Immigration Procedures After Admission to INRS

Procedures from outside Canada

The instructions below will guide you on how to obtain the required official documents. It is advised to keep copies of the forms and supporting documents submitted with your application.

Valid passport

You must first have a valid passport. The expiration date of a study permit or work permit cannot exceed the validity of the passport.

Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ)

If you are admitted to a study program longer than 6 months, except for specific cases, you must apply for a Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ), issued by the Ministry of Immigration, Francisation, and Integration of Quebec (MIFI).

Once you receive your official admission letter from INRS, you can apply online on the MIFI website. The Immi+ platform can be consulted for more information about the CAQ application process.

Once all documents are submitted, the processing time for a CAQ application is 25 working days, according to MIFI, but the average time observed since fall 2024 is 40 to 45 working days.

Study permit

Once you receive an approval notice for the CAQ, you can begin the process of obtaining a study permit. Processing times vary by country and application volume.

Consult the Immi+ platform, section Applying for a study permit for detailed information about the process. The Application contents section will assist you in preparing the required documents, while the Submitting your application section will explain the procedure.

The Study permit application result section clarifies what response you will receive and what to do next. In case of a refusal, see below.

Entering Canada

You will also automatically receive authorization to enter Canada (TRV or eTA), as described on this Immi+ page. Once this authorization is obtained, you can Prepare for your arrival in Canada.

Late arrival

If you arrive after the start of your admission term with the approval from your research supervisor, request a late arrival letter from the INRS registrar (registrariat.sesre@inrs.ca) to show border services that you can begin your studies after the term starts. Otherwise, you may be refused entry or even denied boarding on your flight.

Procedures if you are already in Canada

If you already have study authorization for Quebec

Documents granted to study at a particular educational institution are generally not valid to study at another one. For more information, refer to the Change of designated learning institution page on Immi+.

For a more detailed assessment of your documents’ validity, contact the Registrar’s Office at registrariat.sesre@inrs.ca and attach your study permit, Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ), or any other document showing your study authorization.

Note that if you were studying at another institution, it is important not to interrupt your studies for more than 150 days.

If you are moving from another Canadian province

Unless otherwise specified, you must obtain a CAQ to study in Quebec. Refer to the Procedures from outside Canada section above for full details on how to make this request.

Warning: When applying for a CAQ from within Canada, you must demonstrate your financial capacity, as explained in point 3 of the Renewal of the Québec acceptance certificate (CAQ) section on the Renewal of Immigration Documents page.

If you are already in Canada without study authorization

Please contact the immigration advisory team at Immigration.Etudes@inrs.ca and explain your current immigration status to learn about the most appropriate steps for you.

Deferral of admission and impact on procedures

If you are unable to arrive at INRS within six (6) weeks of the start of your admission term, you must defer your admission. You can contact the INRS Registrar’s office for this at registrariat.sesre@inrs.ca.

Warning: A new CAQ may be required. For more information, consult this page of the Immi+ platform.

Your study permit acceptance letter (or introduction letter) remains valid for the indicated period, but you must submit your new admission letter to IRCC using the IRCC Web Form.

Negative response to CAQ application

CAQ – Notice of intent to refuse

If you receive a letter asking for additional documents, do not worry. Your application is still being processed, and you have 60 days to respond. Do not rush: if you want to understand the problem better, contact our immigration advisory team at Immigration.Etudes@inrs.ca, attaching the letter, and complete this consent form. Though our team has no say in the decision, we are here to help you see things more clearly and respond appropriately.

You will need to respond to the notice of intent to refuse by combining all required documents into one file. After submission, a decision should be made within one or two weeks.

CAQ – Refusal

If you receive a letter titled “Refus de votre demande de sélection temporaire pour études”, you will need to submit a new CAQ application. Before doing so, make sure you fully understand the reasons for the refusal. If necessary, contact our immigration advisory team at Immigration.Etudes@inrs.ca, attaching the refusal letter, and complete this consent form. Though our team has no control over the decision, we are here to help you see things more clearly and evaluate your options.

Study permit refusal

A number of students receive refusals each year. In some cases, the reasons are technical, but in others, the immigration officer may not be convinced of your real intentions.

To assist you in this situation, we provide the following information links. Do not rush: take the time to analyze why immigration made this decision. It is important to understand what is missing or what needs to be improved in your application. For this, consult the Immi+ platform. To know how to respond to a refusal and understand the reasons, refer to the links at the bottom of the Study permit application result page.

Reasons for refusal and the evidence needed to refute them are detailed in the PDF document on the Understanding the reasons for rejection page.
If one of the reasons relates to financial capacity, please refer particularly to the Demonstrate your financial capacity page.

NOTE: If you have specific questions or need advice after reviewing this information or preparing your new application, feel free to contact our immigration advisory team at Immigration.Etudes@inrs.ca, attaching the refusal letter, and complete this consent form. Though our team has no control over the decision and cannot influence IRCC in any way, we are here to help you see things more clearly and evaluate your options.

No response or exceeded expected processing times

CAQ

If the response to your CAQ application exceeds six (6) weeks, contact our immigration advisory team at Immigration.Etudes@inrs.ca. The team will update you on the current processing times and see if something can be done.

Study permit

If the expected processing time for your study permit application is clearly exceeded, several reasons could be involved. Neither INRS nor any third party can intervene in the process or obtain information. INRS recommends:

• First, use the IRCC Web Form to check if your application is still being processed. Write once and wait patiently for a response. Writing multiple times only delays the answer.
• Nine (9) or ten (10) months after application submission, it is possible to consider judicial steps. Consult an immigration lawyer to explore your options, such as obtaining a Mandamus order to compel IRCC to make a decision. This process can cost thousands of dollars.