Canada: End of Waiver and New Rules for Off-Campus Work Hours for International Students

Update - November 18, 2024: As expected, IRCC has increased the number of hours students may work off-campus without a work permit to 24 per week, effective immediately. 

April 29, 2024: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced that the temporary policy that allows eligible international students to work off-campus in Canada for unlimited hours per week during academic sessions will expire on April 30, 2024, as intended. The policy will not be extended and, as of May 1, 2024, students will only be able to work off campus for 20-hours per week—which was the policy that was previously in place. However, at some point between September to November 2024, IRCC is expected to increase the number of hours students may work off-campus per week to 24 hours. The measures aim to ensure that students focus primarily on their studies and deter international students from obtaining study permits for other purposes such as work. The measure follows the increase in cost-of-living requirements for international students implemented in January 2024 to avoid students arriving in Canada with inadequate funds to live there. As a reminder, foreign nationals who stop studying or reduce their course load to study part-time are not eligible to work off-campus. Additionally, eligible students can work full-time (up to 40 hours per week) during scheduled breaks.