<p>How long did it take to process everything to be able to study at McGill? (CAQ)</p>
<p>sorry i would help but i was fortunate enough to have had dual citizenship</p>
<p>I applied 15 years ago so my memory is distant. McGill was my first choice so I started the process as soon as I got my acceptance letter. I vaguely remember it taking 6 weeks until I got both the Quebec and Canada permits. </p>
<p>I hope everyone realizes that Americans now need a passport to enter Canada. This extra bit of red tape was the idea of the US, not Canada.</p>
<p>My son is interested in McGill. He was born in Canada while my husband was in Montreal completing a postdoctoral at the University of Montreal. We returned to the States when he was nine months old. Is my son considered a Canadian citizen although we were only living there temporarily?</p>
<p>Good question. Usually citizenship is determined by place of birth and parents’ citizenship. It sounds like your son may be eligible for dual citizenship. I’d suggest contacting the Canadian consulate near you. You would have his Canadian birth certificate I assume. If your son is currently a high school junior there would be plenty of time to clarify his status. Big difference in tuition!</p>
<p>Thanks Tom. My son is actually a sophomore, so I am thinking ahead. He does have a Canadian birth certificate. The Canadian consulate in N.Y. doesn’t have a live person answering the phones, so I put in an inquiry to them online.</p>
<p>Yes, the US and canada are similar in that if you are born in that country you are a citizen of that country. Furthermore, if your parents are from one of these countries, you have the opportunity to apply for citizenship without delay. Thus, I’m pretty sures he’s considered a canadian citizen only, unless an application is put forth to make him an american citizen as well. While he is technically an american citizen by parentage, he is not legally until the US gov approves it.</p>
<p>Such is the case of my father. Born on vacation in Canada, lived his entire life in the United States. He is the only sibling that is Canadian as he has never applied for American Citizenship.</p>
<p>Thanks for responding klmnop. I am keeping my fingers crossed that you are right. My son does have American citizenship though. I am hoping he can have dual citizenship. That would save us a lot of money on tuition.</p>
<p>Should not be a problem if he has a canadian birth certificate. Canada does not require you to renounce your previous citizenship.</p>
<p>Explore this site more " [Becoming</a> a Canadian citizen: Who can apply](<a href=“http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizenship/become-eligibility.asp]Becoming”>http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizenship/become-eligibility.asp) " I’m not sure if this is the exact link you need. But like Tom said, contact or go to your local consulate… or call one where there is a person to speak with. When I applied for mine I did it in the spring and said I needed it by August for school and it was fast-tracked so it shouldn’t be a problem. Also, if necessary, I believe McGill allows you to prove citizenship/residency during the middle of the year if necessary, and will credit your account later (I think).</p>
<p>Actually, if he was born in Montreal, he qualifies for Quebec tuition, though, as always, you need to provide the correct documentation on time (before tuition payment is due).</p>
<p>I believe that Quebec tuition rates are for Quebec residents only:</p>
<p>[Citizenship</a> and residency status](<a href=“http://www.mcgill.ca/student-accounts/fees/tuition/citizenship/]Citizenship”>http://www.mcgill.ca/student-accounts/fees/tuition/citizenship/)</p>
<p>Establishing residency versus citizenship are two different things.</p>
<p>I would loook into that, Quebec is very strange about who and why they let become residents, so i wouldn’t be surprised if just being born in mtl would allow you apply for residency.</p>
<p>At least back in my day, being born in Quebec was sufficient , provided you submitted the right paperwork at the right time. If you switched degrees, you had to resubmit the bloody thing… Now that the website’s all flashed based, it’s harder to find (because they like having people pay the higher tuition), but in the Legal Documents section, picking “citizens and permanent residents of Canada: Quebec residents” in the menu, situation 1 is being born in Quebec (document required: birth certificate, of course). Consult the admission/adminstrative people for the actual details.</p>
<p>I had a friend who was born in Quebec, moved to Nova Scotia in his early childhood, attended McGill and graduated last year. I dont know the process but i know he considered a Quebec citizen and paid very low tuition.</p>
<p>My daughter, who was not born in Quebec or Canada, but has one Canadian parent and thus qualifies for Canadian citizenship, was automatically a resident of Quebec upon moving there. As she had not lived in Canada previously, Quebec became her province. There were some hoops to jump through, but the people in the admissions office told us what to do. The folks at RAMQ (Quebec medical insurance) were not as easy to deal with, but eventually they recognized her as Quebecois as well. </p>
<p>As for dual citizenship, it is not a problem for the US or Canada. Just don’t fight in any war between the two countries. As a US citizen, you have to pay US income tax and report any foreign accounts worth over $10,000US no matter where you live. As most countries have higher tax rates then the US, and you receive a credit for foreign taxes paid, this is not usually a problem, beyond the paperwork. Working students usually do not have to worry about this as their income is usually too low to require filing.</p>
<p>I wish I would have known about this earlier, it would have saved me $16,000 or so. I have heard to get Quebec residency you must a) live in Quebec for 6 months without being a full-time student, and b) be fluent in French upon applying. Unless she moved there 6 months prior to applying I don’t understand how this works.</p>
<p>WasOnceMellowMom how did you convince the RAMQ. Did your daughter apply in person.
My son tried to get application forms by phoning and they told him he could not be a student to qualify for health care. He has the same situation as your daughter.
Does she speak French? Thank you</p>
<p>“I wish I would have known about this earlier, it would have saved me $16,000 or so. I have heard to get Quebec residency you must a) live in Quebec for 6 months without being a full-time student, and b) be fluent in French upon applying. Unless she moved there 6 months prior to applying I don’t understand how this works.”</p>
<p>At least at the time the time that she entered Canada, three years ago, she only had a 3 month wait. If I remember correctly, we paid the non-Quebec rate initially and then McGill reimbursed us the next semester when she had achieved her residency. </p>
<p>“WasOnceMellowMom how did you convince the RAMQ. Did your daughter apply in person.
My son tried to get application forms by phoning and they told him he could not be a student to qualify for health care. He has the same situation as your daughter.
Does she speak French? Thank you”</p>
<p>As for RAMQ, we went to the office the first week my d was in Quebec. It was an experience. After waiting 3 to 4 hours, we spoke to someone who had a difficult time understanding the situation, waited another hour for her supervisor, and then my daughter was turned down because she was a student, saying it was very evident to them that she was not going to be a permanent resident of Quebec. She was told that she could appeal it later. My d tried to do the whole thing in what she thought was her fluent French, but it was apparently not fluent enough to win hearts and minds. For about a year I kept asking my d to make the appeal, but she had had such a miserable experience with the RAMQ the first time she was afraid to go back. Finally she did, with a year of Quebecois French under her belt, and they allowed her the insurance. Whether the language helped, or that she was living in an apartment rather then a dorm and had a job helped, or whether the fact that she does live in Montreal all year, coming to see us only at Christmas helped, I don’t know. I suspect, it was all of the above.</p>
<p>The experience at RAMQ was not as bad as my daughter made it out to be. It was a very long wait, without being able to leave to eat, and the people there were a bit abrupt. She had never experienced anything like it, being only 17 at the time and coming from a place where even bureaucrats are kind. </p>
<p>The people at McGill told us that sometimes it works for students and sometimes it does not. There is nothing in the law that says that students do not qualify, but it is really not a situation where you have the resources to fight them. But I would give it a try. Just make sure that you have a good lunch before going down there. And yes, you do have to apply in person.</p>
<p>I had a McGill friend from france who applied to become a resident because he need to in order to work there legally. I am not sure how difficult it was but his was over the phone and they asked him to rate his french fluency 1-12, and he said 12. he told me if people say anything other than 12 they don’t get it… but also i dont understand how they can’t just do a quick oral exam to figure this out.</p>
<p>Quebec is very strange in that they have a very large influence over the federal government and strict, unique rules with respect to the rest of canada. Ive heard the french exam for english-speakers is 10 fold easier than the english exam for french-speakers which is necessary to work for the federal government. and my sources are from both sides of the language barrier.</p>
<p>Thanks WasOnceMellowMom and Kimnop. My son’s French is nowhere near a 12 - He took French in High school. McGill was helpful with this, but they warned that RAMQ is not consistent. Maybe we will try again.</p>