Frequently asked questions
How can I enroll my child in an English-language school?
To enrol your child in an English-language school, contact your neighbourhood school, your local English-language school board or the private school of your choice. To attend a school in the English public school network or a private English school accredited for the purpose of subsidies or to follow a French immersion program in such a school, a child must be eligible for instruction in English. The appropriate school or school board will provide you with the required forms, help you fill them out and forward them to the Ministère. Local newspapers provide information on each school board’s enrolment period, which usually occurs in January and February. In the case of private schools, contact those that interest you. They sometimes hold entrance examinations, and these generally take place in the fall.
Consult the list of private schools and their contact information to find an institution.
How long does it usually take to process an application for eligibility for instruction in English?
Applications are processed within 15 working days after the complete file is received by the Bureau d’admissibilité à l’enseignement en anglais of the Ministère. If you submitted an application with all the required documents to a school or a school board some time ago and are wondering about the status of your file, you must contact your school or school board, which will be able to tell you whether the delay is normal given the date the file was sent to the Ministère. If required, the school or school board will contact the appropriate staff at the Ministère.
How can I obtain a duplicate of a lost certificate of eligibility?
If you lose your child’s certificate of eligibility and want to obtain a duplicate, send us your child’s birth certificate that indicates the names of the parents, including your complete return address (including the apartment number and the postal code) and the daytime telephone number where you can be reached. You may send your application, together with your child’s birth certificate (large format), by fax to 514-864-2665 or by mail to the following address:
Admissibilité à l’enseignement en anglais
600, rue Fullum, 10e étage
Montréal (Québec)
H2K 4L1
You should receive the duplicate in the mail about 10 days after you make your request. Please note that you do not need to come in person to obtain this document.
If, however, you are a parent and are applying for eligibility under section 73, 76 or 86.1 of the Charter of the French language in order to establish your child’s eligibility, this procedure is no longer applicable. If you know your permanent code or you have a transcript or report card proving your attendance at an English-language school in 1977 or later, you just need to bring this document to the school or school board and ask them to complete a short form to apply for eligibility.
What should I do if I notice an error in my child's certificate of eligibility?
If the certificate of eligibility of your child contains an error concerning their name or date of birth, or the child has changed their name or has been adopted, please contact your school board or the private school that your child attends.
It is the responsibility of the school board or the private school to have your child’s permanent code changed and to send the necessary documents to the Ministère so that a corrected certificate of eligibility can be issued.
Please note that the Ministère will not change the address or telephone number appearing on a certificate of eligibility after it has been issued. The upper part of the document, containing your address, is detachable and has no impact on the legal effect of the certificate.
What should I do if I am informed that my child's application to receive instruction at an English-language school is incomplete?
If you have received a letter indicating that your application is incomplete, please contact the school board or private school whose name and telephone number are indicated in the letter to obtain a clarification or to provide the required information.
If you are unable to contact your school board, you may ask the school administration to contact the school board for you.
What can I do if I am informed that my child's application for eligibility to receive instruction in an English-language school has been refused?
It is important to carefully examine the document you have received. If you have received a notice of refusal, you must check off the appropriate comment and then return the document to us. If you have additional documents to submit, the most efficient way to do so is to send them to the educational organization. If, following receipt of an initial notice of refusal, you receive a letter of refusal signed by the person designated by the Minister, you have 60 days to file an appeal to the Administrative Tribunal of Québec if you wish to contest the decision, or you have 30 days to submit an application to the Examining committee if you wish to claim a serious family or humanitarian situation in support of your application.
If I decide to enroll my child at a French-language school even though he or she is eligible for instruction in English, will my child cease to be eligible to receive instruction in English?
If your child has been issued a certificate of eligibility for instruction in English, and if this eligibility has been declared under section 73, 76 or 86.1 of the Charter, their right to receive instruction in English will be maintained and will be transferable to their brothers, sisters and children, regardless of the language of your child’s instruction. Obtaining a certificate of eligibility for instruction in English does not require the student to attend an English-language school.