Custodianship in Montreal

Custodianship in Montreal

Parents give their children the best education they can afford. Many of them choose Montreal as their study destination abroad. However, minor international students cannot study in Canada without accompanying parents or an appointed custodian. Keep reading to learn more about Montreal, its schools, and custodianship in Montreal.

Overview of Montreal

Montreal is centered on the Island of Montreal and a few small islands, the biggest of which is Île Bizard. The total population of the city is 1,762,949 citizens, and the metropolitan population is 4,291,732 residents. It makes Montreal both the second-biggest city and metropolitan area in the country.

People of European ancestry, such as French, Italians, Irish, English, Scottish, and Spanish, form the largest cluster of ethnic groups in the city. Near one-third of Montreal’s population are visible minorities, Black Canadians, Arab Canadians, Latin Americans, South Asian Canadians, and Chinese Canadians, in particular.

French is the official language in the city. At the same time, Montreal is one of the most bilingual cities in Quebec and Canada. About 57% of the citizens speak both English and French. The remaining 23% of residents are allophones. In other words, they are immigrants whose first language is neither French nor English. They speak Italian, Arabic, Spanish, Creole, Chinese, Greek, Portuguese, Romanian, and Vietnamese.

Historically the commercial capital of Canada, Montreal remains an important center of commerce, finance, technology, pharmaceuticals, culture, fashion, video game development, cinematography, world affairs, education, tourism, and aerospace. The city is home to the headquarters of the International Civil Aviation Organization. Montreal also hosts the Canadian Grand Prix of Formula One, the Montreal International Jazz Festival, the Just for Laughs Festival, and Les Francos de Montréal. Moreover, the city is home to the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League, who have won the Stanley Cup more times than any other team.

Secondary and Post-Secondary Schools in Montreal

In Montreal, secondary schools last from ninth to eleventh grades. English-language secondary public schools are operated by the English Montreal School Board and Lester B. Pearson School Board.

The English Montreal School Board has 16 secondary schools. James Lyng High School, LaurenHill Academy, John F. Kennedy High School, and Rosemount High School are the main places of study among international students.

The Lester B. Pearson School Board includes 13 secondary schools. Beaconsfield High School, Westwood High School, Lakeside Academy, and LaSalle Community Comprehensive High School are the top destinations among minor international students.

French-language secondary public schools are managed by the Centre de services scolaire de Montréal (CSDM), the Centre de services scolaire de la Pointe-de-l'Île, and Centre de services scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys.

The CSSDM operates 37 secondary schools. École secondaire Eulalie-Durocher, École internationale de Montréal, École secondaire Marguerite-De Lajemmerais, and École secondaire Marie-Anne are the top destinations among minor international students.

Most popular schools at the Centre de services scolaire de la Pointe-de-l’Île are École secondaire Calixa-Lavallée and École secondaire Henri-Bourassa. Among minor international students, top destinations at the Centre de services scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys are Collège Saint-Louis, École secondaire Dalbé-Viau and École secondaire des Sources.

All the mentioned above school boards require custodianship in Montreal for minor international students. Some schools even require applying for custodianship in Montreal even though minor international students are going to live with their parents.

After graduation from high school, international students can apply to post-secondary schools in Montreal. However, the post-secondary education system in Quebec differs from other systems in North America. Between high school and university, students must complete an additional school, called CEGEP. They offer two-year pre-university and three-year technical programs.

Among international students, the most popular English-speaking public CEGEPs are Dawson College, John Abbott College, and Vanier College. The high-quality French-speaking schools are Cégep André-Laurendeau, Cégep Marie-Victorin, Cégep de Saint-Laurent, Collège de Bois-de-Boulogne, and Collège Gérald-Godin, to name a few.

After completing CEGEP, international students can proceed with their studies at public universities. English-speaking schools are McGill University and Concordia University. French-speaking schools are Université de Montréal and Université du Québec à Montréal. It should be noted that post-secondary schools do not require custodianship in Montreal for international students under 18 years old since the decision is at the discretion of the immigration officer.

Minor Students in Montreal

According to the regulation of the Government of Canada, each province and territory determines the age when a minor becomes an adult. In Montreal, the age of majority is 18. Hence, parents of minor international students must use custodianship in Montreal.

Overview of Custodianship in Montreal

As a rule, minor international students come to Canada with at least one of their parents. However, parents who do not have the opportunity to accompany their children must know what custodianship in Montreal is. According to law, a custodian ought to be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada who is above 19 years old. Additionally, they need to live within a short distance of the minor’s place of study and residence.

Parents must find a person who agrees to undertake responsibility for the minor international student. They can contact extended family members, close friends, and business partners who live permanently in Canada and ask them about custodianship in Montreal. If parents do not have relatives in the country, they can hire a local agency that deals with custodianship in Montreal.

Responsibilities of Custodians in Montreal

Under the regulations of custodianship in Montreal, custodians have several main obligations.

1. They must help minor students in scheduling the school’s assessment test, registration, and counselor meetings.
2. Custodians ought to sign documents on behalf of the minor’s parents.
3. They need to attend school meetings.
4. Custodians should keep the student’s report cards and send them to the child’s parents.
5. They should be mediators between parents, students, school, and host family.
6. Custodians ought to assist with a minor’s study permit renewal and send copies of valid documents to the school.
7. They need to check whether the international student has valid health insurance.
8. Custodians should help the student with applications to post-secondary educational institutions in the country.
9. They must be available to the minor student 24 hours, seven days a week.

Under the custodianship in Montreal, custodians also have the following monitoring responsibilities.

1. They need to visit a minor student and a host family from time to time.
2. Custodians should inform the school about any contact information updates.
3. They must be sure that the international student is properly treated by the school and community.
4. Custodians ought to help the minor to buy a sim card and get a credit card.

Declaration of Custodianship in Montreal

To make the prior arrangements official, parents and a custodian ought to sign the Declaration of Custodianship in Montreal. The first page of the document must be completed and notarized by the custodian in Canada. The second page needs to be signed and notarized by the parents of the minor international student in their home country.

Once the document is complete, parents should send the Declaration of Custodianship in Montreal and the minor’s study permit application to the office of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. The point is that prospective international students can be admitted to the Canadian school, but they cannot get a study permit without the Declaration of Custodianship in Montreal.

As it was mentioned earlier, students under 17 years old must have a custodian, but applications of international students who are 17 to 18 years old are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

To decide whether Custodianship in Montreal is required, immigration officers can ask parents to submit additional information or pass a family interview. The necessity of Custodianship in Montreal also depends on six factors.

1. Officers check the study level of the minor student.
2. They evaluate the student’s level of independence, including completed studies abroad and current living arrangements.
3. Officers assess the travel experience of the minor international student.
4. They analyze the financial independence of the international student, such as scholarships, government sponsorship, and study grants.
5. Officers assess the accessibility of the parents in case of urgent situations.
6. They check informal arrangements, which guarantee support of the minor international student during their stay in Canada.

 

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