A degree from Tehran does not stop being a degree when you land. But nothing here automatically knows what it is worth, and the process for explaining it is more limited than most people expect.
Start by understanding what the government document actually is.
The comparative evaluation: what it is not
The évaluation comparative des études effectuées hors du Québec is, in the ministry's own words, an expert opinion giving a general comparison of two official educational systems.
It is explicitly not a diploma or the equivalent of one. It is not required to file an immigration application. And it creates no obligation whatsoever on an employer, a regulatory body or a school to accept it.
That is worth saying plainly, because a great many people pay for it expecting a key and receive a description.
What it costs and how long it takes
- Fee: $141, as of 1 January 2026, re-indexed every 1 January
- Priority processing: within 60 working days for 80% of requests — it is not automatic, you must include supporting documents such as a letter from an employer or a regulatory body
- Otherwise: up to six months
- You have 365 days to send new documents or contest the result, at no extra cost
It is still submitted by post — a single envelope to the ministry in Montreal. There is no online platform. The form is A-0361-FO and it is in French.
Documents must be in French or English, or accompanied by an original hard-copy translation from a recognised translator. Put translations on top of originals, diplomas on top of transcripts, and do not send originals unless you are asked.
One change worth knowing: since 4 September 2025, the evaluation no longer states an equivalent Quebec field of study.
If your profession is regulated, this is the part that matters
Around fifty professions in Quebec are governed by a professional order whose job is to protect the public. If yours is one of them, the comparative evaluation is a side note — the order decides, not the ministry.
There are two different models, and the difference is large:
- Exclusive practice: you cannot do the work at all without belonging. Nurses, doctors, engineers
- Reserved title: you can work in the field, but you cannot call yourself by the protected title without membership. Certified translators, for example
The route is: contact the order, have your training assessed for equivalence, and expect that they may require refresher courses, a supervised internship or examinations before authorising you to practise.
Not everything is a professional order. Teachers go through the Ministère de l'Éducation, insurance agents and financial planners through the Autorité des marchés financiers, and construction electricians and plumbers through the Commission de la construction du Québec.
Costs and timelines vary enormously by order and are not published centrally. Contact yours directly and ask for both, in writing, before you plan around them.
The French exam almost every Iranian professional will need
A professional order can only issue you a permit if you have knowledge of French appropriate to your profession. There are four ways to establish it. Three of them skip the exam, and they are narrow — any one of these is enough:
- Three or more years of full-time secondary or post-secondary education in French
- You passed mother-tongue French exams in secondary 4 or 5 in Quebec
- You obtained a Quebec secondary school diploma in 1985–86 or later
For someone trained in Iran, none of these will normally apply — which leaves the fourth route, and it is a route, not a wall. You sit the OQLF examination and obtain its certificate of knowledge of French (or hold one recognised as equivalent by regulation). Plan for it early: it is not a formality, and an order can require refresher courses and a re-sit if the result is not sufficient.
Note that this requirement is legally separate from the French level required for immigration selection. Passing one does not satisfy the other.
What French your employer actually owes you
This surprises people, and it works in your favour. Under the Charter of the French Language an employer may not require a language other than French unless the task genuinely needs it and they have taken all reasonable means beforehand to avoid the requirement.
In practice that means they must have evaluated the real linguistic needs of the specific tasks, verified that existing staff cannot cover them, and limited the requirement to the minimum number of positions. A job posting that demands English must state the reasons justifying it. The burden of proof sits on the employer, not on you.
- A job advertised in another language must be advertised in French at the same time, by a means that reaches a comparable audience
- You have the right to work in French: tools, communications, training material and software
- You cannot be sanctioned, demoted or dismissed for choosing to work in French, or for not knowing another language
- Enforcement runs through your union or the CNESST
Employers of 50 or more have long had to register with the Office québécois de la langue française and analyse their linguistic situation; on 1 June 2025 that duty was extended down to businesses of 25 to 49. At 100 or more they must also set up a francization committee of at least six people. Non-compliance bars them from public contracts and subsidies.
None of this means you will get a job without French. It means the legal framework is not the obstacle — the size of the accessible job market is.
The résumé
Quebec's own guidance is short: one to two pages, with contact details, career objective, education and training, job-related skills, work experience with actual duties, languages, computer skills, certifications and interests.
The convention here differs from an Iranian CV in ways nobody tells you. Two pages maximum, and duties described as what you achieved rather than what you were responsible for.
Where to get help, free
Accompagnement Québec assigns you a person, not a website, and covers credential recognition alongside French courses and job search. You qualify with a CSQ, a CAQ or an IRCC client number, and you register through Arrima.
The ministry also funds partner organisations across Montreal that do this work for free, searchable by neighbourhood.
