Practicing engineering in Québec
In Québec, only members who are in good standing with the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec are legally allowed to practice the profession. To obtain an engineer’s permit, you must first meet certain requirements and follow a very specific process. The steps in this process differ depending on whether you earned your engineering degree in Québec, Canada or abroad. Would you like to know more about the conditions that must be met to join the 60,000 professionals who practice engineering in Québec? We are there to help you.
In fact, the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec is responsible for governing access to the profession and assisting new recruits in becoming part of the profession. Whether you are about to finish your engineering degree in Québec or would like to immigrate to Québec and find out the conditions for practicing your field of engineering here, this section describes the steps that you will have to take in your situation.
This section provides detailed information about engineering job opportunities in Québec, the process that you must follow to acquire your engineer’s permit, orientation programs, training courses for international engineering graduates (in French only), diploma or training equivalence applications, etc. You will be assisted in every step of the process in an effort to help you become part of the second largest professional order in Québec!
International engineering graduates
Did you earn your engineering degree abroad but would like to practice your profession in Québec? The Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec offers you all of the resources you need to effectively join the profession.
With that in mind, the OIQ, in collaboration with Québec’s department of immigration and cultural communities, has created a training course (in French only) for international engineering graduates to help you obtain your engineer's permit.
This twenty-two-hour training course will help you fully understand the laws, rules and obligations that govern the engineering profession in Québec. It will give you a detailed explanation of the competencies you will need to successfully practice the engineering profession. In addition, this training course offers excellent preparation for the professional examination that you will have to pass afterward in order to obtain your permit.
Finally, since it is designed for international engineering graduates, this training course will also give you an opportunity to quickly build a network of contacts in Québec.
Obtaining an engineer’s permit
In Québec, having a university degree in engineering is not enough for you to be legally allowed to practice engineering. In fact, only those who have an engineer’s permit and are registered on the Roll of the OIQ may use the title of engineer.
Accordingly, anyone who wants to become an engineer in Québec must first follow a very specific process, whose first step is to acquire a junior engineer’s permit. The steps in the process differ depending on whether your engineering degree is recognized or not by the Québec government. For example, to be eligible, some will have to be granted equivalence for their diploma or training. Others will be subject to admission examinations.
To find out where to begin, read the “Obtaining a permit” section. Each step of the specific process that you will have to follow depending on your profile will be clearly explained to you. An interactive tool is also available to help you better understand the various steps in the process.
Why should you become a member?
Being a member of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec: a privilege or a duty? Actually, both apply to the practice of engineering! Due to its constant concern for maintaining a solid bond of trust between the public and the profession, the OIQ believes that practicing the engineering profession in Québec is both a privilege and a duty. Visit the “Why should you become a member?” section to learn more about the context in which engineering is practiced in Québec (available in French only.)