Between the day your status is confirmed and the day you board, a few steps are easier to handle from home: register for the free Accompagnement Québec service, start learning French, launch the evaluation of your diplomas, buy private health insurance for your first months, and book temporary housing without paying a stranger in advance. This page gives you the recommended order and sends you to the detailed guide for each step.
1. What this checklist covers
This guide covers the period from the confirmation of your status (Quebec Selection Certificate, work or study permit, confirmation of permanent residence) until you board the plane. Each point is deliberately short: it tells you what to do and sends you to the guide that explains how.
The time markers used below (as soon as your status is confirmed, the weeks before departure, the last days) are our team's advice, not official deadlines. When a step has a timeframe set by the government, we quote it with its source.
What happens after landing (social insurance number, health insurance card, bank account) is grouped in the guide Your first week in Quebec.
2. As soon as your status is confirmed: sign up for the free services
Start with Accompagnement Québec, a free service of Quebec's Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration (MIFI). You can register from abroad, on the Arrima online platform, if you hold a CSQ, a Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) or a client number from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). According to the MIFI, an appointment with an integration assistance agent is generally offered within 5 working days of your request. Before you arrive, this agent can point you to French courses, a skills-recognition advisor and information sessions on the regions.
If you are a future permanent resident whose application has been approved, IRCC also offers free online pre-arrival services. They are not available to people coming temporarily, such as international students and temporary workers (eligibility conditions).
3. As soon as your status is confirmed: start French
The Quebec government offers French courses not only to people who already live in Quebec, but also to those planning to settle there. From abroad, two options exist for people aged 16 and over: courses in a partner language school, whose fees may be reimbursed after you arrive, and online courses at the intermediate and advanced levels.
The online courses for selected people are reserved for holders of a valid CSQ or CAQ. If you don't have one, the partner language schools also welcome people who wish to immigrate. The course formats, levels and registration once in Quebec are in our guide Francisation Québec: free French courses.
4. As soon as your status is confirmed: your diplomas and your job search
If you earned your diploma outside Canada, the MIFI's comparative evaluation shows what your studies correspond to in the Quebec system. You can submit the application from Canada or from abroad, and the MIFI aims to deliver its opinion within a maximum of 6 months for 80% of applications without a priority letter. Filing before you leave saves you that time once you are in Quebec. For regulated professions (professional orders), see our guide Recognizing your foreign diplomas in Quebec.
You can also start looking for a job before you leave: adapt your résumé to the Quebec format, identify employers in the region where you will settle, do interviews remotely. Our guide Finding a Quebec job from abroad walks you through it, and Writing a Quebec-style résumé helps you rework your résumé.
5. In the weeks before departure: health and money
Don't count on Quebec's health insurance from the moment you land. As a general rule, there is a 3-month waiting period during which it does not cover your medical care, and the MIFI strongly recommends getting private insurance for that period. Buy it before you leave, so that you and each member of your family are covered from day one.
There is one exception: Quebec has signed social security agreements with some countries. If you come from one of them, you could be covered upon arrival, provided you present proof of affiliation to your country's health plan (MIFI page on settling in Quebec). Ask for that document before you leave. Registration itself is done once you are in Quebec; for when the waiting period starts, see Register with RAMQ.
Also use these weeks to bring your vaccinations up to date and gather your vaccination record: Recommended vaccines for adult newcomers.
On the money side, remember one federal rule: you must declare to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) any cash and monetary instruments worth CAN$10,000 or more that you carry when entering Canada. Carrying that much is not forbidden; failing to declare it is the problem. How to split your funds between cash, wire transfer and transfer services: How much money to bring to Canada.
6. In the weeks before departure: temporary housing
The MIFI recommends first looking for temporary housing: rented by the week or the month, within your budget, in a central neighbourhood and ideally furnished. You will then have time to visit apartments in person before signing a lease.
To go further:
- To compare cities and neighbourhoods: Housing in Quebec: comparing cities.
- For a room in a shared apartment: Finding a room to rent in Quebec.
- For students: Finding student housing in Quebec.
- With school-age children, read up on Quebec's school system before choosing a neighbourhood.
7. The last days: documents, luggage and driver's licence
Gather the originals of your documents (passport, immigration documents, civil status certificates, diplomas and transcripts) and keep them in your carry-on. The full list and the traps to avoid: Documents to prepare before you leave. Depending on the document, a translation by a certified translator or an apostille may be required.
If you are moving furniture or personal belongings, prepare a detailed list of what travels with you and what will arrive later. The step-by-step process, including the customs declaration: Moving your belongings to Canada and declaring them at customs.
Bring your driver's licence. According to the MIFI, you can drive in Quebec with a licence issued in another country for 6 months after your arrival; after that, you need a Quebec licence. See Exchange a foreign driver's licence at the SAAQ.
If you arrive between fall and spring, plan clothing for the cold from the moment you leave the airport, or plan to buy it on site: Surviving the Quebec winter. Travelling with a pet? See Pets in Quebec.
8. Your action list
Check each box as you go: your progress is saved if you're signed in. The order follows the recommended timeline, but adapt it to your situation.
Your action list
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9. Frequently asked questions
The most common questions before departure: Accompagnement Québec with a temporary permit, RAMQ coverage on arrival, French courses without a CSQ and the order of the steps.
Can I register for Accompagnement Québec with a work or study permit?
Yes, if you have one of the required items: a CSQ, a CAQ or an IRCC client number. The service is for people who already have an immigration status; it does not get you a visa and does not speed up a file (MIFI admission conditions).
Am I covered by the RAMQ as soon as I arrive?
As a general rule, no: there is a 3-month waiting period during which health insurance does not cover your medical care, unless you come from a country that has a social security agreement with Quebec. When that period starts, and the registration and eligibility rules, are in our guide Register with RAMQ.
Can I take French courses before I have a CSQ?
Yes, in a partner language school: this option is open both to people selected by Quebec and to people who wish to immigrate (partner language schools). The government's online courses for people living abroad, on the other hand, require a valid CSQ or CAQ.
In what order should I do these steps?
Start with what takes the longest or opens other doors: Accompagnement Québec, French, and the comparative evaluation (the MIFI aims for a maximum of 6 months for 80% of applications without a priority letter). Health insurance, housing and documents can wait for the last weeks. These markers are our advice, not official rules.
10. See also
These related guides may be useful:
- Documents to prepare before you leave — the detailed list of originals, translations and copies to bring.
- Moving your belongings to Canada and declaring them at customs — what to ship, what to carry, and how to declare it.
- Finding a Quebec job from abroad — start your job search before you land.
- Your first week in Quebec — the next step, once you have landed.
11. Official sources
Author's Note: Leaving means a thousand details at once. Don't try to settle everything before boarding: sign up for the free services, protect your health and your money, and keep the rest for your first week. You won't be alone when you land.
