Before You Leave for Quebec
What to prepare while you are still in your home country.
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Planifier les derniers mois
La liste des démarches à faire entre l'approbation de votre statut et le jour du vol, dans un ordre suggéré.
Vos papiers
Les documents à rassembler avant de partir, à quoi chacun servira au Québec, et ceux qu’il faut faire traduire.
Vos biens et votre argent
La liste de vos biens pour la douane, ce qui peut arriver plus tard, et comment apporter votre argent.
- 01Moving Your Belongings to Canada: The List to Prepare for CustomsWhat you can bring duty- and tax-free, how to prepare the list of goods travelling with you and goods to follow, and Form BSF186.
- 02How Much Money to Bring to Canada (and Transfer It)Cash, bank transfer, or transfer services: how to bring your funds to Canada on arrival, and the mandatory border declaration.
Chercher un emploi depuis l’étranger
Les canaux officiels, l’ordre offre puis permis, et les fausses offres à éviter.
Mistakes that cost months.
Leaving without private health insurance
As a general rule, Quebec's health insurance does not cover you from the day you arrive. Without private insurance, an emergency visit or a hospital stay during that period is at your own expense.
Forgetting the list of your belongings
Goods that will arrive later must be on the list you hand in at the border on your first entry. Anything not on it does not get the exemption.
Quitting your job before you have your permits
A job offer is not enough: wait until you have all the authorizations before quitting your job or buying your plane ticket.
Paying for a “guaranteed” job
No one can guarantee you a job or a visa in Canada. An offer that asks for money for a guaranteed job is a warning sign.
Step-by-step journey · 01/08
Just arrived
Your first actions, in order. From day 1 to the end of your first month.
- 1SIN
- 2Open a bank account
- 3Permanent housing
- 4RAMQ
- 5Phone and internet
- 6Public transit
~2–3 weeks · 6 steps
Recent changes that matter to newcomers.
The topic in brief
Leaving on the right foot
Preparing a move to Quebec is mostly about settling in advance what will be hard to do once you arrive. A birth certificate, a transcript or a certificate from your health plan is much easier to get from the agencies in your country than by email from Montreal. This section gathers what to do while you are still there; what comes after landing is in the First Steps section.
Free services before arrival
The Quebec government offers Accompagnement Québec, a free service you can sign up for from abroad, and the federal government offers pre-arrival services to eligible people. They can point you to French courses, diploma recognition or job search before you even leave.
Your papers
Gather the originals you will need in Quebec: birth and marriage certificates, diplomas and transcripts, vaccination record, driving documents. Have anything in another language translated into French or English, and keep the copies in a different bag from the originals.
Your belongings and your money
If you are settling in Canada, prepare the detailed list of what you bring and what will arrive later: anything not on it does not get the exemption. At the border, cash worth CAN$10,000 or more must be declared. The guide on how much money to bring compares cash, wire transfer and transfer services.
Health
As a general rule, Quebec's health insurance does not cover you from the day you arrive: arrange private insurance before you leave. Some people coming from a country that has a social security agreement with Quebec can be covered sooner, provided they bring the certificate from their health plan.
Work
For a temporary job, you first need an offer from a Quebec employer, then the authorizations. Don't quit your job or buy your ticket before you have all your permits. Be wary of offers that promise a guaranteed job in exchange for payment.
Your questions about Before You Leave for Quebec
Answers to the questions readers ask most about this topic.