Canada: International Students Back to 20 Hours/Week of Off-Campus Work
The temporary policy allowing international students to work more than 20 hours per week off campus has expired effective 30 April 2024. International students can work unlimited hours during scheduled breaks, like the upcoming summer holidays. However, any international student who is also studying can now, once again, work a maximum of 20 hours per week off-campus.
Bottom Line
The temporary policy allowing international students to work more than 20 hours per week off campus has expired effective 30 April 2024. International students can work unlimited hours during scheduled breaks, like the upcoming summer holidays. However, any international student who is also studying can now, once again, work a maximum of 20 hours per week off-campus.
The Temporary Public Policy to Lift the Limitation that Eligible Study Permit Holders Can Work Without a Work Permit no More than 20 hours per Week Off-Campus During Regular Academic Sessions (the “Temporary Policy”) was implemented on 15 November 2022 in response to the economic and labour challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally slated to expire on 31 December 2023, the Government of Canada chose to continue the Temporary Policy until 30 April 2024.
On 29 April 2024, the Government of Canada published a news release confirming that Temporary Policy would not extend past 30 April 2024. This means that international students without work permits will once again be restricted to working a maximum of 20 hours a week off campus during the academic school year.
As part of its plans to reform the International Student Program, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marc Miller has announced that, starting this fall, the Government of Canada intends to increase the work limit to 24 hours per week. However, until then, the limit remains at 20 hours. Notably, international students can work unlimited hours during scheduled breaks, such as winter and summer holidays.
Takeaway
Since the Temporary Policy has been rescinded effective 30 April 2024, employers must be sure that no international students are being scheduled to work more than 20 hours as of this week.
Please visit, Working Off-Campus as an International Student, for further information.
Our thanks to Rebecca Rosenberg, an Articling Student in the firm’s Toronto office, for her assistance in preparing this website update.
