Recently, many CEGEP students in Quebec have been protesting Quebec's Bill 96, which respects French, the official language of Quebec and the common language. According to the bill, Quebec will freeze the proportion of English CEGEP students enrolled in English schools each year at the current 17%, rather than increasing as previously proposed.

In addition, English CEGEP students must pass a uniform French examination in order to obtain a diploma, the same as French CEGEP, except for those who use English for primary and secondary education. The provincial government wants to fully "franchise higher education" and "ensure that every higher education graduate passes a common French proficiency test before entering Quebec society".

"The requirements now are really stressful for international students," said Avery Wong, who protested at John Abbott College. "I've really decided to leave because I can't learn French in two years." Also, many students are seeking the best way to learn French.

"It's not that people hate the French, " one student said. "Many people agree that protecting the French language is important, but not putting education at risk."

Immigrant students or those in Quebec on student visas say they are struggling to learn not only English but now French, putting them in an unprecedented bind.