FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

We recommend that students register at least four weeks before they plan on coming to study at ILSC. This is especially true if you need Homestay because it can take a lot of time to find the right Homestay family depending on each individual's needs and requests. Regarding payment, all course fees are due at least two weeks before your classes start. If you are staying in Homestay, your fees are due two weeks before you start Homestay as well.

You must also pay your Registration fee ($100), your Homestay Placement fee ($215), if applicable, your Airport Transportation fee ($80 one-way or $140 two-way), if applicable, and your Materials fee ($60 or $120 depending on length of studies), if applicable.

There are no other fees and there are no taxes on any of these fees.

This is very difficult for us to answer. It really depends on what you plan on doing. Some students arrive at ILSC on a very strict budget and are looking to spend as little money as possible. Others have brought lots of money and plan on buying lots of things and visiting lots of places. Prices in Canada vary a lot. A meal can cost as little as $1 for a slice of pizza or over $70 in one of the best restaurants. Apartments start at around $500 per month (most are unfurnished) and a room in a shared house starts at about $350 per month. You can go see a movie for between $5 and $12.

For public transportation prices and information in Montréal check this website:
Montréal e-Guide

International students who wish to study in Canada for up to 6 months may need a Visitor's visa depending on the country for which they hold a passport. Contact the Canadian Embassy nearest you for further information.

As a school, we do not decide who needs a Visa and who doesn't. The Canadian government decides who needs a Visa to visit, study or work in Canada. Citizens of many countries do not need a Visa to come to Canada for stays of six months or less. Everyone who plans on studying for more than six months needs a Study Permit.

Students may apply for a Study Permit even if they are going to study for 6 months or less. If students are coming for less than 6 months and are thinking of possibly studying for more than 6 months, they should apply for a study permit in their home country. Students can extend their study permit from within Canada, but they cannot get a study permit within Canada.

For more information, see our Application Process page.

Unless you are specifically told to go somewhere else in your Letter of Acceptance, students are asked to arrive at 7:45am to our campus downtown. Orientations are done by nationality and, for most students, in your native language. Each group will be taken to a separate area. The first step is to do the written part of your language assessment test. After that, your Cultural Counsellor will go through all the rules and policies at ILSC so you know how to change a class, where to go for different types of help, and many other things.

After that, you will do the second part of the language assessment test: the interview. Once this is done, you will select a class according to your assessed level and the selection will be handed to an administrator.

When this is completed, ILSC staff give walking tours of the city you are studying in. We are right downtown so you will be shown where everything you will probably need is. Things like banks, bus and subway stops, stores, pharmacies and tourist attractions.

Depending on the number of students there will be either a half day Orientation or a full day Orientation. If you have a half day Orientation, your time table will be ready for pick up at 1:00pm and if you have an afternoon class you can start right away. If you have a full day Orientation, the time tables are not ready for pick up until the next morning (Tuesday).

If this is the case, arrive early on Tuesday to look at the class schedules that are posted around the reception desks. We will hand out individual time tables to each student. It will tell you what class you are in, where your class is and who the teacher is.

In order to register online, your web browser must be set to accept Cookies and to have Javascript turned on. These are very common options and most students do not need to adjust their computer to submit an online registration.
You can be sure that we have received your registration if you receive an automatic reply from us within a few minutes. If you do not receive this email, it means that we did not receive your registration or you wrote your email address incorrectly on the form.

Incorrect email addresses are the most common problem with online registrations. Please take a minute to make sure you have typed your email address properly.

No, you can start and end your Homestay dates whenever it is convenient for you. Most students arrive some time on the weekend before the Monday they will begin classes. Some arrive a week early because they'd like to have a little vacation before they start classes and some stay in their Homestay for a while after their classes have finished.
Please remember though that if you decide you wish to extend your Homestay and you want to stay with the same family, you should do so as soon as you make that decision. If your Homestay family thinks you are leaving on a certain date, they may have made other plans such as going on holiday or accepting another Homestay student after that date.

Yes, if you decide you'd like a different Homestay family once you are at ILSC you can request a new one without any additional fees as long as you make your request during the first five days of your stay.
If you ask for a new Homestay family after you've been there more than five days you will need to pay the Homestay Placement fee again.

Note about trips to the USA
If you plan to enter the USA while you are studying in Canada, you need a seperate USA Visa. (Some ILSC weekend activities involve trips to the USA.) For most students this must be organized before you come to Canada. Students from Western European Countries & Japan do not have to arrange for a USA Visa in advance, as you can get one from USA Immigration at the border. Also, all passports must be valid for a minimum of 6 months, and as of October 26th. 2004, all passports must be machine readable.

You must have a valid Work Permit to work in Canada. Students are not allowed to work in Canada if they only have a Study Permit. These rules are set by Immigration Canada. Often the rules are interpreted differently by the various Canadian Embassies and Consulates around the world.

For Coop programs of less than 6 months, if students are not paid for their practicum, they do not need a Study Permit or a "Work Permit" (previously called a work authorization). If the program lasts more than 6 months, they would need a Study Permit, but not a Work Permit. If students are paid, they would need a Work Permit, and therefore must get a Study Permit before coming to Canada in order to be allowed to apply for a Work Permit from within Canada, even though the course might be less than 6 months. Some Canadian embassies will provide a Work Permit along with the Study Permit.

Students may apply for a study permit even if they are going to study for 6 months or less. If students are coming for less than 6 months and are thinking of possibly studying for more than 6 months, they should apply for a study permit in their home country.

Students can extend their study permit from within Canada, but they cannot get a study permit within Canada.If you wish to study in Québec for over 6 months, you must also apply for a CAQ (Certificat d'Acceptation du Québec). For information about the CAQ application, please go to the Quebec immigration website.

Phone your nearest Canada Immigration Call Centre in Canada at least two months before the expiry of your Study Permit, to obtain an application in the mail.

If you need help with this application kit, please visit the web site at http://www.cic.gc.ca or phone a Call Centre. The Call Centres are accessible only in Canada. If you live outside of Canada, refer to the web site.

An extension of a Study Permit does not affect your visitor visa. To obtain a new visitor visa, you must apply outside of Canada. It is your responsibility to ensure your visitor visa remains valid.

Yes, if you would like to speak to an agent in your country the best thing to do is to email one of our marketing staff, depending on where you are from, and they will email you back with contact information for an agency that we recommend.

ILSC-Montréal only offers classes between 9am and 4pm, however you may be able to arrange private tutoring outside of these times. Check out Tutoring Program page or email learnfrench@ilsc.ca for more information.

Additionally, ILSC's Corporate Language Training Program offers flexible scheduling and classes so that could be an option for some students/organizations.

YES! We have a strict French/English only policy at ILSC-Montréal. If you are a student studying French, you are expected to use French only, the same goes for students studying English, they should speak only English.
The French/English only rule is in effect throughout the school and is enforced by staff and student volunteer "language patrols". If you are caught speaking your native language you are given a warning the first time. If it happens again, you are given a one week suspension (you do not get your money back for this time). If you are caught a third time you are expelled from the school.