Regulated Professions in Quebec: Why Your Degree Alone Isn't Always Enough
Engineer, nurse, accountant, lawyer: dozens of professions require joining a professional order before you can practice — even with a foreign degree recognized elsewhere.
This page describes the general structure of the system, which stays stable. But exact thresholds, fees, and specific program statuses can change within weeks — the PEQ, for example, was suspended and then reopened in 2026, and CAQ fees changed twice within the same year. Before relying on a specific figure or date below, confirm the current status on quebec.ca/immigration or canada.ca.
The most common surprise for qualified newcomers
Every year, engineers, nurses, pharmacists, accountants, lawyers, and other professionals trained abroad discover, after settling in, that a degree earned elsewhere — even in a French-speaking country, even in an identical field — doesn't automatically grant the right to practice under that professional title in Quebec. About sixty professions are considered regulated: their practice is overseen by a professional order, and use of the title itself is legally protected.
What a professional order is
A professional order (Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec, Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec, Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés, Barreau du Québec, and dozens of others) has a legal mandate to protect the public — not to defend its members' interests, unlike an ordinary professional association. It's this body, not a government ministry, that evaluates whether your training and experience meet the requirements to legally practice under the protected title.
Practicing a reserved activity without being a member of the relevant order is an offence — it's not a simple, optional administrative formality.
The MIFI comparative evaluation of studies
The Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration (MIFI) offers a separate service from professional orders: a comparative evaluation of studies completed outside Quebec, which situates your degree relative to Quebec equivalents (for example, the equivalent of a bachelor's or master's degree). This document is useful for an employer or a school application, but it does not replace and does not guarantee recognition by a professional order — these are two independent processes with different criteria.
The typical recognition path
- Contact the relevant professional order even before immigrating, if possible — several orders offer a preliminary remote evaluation.
- Have your training file evaluated (degrees, transcripts, sometimes translated and authenticated).
- Complete any gaps identified by the order: bridging courses, a supervised internship, a professional exam, or sometimes a full supplementary training program.
- Pass required exams (ethics, French language proficiency depending on the profession, profession-specific exam).
- Obtain your practice permit and registration on the order's roster.
This process can take anywhere from a few months to several years depending on the profession and the gap between your original training and Quebec standards — a reality that understandably frustrates experienced professionals forced to redo part of their training.
While waiting for recognition
Many professionals in the recognition process work temporarily in a related but non-regulated role (technician rather than engineer, for example) while completing requirements. Some orders and community organizations also offer mentorship or paid internship programs specifically to ease this transition.
Checking if your profession is regulated
The Guichet unique des ordres professionnels and the Office des professions du Québec publish the complete list of regulated professions and their corresponding orders — worth checking ideally before even applying for immigration if your occupation is on the list, since recognition timelines can affect your settlement plans.
To gauge real salaries in your profession
Once recognition is underway, see our French-language city comparator and our tax calculator to convert a potential salary into net income.