We have CSQ but yet the PR from Federal. It would be great if we are eligible for less costly education. However, we are applying from overseas and don't have an address in QC, will the board still accept our application? We will move to settle in the school district. Also, can we choose a particular school in the district board? Or I have to accept whichever it assigns? of course it depends on the availability of places.
English school for new Immigrants in Montreal
- Thread starter jappa
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For public French schools, they usually give priority to residents living within that neighbourhood. However, for a lot of wealthy neighbourhoods, the local public schools will serve mostly out of town kids because the local kids go to private schools. Also for private French schools, your residence does not matter. Same for private English schools. I personally knew a guy from a pretty rich family in Beaconsfield (in the western part of Montreal) who attended a private school in Westmount (close to downtown) because his parents wanted him to go to that particular school. Where you live will not matter if you go to a private school. FYI a lot of the good private French schools can be found in and around Outremont and the downtown Montreal core. It would be best if you contact them directly for more info.
I should add that given that you are willing to pay international student tuition at the public English schools had you been eligible, you definitely can afford French private schools and I would highly recommend that option. I know many people who attended French private schools with excellent English immersion programs. They ended up being perfectly bilingual in both languages with no accent in either. Brebeuf, Notre Dame, College de Montreal, Regina Assumpta would be several of the best ones...
Public school registration is based on catchment area so you will need your permanent Quebec address and proof of PR to register. If you have a temporary address and move you may need to switch schools. For private schools you can apply and register from abroad although you also need proof of PR to qualify for domestic tuition.
Your children will need to pay international tuition fees that are much more expensive. They would either need international study permits or you need to have valid study permits or work permit as parents. Have you actually applied for these permits? I thought you were applying for PR?
Not sure where you keep hearing that graduation rates are incredibly low but I would encourage you to do some research and not accept these rumours as facts. If attending schools in Quebec and wanting to benefit from the lower tuition rate for Quebec universities you will need to follow the Quebec school system. CEGEP is part of the curriculum if your children attends the public system and not a challenge. If they go through the public system they will can continue French CEGEP. There are only 3 primarily English speaking schools in Quebec because it is a primarily French speaking province. If you want to guarantee that your children can attend English high school and you want them to have the choice of more than 3 English speaking universities perhaps you should settle in another province. Your children can choose to attend a university out off Quebec even if you settle in Quebec. You seem to be focused on settling in Quebec because of the lower university tuition fee but if you have to pay for private school for your 15 year old and higher taxes in Quebec all,or a large portion, of the savings may be erased. There are trade-offs if you want to have access to the lower tuition rates your children will have to attend French school or you will have to pay a lot of money for private English education. Why should getting access to lower tuition be easy? There are always going to be trade offs if something is less expensive. Would focus on getting PR approval and narrowing down where you think you think you can buy or rent a home because if you try and apply for international study permits the tuition will be much higher even for public schools. For private schools you could easily be looking at 25K+. Once you have received your PR and have your lease or rental agreement you can register for public school. If you decide to go with private school you can start applying when you get PR or a bit earlier if necessary if you know you'll have PR and will be moving before the start of the school year. I would expect that a deposit will be necessary to secure a spot in a private school and proof of PR will be required before your child starts school. It sounds like you may also not speak French. Have you looked into job opportunities for non-French speakers in Quebec? Language isn't a big issue in fields like IT but it can be an issue in other fields. Most of your posts have been about your children's education but being able to secure a job is even more important.
Without being aware of your exact immigration status, it would be difficult to determine whether or not you qualify for local tuition. I did do some research online though and found proof that you are exempt from international fees for CEGEP and university with your selection certificate, but could not find anything about secondary school.
I also found this news article that talks about private versus public schools:
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/sunday/the-sunday-edition-october-29-2017-1.4374949/are-quebec-s-private-high-schools-creating-a-segregated-society-1.4374965
One in three Quebec students go to private secondary schools partly thanks to generous subsidies from the government. At the end of the day, it is your money and you have the right to use it as you see fit. All the French private schools are pretty much 5k a year if you can get the local rate. If you would like a list of the cheapest non-subsidized private English schools, let me know and I will do some research for you. I am sure I can find many that are way lower than the 25k mentioned by Canuck.
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Thank you for the detailed explanation and candid advice. I will take into consideration seriously.
It is my pleasure Kimman. Please feel free to reach out if you have any more questions. I know several families from HK who have settled permanently here in Quebec and done quite well for themselves. Back then, it was easier to get into the public English schools and even the private ones were a lot cheaper than they are now. Some also sent their kids to private French schools and they are perfectly bilingual now. To be quite frank with you, the people I know who graduated from French private schools speak English way better than the French spoken by English private school graduates. If you are set on sending your kids to English private schools though, please do not feel pressured by me or anyone else to choose otherwise. Only you know what is best for your kids. I should note that English private schools here are also cheaper than the international schools you would be paying for in HK if you wanted a top notch English education there for your kids.
Was referring to the proposed plan to attend school as an international student. Tuition as an international student in an English private school is likely over 25K.
Fair enough, however if he is planning on moving here with his whole family, I would expect him to get a work permit to be able to earn an income. You do not need to be a Canadian citizen or even a permanent resident to qualify as a local student. With a work permit, his children would qualify for local tuition at English and French private schools, or free French public schooling.
I re-read some of the posts by OP, doesn't look like he is getting a work permit. He is just applying to be a PR and doesn't want to wait for the process to complete in Hong Kong. Instead he wants to be in Quebec soon. So likely he will need to pay for international tuition for his kids.
Hello hope you and your family are doing well! I’m about to move to Montreal from New York .. I have 2 kids 4 and 2, and would like to put them in English school. Did you find a good public school for your kids ? Any advice ?? Thank you
Are you becoming a PR or are you on a WP? If you are a PR they don’t qualify for English public schools.