Anglophone Quebecers with children in French school urged to secure English eligibility certificates
Posted January 28, 2026 7:21 am.
Last Updated January 28, 2026 10:26 am.
Quebec’s English-language school boards are urging anglophone parents to formally secure their children’s eligibility certificates for English education — even if they have chosen to enroll them in French-language schools.
The warning comes as registration opens at many English school boards across the province and as recent changes to Quebec’s language laws have increased the importance of the English school eligibility certificate.
“Even if they’ve chosen to send their children to the French school system, they should rush out and get their English eligibility form for a couple reasons,” said Christopher Craig, vice-president of the Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA) and chair of the Riverside School Board. “Some people don’t quite realize that even in the anglophone sector, we provide great French courses and great French learning. And if they ever decide to change and come back, they’re going to need that form.
“But really importantly, if they get as far as Sec 5 and they don’t have their form yet, it could present some challenges around getting into CEGEP. There’s some prioritization around those who hold those forms.”
The QESBA, which represents nine English-language boards and one special-status school service centre in Quebec, has launched a campaign to raise awareness about the certificates under the slogan: “If you don’t use it, you will lose it.”
“It’s snappy. I’ve been hearing it on a couple of radio stations,” Craig said. “I think that speaks to a lot of the challenges that we’re putting forth to the government. If we don’t stand up and speak for our rights and take advantage of our rights, and actively get involved, we will eventually lose those rights. And that’s something that I don’t think is acceptable for myself or my kids or their kids moving on in the future.”
A document many families overlook
The English eligibility certificate (COE), or déclaration d’admissibilité à l’enseignement en anglais, is automatically added to a student’s school record and gives access to the full benefits of English-language education. These include taking English exams instead of French for a college diploma; following standard English courses; and, in some cases, receiving priority for admissions.
Parents or legal guardians must apply for the certificate through an anglophone school board or a private school in Quebec while the child is enrolled in elementary or secondary school. Applications submitted after high school graduation are refused, and requests made near the end of Grade 11 may also be denied. Even students who attended English programs in Indigenous schools do not automatically receive the certificate.
Applications are submitted through the English school board serving the child’s place of residence. Quebec’s English school boards include Central Quebec, Eastern Shores, Eastern Townships, English Montreal, Lester B. Pearson, New Frontiers, Riverside, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, and Western Quebec.
Roots in Bill 101
The English eligibility certificate is linked to Quebec’s Charter of the French Language, commonly known as Bill 101, adopted in 1977. The law generally requires that instruction in Quebec be delivered in French at the preschool, elementary, and secondary levels. However, the Minister of Education can authorize students to attend publicly funded or subsidized English schools under specific conditions.
Eligibility is usually based on a child’s or their family’s educational background. For example, a child may qualify if a Canadian parent, or the child’s siblings, completed most of their primary schooling in English in Canada. Other circumstances, such as serious learning challenges, temporary residence in Quebec, or urgent family or humanitarian situations, may also be considered.
Bill 96 widens the certificate’s reach
The relevance of the English eligibility certificate expanded under Quebec’s Bill 96, adopted in 2022. The legislation reaffirms that French is the province’s official and common language and strengthens Quebec’s language laws.
“Just how they’ve decided to weave Bill 96 through the CEGEP experience, that’s what makes a bit of a difference for those young people,” Craig said. “There are some folks who decide to go to the French system or just decide to go to maybe even a French private college. They don’t get their certificates. So they might have less of a priority in terms of the queue for CEGEP. They will have more…French classes to take in a French exit exam. So it just makes it a little bit bulkier for young people to get through CEGEP, and that’s not always a great thing. So if you have that COE in hand, it can alleviate a lot of those issues.”
The Act sets limits on the duration and renewal of exemptions allowing children to receive instruction in English. At English CEGEPs, students who hold an English eligibility certificate are given priority when programs receive more applications than available spaces. Certificate holders follow the standard English curriculum and complete the English Exit Exam, while students without a certificate take additional French courses and must pass the French Exit Exam.
“It’s just generally a good idea to have it in hand in case you decide to make a switch, in case you need to make a switch, or for that critical point in CEGEP, it’s really good to have it. But it also helps us to point out the fact that there are a lot of English-eligible families and young people around the province. So when we’re advocating speaking with the minister, for instance, they know that there’s a lot of us around who have a lot of needs and we’re going to speak up,” Craig said.
Thousands of eligible students in French schools
According to Statistics Canada, the 2021 Census found that more than three-quarters (76.2 per cent) of the 230,080 children aged five to 17 in Quebec who were eligible for English-language instruction had attended or were attending an English-language primary or secondary school in Canada.
Enrollment rates varied across regions and municipalities.
Eligibility rules for English schools
Parents must apply for a Certificate of English Eligibility through their English school board or a subsidized private school while the child is enrolled in elementary or secondary school. Appointments are in person and reserved online, and all original documents must be provided at the time of the meeting.
“I think people are waiting too late,” Craig said. “I’ve heard that at the Sec 5 stage, you can’t even really get it. So the sooner you have it, even if you’re just tucking it away in your hutch, your filing cabinet, it’s good. Sadly, like any process, it takes a little bit of time. You have to submit records proving that you are in fact eligible. It can take the board a bit of time to send it in the ministry. It can take the ministry upwards of 20 days sometimes to process the request. So there can be a bit of a delay. So I ask the people be patient and just understand that the process takes time, but to follow through.
“I’m not from here. And I did have those misconceptions that in the anglophone sector, they might not get as strong an education in French. And when I shopped around and looked into it, I realized how wrong I was. And now I have fluently bilingual sons. So I’m very happy about that. Just keep your mind open, keep your ear to the ground and use it or lose it like they say.”
Craig also addressed concerns about other potential uses for the certificate beyond education.
“We did hear a while back that maybe they’d tie it to healthcare. I think they’re floating balloons up to see what the public reaction is. Given that we’re going through so much change right now with regard to the government and an upcoming election, I never know what’s going to happen from one day to the next. So I’m just trying to hang in there myself and get ready for whatever they throw at us.”
