For International Students limit on off-campus work hours to be lifted temporarily
Published on: April 20, 2023
From November 15, 2022, until December 31, 2023, international students who are in Canada and who have off-campus work authorization on their study permit will not be restricted by the 20-hour-per-week rule. Foreign nationals, who have already submitted a study permit application, as of October 7, 2022, will also be able to benefit from this temporary change, provided their application is approved.
Today’s announcement is part of a series of initiatives that aim to benefit international students and graduates, while supporting Canada’s broader efforts to improve client service and application processing times.
You can benefit from this change if:
- your study permit has already been issued
- your study permit has been approved but you have not arrived in Canada yet
- you submitted a study permit application before October 7, 2022, and are awaiting approval
Who can work off campus
- You and your employer must make sure you can work off campus without a work permit before you start working. If you start working off campus but don’t meet the requirements, you may have to leave Canada.
- You can only start working in Canada when your study program has started. You can’t work before you start your studies.
- If you’re able to work during your studies, it’ll say so in the conditions on your study permit.
- If you’re eligible for off-campus work, you don’t need a work permit.
Eligibility requirements
You can work off campus without a work permit if you meet all of these requirements:
- you’re a full-time student at a designated learning institution (DLI)
- you’re enrolled in
- a post-secondary academic, vocational or professional training program or
- a secondary-level vocational training program (Quebec only)
- your study program
- is at least 6 months long and
- leads to a degree, diploma or certificate
- you’ve started studying
- you have a Social Insurance Number (SIN)
- If you’re a part-time student at a DLI
You can work off campus only if:
- you meet all of the requirements above, except the requirement to be a full-time student,
and
- you’re only studying part-time, instead of full-time, because:
- you’re in the last semester of your study program and you don’t need a full course load to complete your program and
- you were a full-time student in your program in Canada, up until your last semester