Do I need a CAQ and study permit? 

  1. Depending on the length of your studies at McGill, you may or may not need to apply for a Certificat d’acceptation du Québec (CAQ) and study permit.
  2. If you will be studying at McGill for more than 6 months (e.g. a two-term exchange), you must apply for both a CAQ and a Study Permit. 
  3. If you will be studying at McGill for 6 months or less (e.g. one-term exchange), you do not require a CAQ and study permit. However, you may choose to apply for these documents as a study permit may be beneficial to you depending on your plans. See below for your options as a one-term exchange student.

2-term exchange (studies more than 6 months)

  1. If you will be studying at McGill for more than 6 months (e.g. a two-term exchange), you require a CAQ and study permit.
  2. See our CAQ and Study Permit application guides for guidance on how to apply for these documents.

One-term exchange (studies of less than 6 months)

If you will be studying at McGill for 6 months or less (e.g. one-term exchange), you do not need to have a CAQ and study permit. These documents are optional. See important information below on what your options are as a one-term exchange student (Case 1 & Case 2).

Case 1: You choose to apply for a CAQ and study permit

 There are benefits of holding a CAQ and study permit:

  1. You will be able to work on-campus.
  2. If you decide to extend your exchange from one-term to two-terms, or if you decide to continue your degree at McGill (i.e., transfer to McGill), you will have a better chance of starting your next term on time as you will be able to benefit from maintained status when extending your study permit.
    1. Maintained status means that you will be able to continue studying at McGill and working as per the conditions of your previous study permit, while you wait for a decision on your application as long as you applied for the extension before the expiry of your study permit and you remain in Canada while your application is being processed.

Case 2: You choose not to apply for a CAQ and study permit

If you do not apply for a CAQ and study permit,

  1. You will need* either a temporary resident visa (TRV, also called a “visitor visa”) or an electronic travel authorization (eTA) to enter Canada. For more information on TRVs and eTAs, see Immigration Canada’s TRV webpage and eTA webpage. *NOTE: US citizens and US permanent residents are TRV and eTA exempt.
    1. Use Immigration Canada’s tool to see if you need a TRV or eTA to travel to Canada for your one-term exchange (studies of less than 6 months). For the question that asks, Select the option that best matches your situation, select I’m eligible to study without a permit.
  2. You will not be able to work on-campus.
  3. You will not benefit from maintained status if you decide to extend your stay as a student at McGill. This means that you cannot continue studying after the expiration of your authorized stay while waiting for a decision on your study permit application.

If, based on your situation and citizenship, you require a TRV to enter Canada for your one-term exchange:

  1. Create an online account with Immigration Canada.
  2. Once you are signed in, select “Visitor visa, study and/or work permit” to continue.
  3. Complete the online questionnaire and record your personal reference code (this code is generated for you after you complete the online questionnaire).
    1. To the question:
      How long are you planning to stay in Canada?
      Answer: Temporarily – less than 6 months
  4. Enter your personal reference code in your IRCC secure account and follow the instructions to complete your application.
  5. Complete, validate, save, and upload the Application for Visitor Visa (Temporary Resident Visa) form (IMM 5257). See IRCC’s guide on how to complete the form.
    1. In the DETAILS OF VISIT TO CANADA section, for “Purpose of my visit”, enter Short-term studies. 
  6. Upload the supporting documents listed in your document checklist. 
  7. Click on the "?" if you need more details about any of the documents in your checklist.
  8. You will be prompted to upload a “Letter of Acceptance” and an “Invitation Letter”. Since McGill does not provide an Invitation Letter, you can either:
    1. Upload your “Offer of Admission” letter from McGill two times – i.e., in both the section for “Letter of Acceptance” and in the section for “Invitation Letter”, OR
    2. Upload your “Offer of Admission” letter from McGill in the “Letter of Acceptance” section and upload a cover letter in the “Invitation Letter” section. Your cover letter should explain that McGill does not provide Invitation Letters and that the Offer of Admission letter is the only official letter that McGill provides to its students.
  9. After you submit your payment, you will receive a confirmation notice from Immigration Canada confirming that your application was submitted.
  10. Once your application is approved, Immigration Canada will let you know how and where to submit your passport so that the TRV (counterfoil) can be affixed to your passport.

Proof of financial capacity 

  1. Regardless of the length of your studies (one-term exchange or two-term exchange), you should be able to demonstrate that you have sufficient funds to cover your tuition fees and living expenses for the duration of your stay in Canada – in your immigration application(s) and/or at your port of entry (e.g. airport or land border).
  2. Applications for CAQs, study permits, and TRVs require proof of financial capacity.
  3. eTA applications do not require proof of financial capacity. However, be prepared to demonstrate financial capacity when you enter Canada if asked by the border officer.

Living Expenses

  1. Quebec expects students to have approximately $24,617  for living expenses for one year. Immigration Canada uses this amount when assessing applications.
  2. You can calculate your living expenses based on when you plan to enter and exit Canada.
  3. For example, it is recommended that one-term exchange students demonstrate financial capacity to cover at least 6 months of living expenses.

Examples of Proof of Financial Capacity:

We recommend that students include in their immigration application(s) and/or travel with:

  1. The six most recent bank statements of the person(s) funding their studies
  2. A recent bank letter, on bank letterhead, indicating the total balance in the account(s) of the person(s) funding their studies
  3. A letter from the person(s) funding their studies indicating that they will be paying for the cost of the student’s exchange at McGill and a copy of their government ID (e.g., passport bio information page, national ID, etc.).
  4. Proof that you are not required to pay tuition fees to McGill (this information may be included in your Offer of Admission letter from McGill and/or in a letter from your home university.
  5. Proof that you have already paid tuition to your home university (if applicable)
  6. Proof that you have paid fees for student residence (if applicable)

Additional examples of proof of funds can be found on Immigration Canada’s Study permits: Proof of financial support page and the Temporary residents: Proof of Funds/Financial Support page. If you are applying for a CAQ, see Immigration Quebec’s Proof of financial capacity webpage. 

How to prepare for your arrival

  1. For all students, travel with 
    1. Your McGill offer of admission letter
    2. Proof that you have enough funds to cover your tuition and living expenses in case you are asked by a border officer to demonstrate that you can support yourself financially during your exchange – i.e., proof that you are capable of paying tuition (if applicable) and living expenses. 
  2. If you are a two-term exchange student, also travel with your CAQ, study permit approval letter and TRV or eTA. Make sure that you show your study permit approval letter to the border officer and that your actual study permit is issued to you at your port of entry.
  3. If you are a one-term exchange student, also travel with either:
    1. Your TRV or eTA; or
    2. Your CAQ and your study permit approval letter. Make sure that you show your study permit approval letter to the border officer and that your actual study permit is issued to you at your port of entry.
  4. If you are a US citizen or US permanent resident, travel with your valid US passport or proof you are a US permanent resident and a valid passport from your country of citizenship
    1. A CAQ and study permit are only required if you are doing a two-term exchange OR if you wish to work on campus during your one-term exchange.
  5. To help prepare for your arrival, and depending on your situation, see Immigration Canada’s Study Permit: Prepare for your arrival page, Visitor visa: Prepare for your arrival page, or Electronic travel authorization (eTA): After you apply page. Also see our Clearing Customs page

Can I work during my exchange?

  1. If you entered Canada as a visitor (i.e., you do not have a study permit), you are not authorized to work during your exchange. 
  2. If you entered Canada as a student and obtained a study permit at your port of entry (airport or land border), you are authorized to work on campus as long as you are registered full time and your study permit includes a condition authorizing you to work. You may only work up until the end of your exchange term at McGill.  
    1. Undergraduate and non-thesis Master’s exchange students must be registered for at least 12 credits to be considered full-time.
    2. Graduate thesis (Master’s Thesis or PhD) exchange students are considered full-time regardless of the number of credits they are registered for. 

An activity may be considered “work” even if it is unpaid. For more information, see What is considered work for temporary residents? and Immigration Canada’s guidelines on work. 

Can I stay in Canada after my exchange ends to travel?

You may remain in Canada to travel after your exchange ends:

  1. If you entered as a visitor and you are still within the period authorized for your stay. 
    1. If your passport was not stamped upon arrival, you can stay in Canada as a visitor for 6 months from your entry date*. If you want to stay longer, you must apply to extend your stay as a visitor by or before the 6 months is up. *NOTE: If you have exited and re-entered Canada during your exchange, your 6 months is calculated from the date of your most recent entry.
    2. If the border officer stamped your passport with a date, you must leave Canada or apply to extend your stay as a visitor by or before the end date written in your passport*. *NOTE: If you have exited and re-entered Canada during your exchange, the length of your authorized stay is re-calculated depending on whether or not the border officer stamped or did not stamp your passport with a date by which you must leave Canada.
  2. If you have a study permit and it is still valid. 

If you have a study permit, it will become invalid 90 days after you complete your studies or on the date your permit expires, whichever date comes first. If you wish to stay longer, you must apply to extend your stay as a visitor by or before the expiration of your study permit.

Can I stay in Canada after my exchange ends to work?

  1. If you wish to stay in Canada and work after your exchange ends, you must apply for and obtain the appropriate work permit.
  2. If you have a study permit and you are a full-time student, you may work on-campus until the end of your exchange term – e.g., Winter term (end of final exam period April), Fall term (end of final exam period in December)
    1. You are not authorized to continue working with your study permit after the end of your final exchange term. To resume working, you need to obtain a work permit.
    2. If you reduce your course load to less than full-time during your exchange, you must stop working immediately (as soon as you are attempting less than a full-time course load).
  3. Citizens of certain countries may be able to work in Canada via:
    1. International Experience Canada (IEC).
    2. SWAP Working Holidays.

An activity may be considered “work” even if it is unpaid. For more information, see What is considered work for temporary residents? and Immigration Canada’s guidelines on work.

Related Content:

Apply for Immigration Documents
Extend your Stay (IRCC)
Come to Canada Tool (IRCC)