Financing your stay in Montreal
There are different ways you can find funding for your study or research stay at Université de Montréal, depending on your program and your profile.
The options available to you may range from scholarships to a student job.
Applying for a scholarship
Canadian government scholarships
These scholarships are intended for undergraduate and graduate students who want to do research or enter an exchange program at a Canadian institution.
Canada-ASEAN Scholarships and Educational Exchanges for Development Eligibility
Eligibility: students from member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program
Eligibility: students from institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean
Study in Canada Scholarships
Eligibility: students from one of the partner countries
Globalink Research Award Program by Mitacs
Under an agreement between UdeM and Mitacs (a Canadian organization), a number of scholarships are offered each year to international students who want to spend 12 to 24 weeks doing research at UdeM.
Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarships
These international cooperation scholarships are offered as part of a project called "Strengthening human resources and research in women’s, adolescent girls’ and girls’ health in countries associated with ECOWAS and in the Democratic Republic of Congo" (translation).
Eligibility: doctoral students, postdoctoral students and young researchers who are citizens of an ECOWAS country or the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Tuition fee exemption scholarships for international students
Université de Montréal has established a tuition fee exemption scholarship program for international students in regular programs.
Other scholarships
UdeM’s scholarship directory contains a range of scholarship possibilities. The directory is updated frequently and new sources of funding are added, so be sure to check it often.
Scams that promise school admission and scholarships in exchange for payment are widespread. The only way to officially apply for admission to UdeM is through the Office of Admission and Recruitment, and the only way to apply for short-stay admission is through UdeM international.
Working while studying as an international student
As an international student, you have the option of working during your studies. Here’s some important information and the steps you need to follow.
Authorizations to work in Canada
To work in Canada, you need a study permit. A study permit doesn’t just open the doors for you to study at UdeM: under certain conditions, it also allows you to work.
Once you’ve started your full-time study program (and not before), you can start a job on or off campus.
To work during your studies, you need to ensure that your study permit is valid and includes a condition allowing you to work on or off campus. You also need to ensure that you maintain full-time registration throughout the regular sessions of your program.
Note: You may be able to work during your final school session even if you are registered part-time for that session, if you have maintained full-time registration during all the previous regular sessions.
To work in Canada, you will also need to take the necessary steps to obtain a Social Insurance Number (SIN) from Service Canada. You must provide this number to your employer in order to receive remuneration. Remember that it is very important that you never share your SIN with anyone. Also note that your SIN will be valid for the same period as your study permit.
Once you’ve found a student job, make sure that you maintain full-time registration and renew your study permit before it expires; otherwise, you'll have to stop working immediately.
Student job opportunities
Jobs on campus
If you are allowed to work on campus, you can work for any employer at any building on a Université de Montréal campus, but only in the city where you are studying. So, for example, if your courses take place in the city of Montreal, you would not be allowed to work on campus at a UdeM building located in Saint-Hyacinthe, and vice versa. To work in a different city, you must have a valid study permit authorizing you to do so.
Note that under certain conditions, UdeM premises located outside the physical boundaries of the campus may be considered as on-campus premises. To check whether you are eligible to work on campus, visit the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website.
To find out about jobs that are available on campus, visit the job bank.
Number of hours of work permitted
If you are entitled to work, remember that your studies must continue to be your main activity. For that reason, there are limits on the number of hours you can work.
IRCC distinguishes between the number of hours worked on campus and off campus.
For work on campus, IRCC has not set a maximum number of hours that you can work. Still, be sure to check the maximum number of hours that you are allowed to work in your employment contract.
Jobs off campus
If your study permit allows it, you can also work off campus, which means outside the limits of a UdeM campus (in a café or restaurant, for example).
To work off campus, to study permit that allows you to do so must be valid. You must also maintain full-time registration in a degree program. If you are in an exchange program lasting less than six months, an independent study program or your preparatory year, you are not allowed to work off campus.
There are many job opportunities in Québec. To find out more, go to Emplois étudiants à Montréal: où et comment les trouver?
How many hours am I allowed to work?
If you are allowed to work off campus, you are not permitted to exceed 20 hours of work per week during regular sessions. However, you may work full-time during holidays that are scheduled in the school calendar (winter holidays, spring break and the summer session for undergraduates) if you are registered full-time in the semesters before and after the holiday. If your program does not include any scheduled school holidays, you must follow the 20-hour maximum per week rule.
Note: You can hold on- and off-campus jobs simultaneously.
Important: IRCC announced an exceptional measure concerning the 20-hour weekly limit for off-campus work. To qualify, you must be allowed to work off campus and meet the IRCC requirements.
Medical exam required for certain jobs
As an international student, you cannot work in certain jobs without first undergoing a medical exam administered by a designated IRCC-authorized physician.
The exam is required for jobs in health care, teaching and others involving vulnerable persons (children, seniors, etc.).
It is very important to check whether your study permit prohibits you from working in these sectors.
Differences between a co-op work permit and a job
Does your study program at Université de Montréal include a required or optional internship? IRCC views internships as employment. You therefore need to be sure you have the necessary approvals before you start your study program.
If your internship is optional, the work authorization included in your study permit also allows you to carry it out. If your internship is off-campus, you must comply with the 20 hours per week limit.
If an internship is required for your study program, you will need a co-op work permit. You can apply for this permit at the same time as you apply for your study permit before arriving in Canada. If you have been admitted at UdeM in a program requiring an internship, your letter of acceptance will indicate this requirement. In this case, you must attach this letter to your application for a study permit.
If you did not apply for a co-op work permit at the same time as you applied for a study permit, you can do so once you are in Canada or when you renew your study permit.
The co-op work permit allows you to do a required internship off-campus without being limited to a number of hours. It also allows you to work a job for up to 20 hours a week off campus.
Note: If your internship is in health care or teaching or otherwise involves working with vulnerable people (children, seniors, etc.), you must undergo a medical exam before applying (see the medical exam section above).
If you are an exchange student and you want to do an internship in Canada after your exchange, you will need to obtain a work permit. IRCC offers various options for students to obtain a work permit so they can gain work experience in Canada.
If you would rather do a short research stay at UdeM, there are various options available to you.
Tax returns and tax obligations
If you worked in Canada during your studies at UdeM, you will need to file a tax return. This annual tax return covers the period from January 1 to December 31. You must submit your return to the Canada Revenue Agency and Revenu Québec before April 30 of the following year.
Even if you have not worked in Canada, you may still be required to file an income tax return. To find out more, visit the government of Canada website.
Find out how to file your federal and provincial tax returns (in French).
Working after you graduate: the post-graduation work permit (PGWP)
Are your studies at UdeM coming to an end, but you don’t want to leave Canada just yet? The Government of Canada’s post-graduation work permit (PGWP) program is designed to give graduates access to temporary work experience in Canada after they have completed their university education.
IMPORTANT
Please note that the laws and regulations in force in Québec and Canada concerning immigration, as well as the websites of the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), take precedence over the information contained on this website.
Also note that the information presented here does not constitute legal advice and is not binding on Université de Montréal or its employees.