Canada Allows International Students To Work For 24 Hours Per Week Off Campus

In a new development concerning international students in Canada, the government has allowed international students to work off campus for 24 hours per week without any work permit but they need to meet other requirements.

Canada's government has announced that from November 8, international students are allowed to work without a work permit at workplaces outside the campus for up to 24 hours per week. However, the students are required to meet other requirements for working while they study in Canada.

"Working more than 24 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," reads the government statement.

Before one starts working outside the campus, the employer and student both need to make sure that they are eligible to work off campus without a work permit. The work can only be started after the course commences and it is not allowed to work before the beginning of the course. If any student starts working off campus and is later found to not meet the criteria for it then in such case they might need to leave Canada. If one is allowed to work while the program is going on, then it will be mentioned on the study permit of the student and those who are eligible to work off-campus don't require a work permit.

Eligibility Requirement For Working 24 Hours A Week Off Campus

The following criteria should be met to be eligible to work off-campus:

• The students need to be enrolled in either - a secondary-level vocational training program (Quebec only) or a post-secondary academic, vocational or professional training program.
• They must be enrolled as a full-time student at a designated learning institution (DLI).
• The study program you are enrolled in leads to a diploma, degree, or certificate and is at least 6 months long.
• The international student should have a social insurance number (SIN) and the course for which he/she was enrolled started.

For part-time students, if they want to work off campus, they can do only if - they meet all criteria except for being a full-time employee and until their last semester, they need to be a full-time student in Canada and they must be in the last semester of their study program.

More Details

During regular semesters and school terms, the students can work in more than one job for up to 24 hours per week as long as they continue to meet the conditions of the study permit. During the scheduled breaks in the school year, the students can work for an unlimited number of hours, work overtime or do more than one part-time job, and the students can also take full-time or part-time courses during these breaks.

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