Key takeaways
- →Mortgage brokerage is classified by the AMF as a “sector,” not a “sector class” — which is why its probationary period runs 12 weeks, not the shorter 6-week length that applies to some sector classes.
- →Trainees must complete at least 28 hours of work per week during those 12 weeks, and the whole period may not stretch past 14 weeks.
- →Trainees can take up to 2 weeks of vacation during probation, and their scope of practice is capped — they can evaluate a file and propose a loan, but only their supervisor can approve it before it goes to the trainee's own next step.
- →A 30-day administrative window follows the 12 weeks, during which the supervisor has 10 days to submit a recommendation to the AMF.
A Quebec mortgage brokerage candidate who has passed both AMF exams still isn't a fully licensed courtier hypothécaire — next comes a supervised probationary period, one of the more structurally distinctive steps in Canadian mortgage licensing. It's a fixed length, has a minimum weekly-hours requirement, and comes with a defined scope of what the trainee is and isn't allowed to do on a file.
This piece breaks down why the period runs 12 weeks, what the 28-hours-a-week rule actually requires, who can supervise a trainee, what a trainee can and can't do on a mortgage file, and what happens once the 12 weeks are up.
01 · Why is Quebec's mortgage brokerage probation 12 weeks, not 6?
The AMF requires a probationary period for anyone seeking a representative's certificate in insurance, claims adjustment, or mortgage brokerage, and the length depends on how the AMF classifies the specific sector. The general rule sets the trainee's minimum requirement at “at least 28 hours of work per week during 12 weeks for a sector or 6 weeks for a sector class.” Mortgage brokerage is one of the AMF's top-level sectors — not a narrower sector class the way, say, personal-lines damage insurance is a class within damage insurance — which is why the 12-week length applies rather than the shorter 6-week one.
In practice, that means a Quebec mortgage brokerage candidate should plan on roughly three months of supervised, hands-on work before their certificate can be recommended for issuance.
02 · What does the 28-hours-a-week rule actually require?
A trainee must complete at least 28 hours of work per week for the full 12-week period, and the AMF caps how long the whole thing can drag on: “the 12-week probationary period may not last more than 14 weeks.” That two-week buffer exists specifically to accommodate time off.
“Trainees may take up to 2 weeks of vacation during this period,” which is what stretches a calendar-time probation from a strict 12 weeks up to the 14-week maximum — not extra flexibility beyond that ceiling.
03 · Who is allowed to supervise a Quebec mortgage brokerage trainee?
A trainee's supervisor (and any replacement supervisor) has to already hold a certificate in the same sector or sector class, for a minimum period of prior standing set by the AMF's probationary-period rules. The AMF publishes the exact eligibility threshold directly in its supervisor forms and guidance — confirm the current requirement there rather than assuming a specific figure, since sourcing on the precise number wasn't confirmed against a directly quoted AMF page in this research.
Supervisors also carry a recordkeeping obligation: a trainee's file “must be retained for a five year period, from the successful completion of the probationary period or its abandonment.”
04 · What can a Quebec mortgage brokerage trainee actually do on a file?
The AMF sets a specific, limited scope of practice for mortgage brokerage trainees: “The trainee may evaluate the client's financial situation, present to the trainee's supervisor the proposed loan and any other recommendation pertaining to the mortgage transaction before the loan is proposed or recommendation is made to the client.”
The supervisor's sign-off is the gate, not a formality: “The trainee may also forward the mortgage loan application to the lender, but only after it has been approved by the trainee's supervisor.” A trainee can do the analytical work of a file, but can't make a proposal to a client or send a file to a lender independently.
05 · What happens once the 12-week probationary period is up?
There's a built-in buffer after the 12 (or up to 14) weeks: “there is a 30-day administrative period when the probationary certificate remains valid. During the administrative period, the supervisor has 10 days to submit their recommendation to the AMF.” The candidate remains under a valid probationary certificate throughout that window rather than facing a gap between probation ending and the recommendation being filed.
Once a certificate is issued, the newly licensed broker's ongoing obligations — PDUs, insurance, and more — are covered in Quebec Mortgage Broker Continuing Obligations. For the fulfillment side of building a book after certification, see how Treadstone supports Canadian mortgage professionals, and consider Treadstone's Canadian Mortgage Underwriting Course for deepening file-evaluation skills beyond what probation covers.
Once the certificate is in hand
Probation teaches file evaluation. Treadstone handles the file processing.
New Quebec brokers who partner with Treadstone's fulfillment associates hand off the processing and underwriting-support work, freeing up hours to build client relationships instead.
Frequently asked questions
This article is general information to help you scale — not a substitute for tailored advice on your specific business, licensing, or compliance obligations. All figures are illustrative examples for planning purposes; actual costs vary by province, market, and brokerage.