Quebec Resume Processing Of CAQ Applications For International Students
Quebec’s ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) will resume processing CAQ applications for the ten colleges affected by a recent suspension order.
On December 30, 2020, MIFI released a ministerial order suspending the processing of Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) applications for foreign students attending ten (10) specific educational institutions under investigation by the Higher Education Ministry.
International students who wish to study in Quebec are usually required to get a CAQ and study permit.
MIFI declared that it was in the interest of the public to suspend, until April 1, 2021, the receipt and processing of applications for temporary selection for studies lodged by international students admitted to one of the ten (10) colleges presently being audited by the Ministry of Higher Education.
Some of the ten colleges affected by this decision, namely CDI, Canada College, and the Montréal Campus of Cégep de la Gaspésie et des Îles, appealed the superior court’s decision and were able to successfully secure injunctions against the ruling.
The ten colleges are Designated Learning Institutions (DLIs) approved by the Quebec government to welcome international students.
The Superior Court stated in a ruling delivered on January 11, 2021 “that the Ministry’s mistrust of these programs is reasonable but that the suspension constitutes a major inconvenience for these international students who have organized their lives in order to study in Québec province this winter.”
It also ordered MIFI to resume the receiving and processing of these applications and renewals.
The superior court decision means that thousands of international students who would not have been able to get a study permit will now be able to obtain one and continue their studies in Quebec province over the coming months.
Any international student who wishes to study in Québec have to first choose a program of study and a designated learning institution, and then get admission to the desired program of study.
Once they receive a letter of acceptance from the DLI, the student will have to apply for a CAQ, which is required for studies of more than six months.
The 10 colleges are:
- CDE College;
- M College of Canada
- Canada College inc.;
- Herzing College (Institute);
- Montréal College of Information Technology;
- Institut supérieur d’informatique (ISI);
- Universel College – Gatineau Campus;
- Collège CDI;
- Matrix College of Management, Technology, and Healthcare;
- Montréal Campus of Cégep de la Gaspésie et des Îles.
