Canada has modified the rules to allow international students to work off-campus while continuing their studies. International students will no longer be permitted to work for unlimited hours, but the good news is that they may soon be able to work up to 24 hours a week rather than 20.

Working off-campus allows international students to get work experience and offset some of their expenses. However, recent studies conducted in the United States and Canada have indicated that students who work more than 28 hours per week have a significant loss in academic performance and that working more than 24 hours per week increases the likelihood of a student dropping out of their program.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that the temporary policy allowing students to work more than 20 hours per week off campus will come to an end on April 30, 2024, and it will not be extended. This fall, we intend to change the number of hours students may work off campus per week to 24 hours.

Canadian government believes that allowing students to work up to 24 hours a week will guarantee that they prioritize their education while still having the choice to work when needed.

In December 2023, the waiver on the 20-hour-per-week limit on the number of hours international students are allowed to work off campus while class is in session was extended to April 30, 2024.

However, during the incoming summer session, students who have a scheduled academic break can continue working unlimited hours. As per the rules, you can work full-time if you are on a scheduled break, such as winter and summer holidays, or a fall or spring reading week. You are free to work overtime or work 2 part-time jobs that add up to a higher-than-usual number of hours.

To avail, you must be a full-time student both before and after the break to work full-time and you cannot work during a break that comes before you start your very first school semester.

There is no set number of hours per week that counts as ‘full-time’ work. However, your employer must follow all provincial laws on overtime pay and time between shifts. If your program does not have scheduled breaks, you can work up to 20 hours per week.

Working more than 20 hours per week is a violation of your study permit conditions. You can lose your student status for doing this, and may not be approved for a study or work permit in the future. You may also have to leave the country.

International students who begin a college program delivered through a public-private curriculum licensing arrangement on or after May 15, 2024, will not be eligible for a post-graduation work permit when they graduate. Those who already started this type of program prior to May 15, 2024, will still be able to access a post-graduation work permit, provided they meet all other criteria.

Australia recently changed its policy to allow a student to work 48 hours every 2 weeks. In the US, students must meet additional criteria before being permitted to work off campus at all.

Canada raised the cost-of-living threshold that students must meet to be approved for a study permit so they are financially prepared for life in Canada and are not as dependent on working. For 2024, a single applicant will need to show they have $20,635, representing 75% of the low-income cut-off (LICO), in addition to their first year of tuition and travel costs. This change will apply to new study permit applications received on or after January 1, 2024.