I have to say I'm an outsider in this, but I think people should learn English when living in the states. English is not hard to learn as a second language.

I'm a French Canadian. Of course my English is not perfect; I sometimes make dumb mistakes, some words I simply don't know even if some kids know them, and my verb tenses are sometimes just wrong. But I can understand people and people can understand me. With daily practice, one can come with a really good English in maybe 2-3 years. Some will learn faster, some slower. I think 5 years to learn English isn't exagerated.

But I still am ****ed when I see people who lived in Quebec for generations and can't even say "Bonjour" or "Merci" right (Hello and thanks).