FAQ

If you will need a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) and a Certificat d'acceptation du Québec (CAQ) to get your renewal work permit, you must start the renewal application process six months before the expiry date of your current work permit. Consult the work permit renewal section of this website or contact the Immigration Specialist to get a list of supporting documents that must be assembled. If you do not need a LMIA or CAQ, then you must submit your work permit renewal application to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada in advance of the expiry date of your current work permit to keep maintained status although it is generally recommended that you submit your renewal application at least four months in advance of the expiry date. If you do not need a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV), you may be able to get your permit renewed at the port of entry – although there is no guarantee that the port of entry will accommodate you.

In general, individuals who do not need a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) and who are legally entitled to enter the United States can attempt to renew their work permit at a port of entry. Note that the port of entry is not obligated to accommodate an application for a renewal work permit — they may direct you to submit your renewal application to the Case Processing Centre inside Canada. Before planning to go to the border, please make sure you inform our Immigration Specialist to confirm this is the right process for you.

If a temporary worker or student applies to extend their status, prior to the expiry of that status, they may legally remain in Canada until a decision is made on the application. In this situation, the individual has maintained status and must abide by the same conditions they were under prior to the expiry of their status document. Temporary workers and students may continue to work or study for the same employer or at the same school. However, to keep their maintained status it is imperative that they remain in Canada throughout the processing of their renewal application. Maintained status will be lost immediately upon exiting Canada.

It is a work permit where no specific Employer name or occupation is indicated. This is typically a work permit issued to spouses of work permit holders whose employment skill level is in the 0, 1, or 2 categories of the National Occupational Classification List. If the spouse intends to work as a primary or secondary school teacher or in the health services or childcare fields, he/she will need to undergo an immigration medical examination and obtain a non restricted open work permit before commencing employment. 

Yes. Each work permit carries restrictions that should not be violated. All employees at Concordia University who are neither Canadian citizens nor Canadian permanent residents must hold a valid and subsisting permit that indicates Concordia University as the Employer. Holders of “open” work permits would also be entitled to work at Concordia.

Yes. All employees in Canada need a social insurance number (SIN). It allows employers to provide their employees with Records of Employment and tax return slips, such as T4s. Having a social insurance number is mandatory under the Canadian Income Tax Act. All work permit holders are entitled to apply for a SIN.

Work permit holders are deemed to be temporary residents of Québec on the first day of the third month following their registration to Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ). To maintain temporary resident status, individuals must remain in Québec during their entire period of temporary residence. Foreign nationals who leave the province of Québec for a period of more than 21 consecutive days whether travelling on vacation or on University business will lose provincial health care coverage. Members and their dependents will no longer be covered under the RAMQ for at least the entire duration of the absence, retroactive to the day of departure. Concordia Health and Dental plans cease for the same duration. For detailed information, please consult the Concordia Human Resources website: Health and Dental.

Regular residents of Québec lose their health insurance coverage if they are out of the province for a total of 183 days or more in a calendar year. Leaves for 21 days or less are not counted in the 183-day total. Individuals should contact RAMQ concerning re-registration requirements.

It takes anywhere from one to four years or more (depending upon the application category) to complete the provincial and federal portions of the permanent resident application process. 

Please refer to the sections on work permits that pertain to your category of appointment. If you are starting a tenure-track position at Concordia and are expected to apply for Canadian permanent resident status, the list of required documents is itemized in the Canadian Permanent Resident section of this site.

If you are a non-Canadian and plan to open a bank account in Montréal, it is helpful to get a letter of introduction and credit references from your current bank.

If your children will be attending daycare, or primary or secondary school in Québec, you will need to have their immunization and vaccination records.

It is not necessary to engage an immigration representative. Contact the Immigration Specialist for a detailed review of the Canadian permanent resident application or other immigration-related processes.  

Certifications of doctoral degrees as required by the tax exemption program may be requested from the Department of Human Resources. Please contact the Assistant, Indirect Compensation for more information.

All official documents required for immigration or tax-exemption application purposes that are not in French or English should be translated by a member of the Ordre des traducteurs, terminologues et interprètes agréés du Québec (OTTIAQ). Existing certified translations will need to be re-certified by the OTTIAQ.

Police certificates are required for the federal portion of the permanent resident application process. Do not get these documents before you have acquired your certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ).