The Off-Campus Limit
An eligible international student can work off campus without a work permit. During regular school terms the limit is 24 hours per week. Paragraph 186(v) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR) sets the limit, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) explains it on its work off campus page.
IRCC announced on November 15, 2024 that new regulations had taken effect, including this change. The earlier limit was 20 hours per week. IRCC says a student whose current study permit still says 20 hours may work up to 24 hours per week, as long as they continue to meet the eligibility requirements.
Who Can Work Off Campus
IRCC lists these requirements, and all of them must be met:
- The student is full-time at a designated learning institution (DLI).
- The student has started their study program.
- The student is enrolled in a post-secondary academic, vocational or professional training program, or a secondary-level vocational training program in Quebec.
- The student has a valid study permit, or applied to extend it before it expired.
- The program is at least 6 months long and leads to a degree, diploma or certificate.
- Conditions printed on the initial study permit allow off-campus work.
- The student has a social insurance number (SIN).
Part-Time in the Last Semester
A part-time student can work off campus only if they meet the other requirements, are in the last semester of the program, do not need a full course load to finish, and were a full-time student in the program in Canada until that semester.
If the Work Conditions Are Missing
IRCC says an eligible student can ask to have work conditions added to the permit, at no fee. The study permit amendment must be requested before applying to Service Canada for a SIN. A permit that says the holder cannot work off campus is different. A student who has changed to a program that may allow off-campus work may be able to apply to change the conditions, and IRCC says there is a fee.
Who Cannot Work Off Campus
IRCC says a work permit is needed to work off campus if the study permit says off-campus work is not authorized, or the student is only enrolled in an English or French as a second language program, only taking general interest courses, or only taking courses required to be accepted into a full-time program. The same applies if the student no longer meets all of the requirements.
Scheduled Breaks
During a break scheduled by the DLI, such as summer and winter holidays or a reading week, IRCC says an eligible student can work unlimited hours off campus. Once classes are back in session, the 24-hour limit applies again. If a program has no scheduled breaks, IRCC says the limit is 24 hours per week.
Limits on Unlimited Hours
- A scheduled break must be scheduled by the school and last at least 7 consecutive days. A statutory holiday on its own is not a scheduled break.
- If back-to-back scheduled breaks create a break longer than 150 consecutive days, a student can work off campus only during the first 150 consecutive days.
- Taking all scheduled breaks into account, unlimited off-campus hours are allowed for a total of 180 days in each calendar year.
- IRCC's instructions to officers say a student must hold full-time status during the academic session before and after the break.
- Those instructions treat a break a student creates in a program with no scheduled breaks as a leave from studies, and the student cannot work on or off campus during it.
How Hours Are Counted
IRCC defines hours as any time spent earning wages or collecting a commission. A student can work more than one job to make up the 24 hours, as long as they continue to meet the conditions of their study permit.
Self-Employment
For a self-employed student, IRCC counts time spent earning wages, being paid wages for performing a service or selling a product, or collecting a commission for performing a service or selling a product.
Remote Work for an Employer Outside Canada
IRCC says this work does not count towards the 24 hours, as long as the student still meets the conditions of their study permit.
On-Campus Work
IRCC says there is no limit on on-campus hours, in regular terms or scheduled breaks, as long as the student is eligible. An on-campus employer can be the school, a faculty member, a student organization, the student's own business located on campus, a private business, or a private contractor providing on-campus services to the school.
Student Work Placements
IRCC says there is no weekly hour limit for a student work placement, but the placement cannot total more than 50% of the study program.
Compliance and Consequences
IRCC says working more than 24 hours per week is a violation of the study permit conditions. A student can lose student status, may not be approved for a study or work permit in the future, and may also have to leave Canada.
Tracking and Proof
IRCC makes the student responsible for keeping track of off-campus hours and for proving they comply with the permit conditions. That means showing they are actively pursuing their studies, not working more than 24 hours per week, and meeting any other condition on the permit.
Leave and Changing Schools
IRCC says a student on an authorized leave, or switching schools and not studying, cannot work off campus. Work can resume once studies resume.