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Welcome and Orientation

INRS supports new students from admission to arrival to make the transition to your new study environment as smooth as possible. Welcome to INRS!

This page provides you with step-by-step instructions and important information regarding your arrival and orientation. Please read the available information carefully, as we have many tips and services to help you succeed at university and manage your mental and physical health.

Once you have been admitted 

Please follow the instructions sent by the Registrar’s Office.

For Canadians and those who already have permission to study in Quebec

☑ Register and select courses

A few weeks before the start of term, you will receive an email to access IDÉ and register for the first time. Find out more about registration and course selection.

Students admitted to a research program can contact their research supervisor to discuss their studies and the courses to be taken, if applicable.

 

☑ Access your INRS mailbox and your Microsoft account

Once you have registered, you will receive login details for your INRS Microsoft account and INRS mailbox, as well as a licence for Office software. Make sure to access your mailbox immediately and check it frequently, since that is how INRS will be communicating with you going forward.

If you have any problems, please contact CATI for IT support.

For those who do not have permission to study in Quebec

You should start the immigration process as soon as possible.


☑ Financial support and resources

Before starting the immigration process, it is important to know what financial support you will be receiving from INRS, if applicable. If you are receiving a scholarship, you will be provided with a letter to that effect. The document is usually used in immigration procedures to demonstrate your financial resources.

If you have not yet received such a letter, you can write to the address for your centre:

 

☑ Obtain your immigration documents

Visit the page on immigration procedures for studying in Quebec

Six weeks before the start of the semester

For everyone

☑ Read the practical information document carefully

The practical information document is updated approximately six (6) weeks before the start of your first semester and contains all the information you need to prepare. Before it becomes available, you can contact GARE, the Student Resources Centre, with any questions you may have.

 

☑ Request a mentor

INRS offers you the opportunity to pair up with a mentor who has been studying at INRS for at least a year. We strongly advise that you make use of this option by consulting the practical information guide above.

 

☑ Welcome day – mark your calendar

A few weeks before the start of the semester, you will receive an email invitation to your centre’s welcome day, or an individual welcome procedure to follow. Make sure to attend the event or follow the procedure.

 

☑ Integration and orientation training sessions – mark your calendar

A few weeks before the start of term, you will receive an email invitation to several online integration and orientation training sessions. Make sure to attend them, as they prepare you for the issues and challenges students often encounter and suggest ways of dealing with them!

For international students

☑ Keep INRS apprised of your immigration process

  1. As soon as you receive your Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ), send a copy to your centre’s student records contact person.
  2. Do the same when you receive your study permit acceptance letter.

 

☑ Plan your arrival

Early arrival

It is not necessary to come to Canada more than one month before the start of your first semester. There is a risk that you will be denied boarding or entry into the country, and the risk increases the earlier you arrive.

Furthermore, the health insurance automatically provided by INRS is only valid from the 15th of the month preceding the start of the semester. That means that if you arrive before that date, you will need to take out private insurance to cover the period leading up to it. People covered by Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) are not required to take out insurance.

For further details, check the practical information guide above or write to gare@inrs.ca.


Late arrival

Arrival after the start of the semester is only possible if you have no courses to take that semester, in which case you must contact your supervisor for approval. Even with approval, you cannot arrive more than six (6) weeks after the start of the semester, as that is the registration deadline for the semester. After that date, admission must be postponed until the following semester. Contact the Registrar’s Office for more information: registrariat.sesre@inrs.ca.

 

☑ Take part in the pre-departure webinar

This webinar gives you the opportunity to review the preparations you will need to make when moving to Canada, and to ask our resource people questions. You will receive an email invitation approximately six (6) weeks before the start of your first semester.

International students: on arrival

For international students

☑ Send a copy of the study permit you received at the Canadian customs

Promptly send a copy of the study permit to the student records contact person at your centre.

 

☑ Register and select courses

A few weeks before the start of term, you will receive an email to access IDÉ and register for the first time. Find out more about registration and course selection.

Students admitted to a research program can contact their research supervisor to discuss their studies and the courses to be taken, if applicable.

 

☑ Access your INRS mailbox and your Microsoft account

Once you have registered, you will receive login details for your INRS Microsoft account and INRS mailbox, as well as a licence for Office software. Make sure to access your mailbox immediately and check it frequently, since that is how INRS will be communicating with you going forward.

If you have any problems, please contact CATI for IT support.

At the start of the semester

For everyone

☑ Access the INRS network and install Office 365

Please refer to the IT and telephone directory section for information and technical support.

☑Participate in welcome activities and integration and orientation training sessions

These welcome activities can help you avoid many difficulties. Take the time to attend, and explain to your supervisor that participation is important to help you succeed. Check the emails on the subject sent out a few weeks before the start of the semester.

 

☑ Get your student card and familiarize yourself with your study environment

On your first day at your study centre, we will take your photo and give you your student card. A $20 deposit will be required. The deposit will be refunded upon your departure if all the items listed in your file are returned. The student card is valid for the duration of the academic year.

Your study environment

Please take a few minutes to click on your centre below and get useful information about your study environment: building access, parking, eating area, facilities, access card, etc.

Centre Eau Terre Environnement