Skip to main content

Travelling to Canada and clearing Canadian customs

Preparing to enter Canada, gathering the documents to have on hand, and clearing Canadian customs

Any questions?

Student Life Office
418 656-2765
Workshops and Conferences
Student Advising

Prepare for your arrival in Canada

Once you have gotten your Certificat d’acceptation du Québec (CAQ – Québec acceptance certificate) and your study permit approval (if necessary), you can prepare for your trip to Canada by planning your arrival date and getting your plane ticket.

If you are coming for a study or exchange program lasting more than 6 months, you must have the attestation of issuance of your CAQ (unless exempted) and your IRCC study permit approval (or a valid study permit) with you when you arrive. If you don’t, you may not be allowed into Canada when you arrive and you may be sent back to your home country, or you may only be admitted as a temporary visitor, which won’t allow you to study in Canada. Make sure you have all the other documents you need to enter Canada as well as health and hospitalization insurance coverage for when you travel and when you arrive in Canada.

When you arrive at Canadian customs

When you arrive in Canada, you will have to undergo two identity checks at the first Canadian airport you arrive at.

Settling in

We encourage you to familiarize yourself with the following information: 

The Immigration section of this website is intended to provide general information on current procedures, which may change at any time without notice. The laws and regulations in force in Québec and Canada, as well as the websites of Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration [Québec’s ministry of immigration, francisation, and integration] (MIFI) and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), take precedence over this page.

Last updated on: 2023-09-25