Minors who are under 17 years of age

1. The age of majority in Quebec is 18. However, only minors under 17 are required to have a custodian (also known as a “responsible adult”).
2. A custodian is a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident of Canada who is at least 18 years old and who resides with you. The custodian must reside with you unless you will be living in McGill student residences and the Associate Dean of Students undertakes to act as your custodian.
3. You will need to provide proof that you have a custodian in Canada if:
   1. You will be less than 17 years old at the time you start your program; and/or
   2. You will be less than 17 when you move into McGill University residences

Case 1: You have a Custodian in Montreal

If have a custodian in Montreal, see the documents required by Immigration Quebec for a minor child and follow the instructions for a child not accompanied by their parents.

Case 2: You DO NOT have a Custodian in Montreal

If you do not have a custodian in Montreal, you are required to live in McGill Student Residences and you must have the Associate Dean of Students act as your custodian.

1. Complete the Custodian Request Letter and Passport Confidentiality Form
   1. Fill out all fields in the letter.
   2. The Custodianship Request Letter must be signed by both parents. In the “Print Name” section, parents should write their names clearly in uppercase (capital) letters. In the “Signature” section, parents should sign by hand with an ink pen.
   3. The Passport Confidentiality Form must be signed by the student. 
2. Send the completed documents to ISS:
   1. Scan (in PDF format):
      1. The Custodianship Request Letter with both parents’ original signatures; and
      2. The Passport Confidentiality Form with your signature.
   2. Send these documents to our office through our myISS Request Form.
   3. In the "Please provide details" section, write: “Custodianship Request Letter”.
3. Once we receive your Custodianship Request Letter and Passport Confidentiality Form:
   1. We will process your request and send you the the following documents within 10 business days:
      1. A Custodianship Acknowledgement Letter signed by the Associate Dean of Students for your CAQ application (addressed to the Ministère de l’immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration).
      2. A Custodianship Acknowledgement Letter signed by the Associate Dean of Students for your study permit application (addressed to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada).
      3. A copy of the Associate Dean of Students' passport for your CAQ and study permit applications.
   2. After you have received the signed Custodianship Acknowledgement Letter and a copy of the Associate Dean of Students' passport, complete the mandatory Next of Kin Information Sheet (online webform).
      1. NOTE: The Next of Kin Information Sheet is for internal McGill purposes only. You do not need to include this sheet with your immigration applications.
4. Apply online for your Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ). 
   1. In “Step 3 – Accompanying persons”, indicate the Associate Dean of Students as the adult who will be responsible for you in Quebec.
   2. In Substep 1 of 2, in “Number of persons” in your immediate family who are already in Quebec or who will accompany you during your entire period of study, indicate “0”.
   3. In Substep 2 of 2,
      1. Indicate the personal information of the Associate Dean of Students (refer to their passport information)
      2. In the “Address” section, indicate the address for the Office of the Dean of Students: 3600 McTavish Street, Suite 2100, Montreal, QC, Canada H3A 0G3
      3. Indicate “0” for the Number of other adults residing at the same address as the adult responsible in Québec.
      4. Indicate “0” for the Number of other foreign nationals who are minors under the responsibility of this person or another person residing at this address.
5. On Arrima, upload the following custodian documents (as one pdf file), in addition to your other required documents:
   1. Custodianship Request Letter, and
   2. Custodianship Acknowledgement Letter signed by the Associate Dean of Students (addressed to the Ministère de l’immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration); and
   3. Copy of the Associate Dean of Students' passport.
   4. Copies of parents’ passport pages (bio-information and signature pages)
6. After your CAQ application has been approved, apply for your study permit. Upload the following documents (as one pdf file) in the Custodianship Declaration (IMM 5646) section of the Document Checklist instead of the IMM 5646 form: 
   1. Custodianship Request Letter signed by both parents
   2. Custodianship Acknowledgement Letter signed by the Associate Dean of Students for your study permit application (addressed to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada)
   3. Copy of the Associate Dean of Students' passport
   4. Copies of parents’ passport pages (bio-information and signature pages)

Important Information

1. Keep a copy of all of your custodian documents for your study permit application. You will need them for both your CAQ and study permit applications. We also recommend that you travel with these when you come to Canada.
2. Student under the age of 18 are eligible for Quebec’s Health Insurance Plan - Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec(RAMQ). See our International Health Insurance page for more information. 

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