Community Vitality Report on English-speaking International Students

Since 2016, the first year of the QS Best Student Cities ranking, produced by QS Quacquarelli Symonds, Montreal is ranked in the top 10 best cities for students in the world. It is regularly ranked as the most student-friendly city in North America and was rated #1 in 2017. The rank’s methodology includes indicators such as university rankings, affordability, and, since 2017, students’ opinions (QS Quacquarelli Symonds, 2019). As a result, Montreal attracts tens of thousands of international students every year. Many of those students come to Quebec with English as their second language, with little to no knowledge of French, to study at both major English-language universities, Concordia and McGill, or in one of the numerous English-language private colleges. Besides all the challenges related to post-secondary studies and being an English-speaker in Quebec, English-speaking international students who want to settle in Quebec also need to face the challenge of living abroad and learning the language of the majority.