Bill 101 and the Charter of the French Language

You arrive in Quebec and you notice something immediately: the signs are in French, the government form is in French, the cashier answers you in French. This is not a coincidence, nor simply a cultural habit. It is a law.

The Charter of the French Language — which almost everyone here calls Bill 101 — has governed the language of school, work, commerce and the state since 1977. It was deeply revised in 2022.

This guide explains what the Charter concretely changes for you: which school your children may attend, what rights you have at work, what you can require of a business, and for how long the state may serve you in another language.

We stick to what official sources actually say. Where a rule is unclear or we could not verify it, we say so rather than guess.

You will hear people talk about Bill 101 and Bill 96 as if they were two competing laws. In reality, there is only one law today.

Bill 101, adopted in 1977, is the everyday name of the Charter of the French Language. It is the founding text that made French the official language of Quebec.

Bill 96, given royal assent on June 1, 2022, does not replace Bill 101 — it *modernizes* it. Its official name is the *Act respecting French, the official and common language of Québec*. It amended the Charter on many points, and several of its obligations came into force gradually, some only in 2025.

In other words: when a Quebecer says « la loi 101 », they mean the Charter as a whole, as it stands today, 2022 revisions included.

This is the part of the Charter that most directly affects immigrant families.

The principle: in Quebec, public education at the elementary and secondary levels is in French. English public school is the exception, and a child must be *declared eligible* for it.

⚠️ Beware of a very common misunderstanding: your immigration status does not determine eligibility. Being a permanent resident — or even a Canadian citizen — does not by itself grant access to English school. What counts is the schooling history of the child or their parents.

According to the Government of Quebec, a permanent-resident child may be declared eligible in four situations:

• They themselves received the greater part of their elementary or secondary schooling in English, in Canada
• Their brother or sister received the greater part of their elementary or secondary schooling in English, in Canada
• One of their parents is a Canadian citizen and attended English elementary school in Canada
• One of their parents attended school in Quebec after August 26, 1977 and could have been declared eligible at that time

Two further exemptions also exist: for serious learning difficulties, and for a serious family or humanitarian situation.

The application is not made directly by parents: it is the school organization — the English school board or the private school — that forwards it to the Ministère de l'Éducation. The Ministry makes the decision and notifies you in writing. The processing times announced by the government are 15 working days for a complete application concerning the current school year, and 20 working days for the following school year. If the application is refused, remedies exist — notably before the Tribunal administratif du Québec, within 60 days of receiving the refusal letter.

If you are in Quebec on a temporary stay, another door exists. The Government of Quebec provides for temporary authorizations for instruction in English, in three categories:

• Children of foreign nationals holding a valid permit or certificate, as well as dependent children of Canadian citizens or permanent residents arriving from another province
• Dependent children of foreign diplomatic representatives or of officials of international organizations on temporary assignment in Quebec
• Children of Canadian Armed Forces members on temporary assignment

One important caveat: the government states that specific rules govern the maximum duration of this type of authorization, but the official page we consulted does not give that number of years. You will see figures circulating on forums. We prefer not to repeat them. Ask the school organization filing your application for the duration that applies to your situation.

The Charter is not limited to school. It gives you concrete rights as an employee, whatever the size of your company.

According to the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF), you have the right to:

• Work tools, training and documents needed to perform your duties, available in French
• Your employer's written and verbal communications in French
• Job postings published in French
• Your union's communications in French
• Not to be sanctioned, demoted or dismissed because you wish to work in French

That last point deserves emphasis. If a colleague or a superior pressures you to work in English when your tasks do not require it, you are not without recourse: a complaint can be filed with the OQLF.

This is probably the most misunderstood question in the whole Charter. No, the law does not forbid requiring English. It requires the employer to justify it.

Since June 1, 2022, an employer requiring knowledge of a language other than French must show that the position's tasks genuinely require it, and that they have taken all reasonable means to avoid imposing that requirement.

The OQLF lists three reasonable means:

• Having assessed the actual language needs associated with the tasks to be performed
• Having verified that the language knowledge already required of other staff was insufficient to perform those tasks
• Having limited as much as possible the number of positions carrying tasks that require knowledge of that other language

In practice this means two things for you. First, a job posting requiring English must state the reasons for that requirement. Second, a role genuinely facing clients outside Quebec may legitimately require English; a role with no external contact, far less easily.

As a consumer, the Charter gives you the right to be served and informed in French before, during and after a transaction. Concretely:

• Labelling, ingredients, instructions and warranties must exist in French
• Invoices and receipts must be provided in French
• A business's website and social media must have a complete French version
• If a business does not serve you in French, you may file a complaint with the OQLF

The most visible change arrived on June 1, 2025 and concerns outdoor signage. When a sign visible from outside carries a trademark or business name wholly or partly in a language other than French, French must now appear there with marked predominance.

The criterion is quantified: the French text must occupy at least twice the space of the other language, within the same field of vision, with visibility and legibility at least equivalent — lighting included.

Certain elements do not count in that calculation: opening hours, phone numbers, the address, figures and percentages, and definite articles. Furthermore, if the trademark is already registered in a French version with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office, that French version must be displayed.

For products, descriptive elements such as ingredients, colours or characteristics must be in French, but the product's sales name and the business name may remain in another language. Non-compliant products manufactured before June 1, 2025 may be sold off until June 1, 2027.

Since the 2022 revision, the public Administration communicates in principle in French only. Exceptions exist, however, and one of them directly concerns immigrants: the Administration may serve you in a language other than French during the first six months following your arrival in Quebec.

The other exceptions provided by the government cover:

• People declared eligible for instruction in English by the Ministère de l'Éducation
• Members of First Nations and Inuit
• People with whom the Administration was already communicating entirely in English before May 13, 2021
• Services provided outside Quebec
• Legal persons and businesses established outside Quebec, and certain situations under the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement

Plainly put: this six-month window is a transition, not a permanent right. It is also the best practical reason to enrol early in a free francization course.

If you or your child are considering college studies in English, a rule has applied since the fall 2024 term: students enrolled in an English-language program must pass three courses given in French to obtain their DEC (college diploma).

Two important nuances:

• Students who began an English program before fall 2024, without interruption, are exempt
• Holders of a declaration of eligibility for instruction in English may replace those French-taught courses with French-as-a-second-language courses, which are distinct from the two general-education courses

You may see other figures circulating about the number of places available in English CEGEPs. We do not repeat them here: we could not confirm them with a government source.

Here are the chronological markers useful for understanding which regime applies to you. Note especially that Bill 96 did not come into force all at once: its obligations were staggered from 2022 to 2027.

The most common questions about the Charter: compulsory French school, being hired without speaking French, service in French at a business, and the scope of the six-month rule.

These related guides may be useful:

• The Quebec school system — how school is organized once the language question is settled: levels, school calendar, registration
• Learning French free with Francisation Québec — the government courses, and the allowance that comes with them; the practical answer to the six-month rule
• Working in Quebec without speaking French — which sectors actually recruit in English, and how to position yourself
• Understanding the Quebec accent — once the law is clear, the language itself: joual, sacres, and the pronunciation that surprises even French speakers

Every rule cited in this guide comes from the official pages below. The OQLF pages exist in French only.

• Eligibility for instruction in English — Government of Quebec
• Modernization of the Charter of the French Language — Government of Quebec
• Langue du travail — OQLF
• Exiger la connaissance d'une autre langue — OQLF
• Affichage des marques de commerce et noms d'entreprise — OQLF
• Langue du commerce et des affaires — OQLF
• Changements législatifs — OQLF
• Cours donnés en français au collégial — Gouvernement du Québec