International dental hygienists · Other Canadian provinces and territories
Dental hygienists from other Canadian provinces: practising in Quebec at Go Dentiste
What a dental hygienist licensed in another Canadian province needs to know to practise in Quebec: the route to the Ordre des hygiénistes dentaires du Québec permit for your training, the French requirement, the work permit and immigration, and what Go Dentiste concretely does to welcome you, even before your permit.
Your training and background from Quebec’s point of view
You hold a dental hygienist licence in Ontario, New Brunswick, Alberta, British Columbia or elsewhere in Canada: the regulation on legal authorizations to practise outside Quebec gives you access to the licence-on-licence route, with no reassessment of your training. It is the fastest way onto the OHDQ roll. One specific condition: if your training did not include at least 45 hours of theory and 30 hours of practice in operative dentistry, you must refrain from that field until you complete it.
Licence-on-licence: the steps
The OHDQ applies the regulation on legal authorizations to practise outside Quebec: your licence from another province or territory gives you the Quebec permit, with no exam and no reassessment of your training.
- 1. File: two pieces of identification, recent photo, dental hygiene diploma and transcript, proof of French proficiency, certificate of professional conduct completed by your home regulator
- 2. The permit committee sits every two weeks once the file is complete; the permit number is confirmed by email the same day
- 3. 2026-2027 fees of $887.27 to $894.57 depending on the registration month (permit, dues, liability insurance, Office des professions contribution)
- 4. If your training did not include at least 45 hours of theory and 30 hours of practice in operative dentistry, you refrain from that field until you complete it
It is the shortest route: a few weeks once the documents are gathered, French proficiency often being the longest step for a hygienist trained in English.
French: the OQLF exam and the temporary permit
Every OHDQ permit requires appropriate French proficiency. Since your studies were not in French, you take the OQLF French examination (oral and written comprehension and expression). If the Order declares you competent first, it may issue a one-year temporary permit, renewable up to three times, which lets you practise while you prepare. Our clinics are bilingual: you practise your French every day with the team and a largely bilingual clientele.
Moving to Quebec from another province
No immigration steps: you are already in Canada. What remains is the OHDQ permit, French and the move; Montérégie, 45 minutes from Montreal, offers housing far cheaper than Toronto or Vancouver, and Go Dentiste helps you find your bearings (housing, RAMQ, daycare, schools).
What Go Dentiste offers you
- A dental assistant or clinical coordinator position right now, if your permit is not yet issued: income, software, RAMQ, the Canadian Dental Care Plan, sterilization to standard, and a team that knows you the day you are registered
- A team of hygienists and seven general dentists to integrate you: autonomy respected (Bill 29), second opinion available, continuing education encouraged
- An operations director who coordinates the employer steps (job offer, simplified-processing LMIA, documents for the CAQ and permit)
- Three new clinics in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield (2025, open 7 days a week), Vaudreuil-Dorion (2026, open Monday to Friday) and Saint-Zotique (2027): day shifts, plus Tuesday evening or weekend shifts in Valleyfield, full or part time
- A region 45 minutes from Montreal where housing remains affordable, and a bilingual clientele to progress in French without pressure
How to start
Write to Maryse Milton, director of clinical operations, at maryse@go-dentiste.com or 514 561-5399, stating your country of training, your diploma and the step you have reached (OHDQ application filed or not, French, status). We answer with a concrete plan: a position possible now, employer steps, and a realistic timeline to the permit. The dental hygienist position and the dental assistant position describe our conditions.
Do I have to take an exam to get the Quebec permit?
No: licence-on-licence relies on your authorization to practise in another province. What remains is proof of French proficiency and, where applicable, the operative dentistry restriction.
Is French really mandatory?
Yes, for every professional order permit in Quebec. Without three years of studies in French, you take the OQLF exam; a one-year temporary permit, renewable up to three times, lets you practise in the meantime.
Can I work in a clinic before I have my OHDQ permit?
Yes, in a role that includes no act reserved to hygienists: chairside assisting, coordination, sterilization, team training. The dental assistant title is not regulated in Quebec; only taking radiographs requires recognized training.
Do my years of experience count?
Yes: in your file with the Order (they can justify exemptions from compensatory measures) and with us, for your integration, schedule and pay.
Go further
- All countries: international dental hygienists at Go Dentiste
- Dental hygienist jobs at Go Dentiste
- Dental assistant jobs
- Career guide: hygienist autonomy (Bill 29)
- Career guide: dental hygienist salary in Quebec
- Career guide: foreign diplomas and equivalencies
- International dentists: practising in Quebec
Official sources
- OHDQ — Dental hygienist from another province or territory
- OHDQ — Permit application and first registration
- OQLF — Professional orders: French proficiency and examination
- OQLF — Charter of the French language: presumption (s. 35) and temporary permit (ss. 37-38) (PDF)
- Gouvernement du Québec — Dental hygienists: wages and outlook (IMT)
- OHDQ — Adoption of Bill 29 (autonomy of dental hygienists)
General information written by the Go Dentiste team from official websites consulted in September 2026 (OHDQ 2026-2027 fees and timelines); the texts of the Ordre des hygiénistes dentaires du Québec, the OQLF, IRCC and Quebec’s immigration ministry prevail. Neither legal nor immigration advice.
Content prepared by the Go Dentiste team (Dr Dominic Morel-Maynard, general dentist and owner). Last updated: September 25, 2026. General information for guidance only: only an in-clinic exam can establish a diagnosis and a treatment plan suited to your situation.