renewal application, which is available in your IRCC secure account and should be uploaded to the same place in monPortail.

If you change your level of study (undergraduate, master’s, or doctoral university studies), from a bachelor’s to a master’s program, for example, you need to apply for a new CAQ. Your level of study is indicated on your CAQ, and it is important for it to be accurate. If you are studying at two different levels simultaneously, by fast-tracking to a doctorate, for example, you’ll need a multi-level CAQ. Information on how to apply for a new CAQ can be found on the Extending or changing your student authorization documents page.

If you change your program of study but remain at the same level (switching from a Master’s degree in Agroforestry to a Master’s degree in Food Science, for example), your CAQ remains valid.

There may be notes or comments on your study permit that restrict the level at which you can study. If no restrictions are indicated on your study permit, it remains valid for all post-secondary studies. There is no need to contact IRCC if you change your program of study at Université Laval.

If you change learning institutions while continuing to study at the same level, your CAQ remains valid. However, if you change your level of study, you must apply for a new CAQ. See the Extending or changing your student authorization documents page for the procedure to follow.

There may be notes or comments on your study permit that restrict the institution at which you can study. If no restrictions are indicated on your study permit, it remains valid for all post-secondary studies. However, you must notify IRCC of the change in learning institution through your IRCC secure account.

Registration for non-degree studies requires a CAQ with the right level of study. If necessary, you must apply for a new CAQ. Information on how to do so can be found on the Extending or changing your student authorization documents page.

Since non-degree studies do not lead to a degree, you are not permitted to work off campus while pursuing them.

To graduate, you’ll need to pass all of your program’s required courses with a GPA above the minimum GPA and fulfill all graduation requirements, such as language requirements.

We strongly recommend checking your progress report in Capsule and contacting your faculty’s Academic Advising team to find out about your program’s graduation requirements right from the start. If you have language requirements, we encourage you to take the required tests and/or courses early on to avoid prolonging your studies and delaying your graduation, which could complicate your immigration process.

As a student, you have a number of rights and responsibilities, and we encourage you to familiarize yourself with them. All regulations and policies, including the Règlement des études (academic regulation), are available on the Université Laval website.

Regarding the policy for student parents, please note that, unfortunately, the deemed full-time status granted by the policy does not reflect the full-time status required by the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). As such, that section of the policy does not apply to those who hold a study permit and a CAQ.

Regarding the regulation on admission and registration fees, section 9.3 states that you will not be able to register for any future semesters or obtain a transcript or any other official document if you have not paid all tuition and fees due to Université Laval by the deadline.

As a temporary resident, it is best to keep a record of all your trips outside Canada. This information will be useful for various immigration procedures, including the application for permanent residency.

To be eligible for a post-graduation work permit after your studies, you must ensure that you meet all the criteria, including the following:

• Full-time registration for all of your program’s mandatory semesters
• More than 50% of your studies spent in class in Canada

To find out all of the details and criteria, see the Applying for a post-graduation work permit page.

If you plan to stay in Canada to study or work for several years after completing your current studies, it is simpler and more advantageous to start filing tax returns as of your first year in Québec. You may be entitled to certain benefits or tax credits even if you have never worked in Québec. If you have worked and earned a salary, you are required to file your tax returns.

For more information on the subject, see the Income taxes page.

Watch out for scams and fraud aimed at the general public, but particularly those that specifically target international applicants and international students in Canada. Be careful!

When you renew your immigration documents (CAQ and/or study permit, transition to a post-graduation work permit, etc.), the government agencies (MIFI and IRCC) often check whether you respected the previous conditions of your stay. If you did not respect the conditions, it is important to explain and justify your actions. Based on their analysis of your file, the governments may refuse to issue you other residence permits for Québec and Canada. You may also have to leave Canada.