Preparing for your stay in Québec

Here are the steps to prepare for your stay once you have been accepted into a training program and have received all your immigration documents:

• Learn about your host region

• Plan an annual budget

   

Financial advice and services for your studies

Québec métiers d’avenir recommends to all its students to use Desjardins’ services to open a bank account. As soon as you have obtained your study permit, Desjardins staff will be happy to help you with this process from your home country.

Desjardins also has a student offer that includes an array of products and services designed for you and tailored to your student reality. This offer includes features for students in vocational training.

Register online via Desjardins

Québec immigration laws stipulate that all foreign students in Québec must have health and hospital insurance and are required to maintain such insurance for the duration of their studies.

For this reason, Québec métiers d’avenir, in collaboration with the educational institutions, enrolls all students* in Desjardins’ group health and hospital insurance plan. This insurance costs $57 a month (price is subject to change) and will be billed to the students prior to their arrival in Québec. The insurance arranged by Québec métiers d’avenir provides quality coverage comprising a full range of services to allow students to begin their studies with complete peace of mind.

Here is a snapshot of the total insurance costs, based on the length of your training program:

• 10 months: $570
• 15 months: $855
• 20 months: $1,140

For details about the group insurance plan, click here (in french only).

Desjardins insurance coverage is also available for any family members accompanying you. For more information, click here.

Good news: French nationals registered under France’s social security plan are now covered for free by the RAMQ and will obtain a Medicare card (equivalent to the carte Vitale). Québec métiers d’avenir will advise you on how to take advantage of this privilege.

Contact your Québec métiers d’avenir advisor for full details about insurance.

*Except students registered at certain training centres that have no agreement with an insurer.

When it comes to choosing the best accommodation for you, several options are available. Québec is one of the safest and friendliest places to live in the world, offering different types of accommodation:

• Room
• Shared accommodation
• Apartment
• Student residence (note: most regions do not offer student residences)

In Québec, apartments are often listed by the number of rooms they have, the “half” being the bathroom. For example, a “4 and a half” is an apartment with two closed bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and a bathroom. Check whether heating, electricity, hot water or other services are included in your monthly rent. A semi-furnished apartment usually means that the appliances (refrigerator, stove, washer, dryer) are included.

To search for accommodation, you can:

• Browse specialized websites:
  • http://kijiji.ca
  • http://lespac.com
• Browse real estate ads in the classified section of local newspapers;
• Check bulletin boards at the training centre, community centre, municipal library, supermarket, etc.;
• Visit the city’s different neighbourhoods to spot “FOR RENT” signs indicating available rentals;
• Rely on word-of-mouth referrals from relatives, friends, Facebook, contacts, etc.

• Organize your transportation and prepare for your arrival

To arrange your travel to Québec, contact someone at your host school board to determine the most appropriate airport and the best date and time for you to arrive.

After that, we will assist you in preparing for your arrival in Québec.

Your host school board and Québec métiers d’avenir will offer proactive help in arranging the logistics of your arrival—at the airport or at your dwelling once you are there.

To be confirmed:

• Appointment time and place.
• What do to in the case of a delay (e.g. use a public telephone to reach a contact person on their mobile phone).