Setting up your family | Immigration and getting settled in Quebec

Work permit for spouse or common-law partner

Only the spouses or common-law partners of foreign students admitted to a master's program of more than 16 months or a doctoral program will be able to obtain an open work permits.

You can apply for work and study permits at the same time.
The work permit will be valid for the same period as the study permit.

For more information, go to the following pages of the Government of Canada website:

Note that to extend your work permit after you have completed your studies, your spouse or common-law partner will need proof that you are employed in these categories:

any high-skilled occupations in TEER 0 or 1
select high-skilled occupations in TEER 2
select high-skilled occupations in TEER 3

For more information, go to the Government of Canada website.

Family insurance plans

HEC Montréal’s insurance plan for international students does not carry a family option. However, if you have a family health insurance plan that provides medical coverage equal to or greater than the medical insurance provided by HEC Montréal, you may be exempt from it as a student. You can search for a plan that suits your family’s needs at Securiglobe, Kanetix.ca, Croix-Bleue or Desjardins.

Note that since September 2021, all children are eligible for the Québec health insurance and basic prescription drug insurance plans provided that they are present in Québec for more than 6 months per year, whether they were born here or not.

Childcare

5 types of childcadre in Quebec

CPE: Acronym for Centre de la petite enfance, the network of public daycares subsidized by the Quebec government.
Daycare: For-profit or not-for-profit childcare facilities.
Family Daycare: Small-scale daycares set up in private homes and overseen by either a CPE or co-ordinating office.
Babysitter or nanny: People who care for children at their parent’s home.
Halte-garderie: French term for a short-term daycare. These facilities allow you to drop your child off for a few hours of play time.

The Centre de la petite enfance HEC is a campus daycare that can accommodate 112 children (20 infants, from 3 to 18 months, and 92 children, from 19 months to 5 years).

Find out more about the HEC daycare (in French only)

Daycare costs

Daycares in Quebec are either

government-subsidized, offering reduced-contribution spaces;
or non-subsidized, which can be claimed as tax credits for childcare expenses on your tax return.

Parents are charged a basic fee, plus an additional fee calculated on family revenue. Use the daycare cost calculator to figure out the tentative daily fee.

For more information

Ministère de la famille website
Quebec daycare services (PDF, 299 KB) are outlined in a French-only brochure distributed by the Quebec Government.
Ma garderie is a French-only site that helps you find a daycare in your neighbourhood.

Schooling

Children can attend either private (tuition-based) or public (free) schools.

The Quebec school system

Minor children, whose parents have arrived in Quebec or hold a work or study permit, must generally obtain the following documents:

This applies to children of elementary school age.

Secondary public school in Montreal

Secondary private school in Montreal

Find a private school

Other resources

Questions?

Contact Zone Info

This web page is published for informational purposes only and holds no official standing. Changes may occur without notice. Quebec laws and regulations, as well as information emanating from the Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, take precedence over this document.