Pre-approval on maternity or parental leave in Quebec.

Some lenders use EI income only; others use full pre-leave income with a return-to-work letter. The choice of lender changes qualification by tens of thousands.

Quebec adds its own layer. Notarial closings replace the lawyer step elsewhere. Underwriters expect the notary, not a lawyer, on instructions. That matters here because underwriters are already scrutinizing the income side of a pre-approval on maternity or parental leave file — a property or program complication local to Quebec can push a marginal file over the edge.

Welcome Tax (droits de mutation) on a tiered scale; Montreal adds an extra bracket above $500K.

Programs to check eligibility for in Quebec:

• Home Buyers' Plan
• FHSA
• Montreal Home Ownership Program (varies by family composition)

• Return-to-work letter from employer specifying date, role, and salary
• Pre-leave employment letter and paystubs
• Current EI statement

Quebec nuance: Income tax assessments use the Revenu Québec format alongside the CRA NOA; expect both.

• Co-ownership (divided/undivided) materially changes lender appetite.
• Quebec Law 25 affects what data lenders and brokers can collect.
• Quebec employment letters must usually be bilingual or accompanied by a translation.

Underwriter view of this scenario: A lender that uses pre-leave salary with a return-to-work confirmation will qualify the file at the full income; one that uses EI alone will not.

• Secure a written return-to-work confirmation early
• Apply with a lender whose policy uses pre-leave salary on documented returns

• Open-ended leave with no return date.
• Resigning from the pre-leave role and starting somewhere new on return.