Setting up your family

Spouses or partners of international full-time students can apply for open work permits. They do not need to have a job offer or be subject to labour market impact assessment.

• 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:

• Help your spouse or common-law partner work in Canada
• Can my spouse or common-law partner work in Canada?

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.

5 TYPES OF CHILDCARE 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.

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 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.

• 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:

• Quebec Acceptance Certificate;
• Study permit.

This applies to children of elementary school age.

Anglophone Montréal-area school boards – Primary public schools

• English Montréal School Board (Montréal)
• Lester B. Pearson School Board (West Island)
• Riverside School Board (South Shore)
• Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board (Laval)

Francophone Montréal-area school boards – Primary public schools

• Centre de services scolaire de Montréal (Montréal)
• Centre de services scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeois (Montréal)
• Centre de services scolaire de la Pointe-de-l'Île (Montréal)
• Centre de services scolaire de Laval (Laval)

Private primary schools in Montreal

• Find a private primary school

Secondary public school in Montreal

• 5 advices to find a secondary School (in French only)
• Find a public school

Secondary private school in Montreal 

• Find a private school

• PROMIS: support for immigrants and refugees
• Cigogne Association, a non-profit organization that helps students with families find balance in their lives.
• Réseau pour un Québec Famille, a French-only site run by a non-profit organization that brings families together to talk about common experiences and challenges.