Canada is providing the opportunity to gain valuable work experience to international students coming to Canada from different parts of the world.
To those who want to know more about the work rights while studying in Canada is in this article from the Canada Study Visa team.
Work off-campus or outside the college/University
Contents
When you enter Canada you get the Study Permit and this helps you get or makes you eligible to work for any employer outside the college.
All the eligible students can work up to 20 hours per week during the academic sessions. However, students can work full time during scheduled breaks.
Which Students are Eligible to Work
In order to be eligible to work off-campus during his or her studies, an international student must:
All the students who meet the following criteria can get the 20 hours a week work rights in Canada as international students.
- Should have a valid study permit.
- Studying full-time at a designated learning institution.
- Have started studying and remain in satisfactory academic standing as determined by their institution;
- Should be studying in an academic, vocational, or professional training program that is at least six months in duration and leads to a degree, diploma, or certificate;
- have a Social Insurance Number (SIN).
If an international student’s situation changes and he or she no longer meets any of the above eligibility requirements, he or she must stop working off-campus.
If an international student’s situation changes when he or she no longer meets any of the above eligibility requirements, students must stop working off-campus.
Sometimes a student who is no longer studying full-time may be able to continue working off-campus if he or she:
- was registered as a full-time student since the beginning of the study program in Canada and;
- is now studying part-time because it is the last semester of his or her study program and a full-time course schedule is no longer required to complete the program of study.
Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) considers a student’s full-time status based on the number of hours and credits allocated towards the completion of a degree, diploma, or certificate, as determined by the DLI.
Work on-campus
An international student may be able to work within the boundaries of the campus where he or she is registered if the student meets specific criteria.
For an international student to work on-campus without a work permit, he or she must:
- hold a valid Study Permit;
- have a Social Insurance Number (SIN);
- be registered as a full-time post-secondary student at a:
- public post-secondary schools, such as a college or university, or CEGEP in Quebec
- a private college-level school in Quebec that operates under the same rules as public schools, and is at least 50% funded by government grants, or
- a Canadian private school that can legally award degrees under provincial law
On-campus work includes working for an employer located on the campus grounds of the educational institution where a student is studying.
An on-campus employer includes the school, a faculty member, a student organization, a private business (located within the boundaries of the campus), a private contractor that provides services to the school, and being self-employed on-campus.
Work in Canada as a co-op student or intern
International students pursuing a study program at a DLI in Canada that requires a mandatory work placement or internship must apply for a co-op or intern work permit in addition to a valid study permit.
Learn more about Co-op Work Permits in Canada.
Post-Graduation Work Permits
Once the international student graduates, a Post-Graduation Work Permit may be obtained.
In some cases, spouses or common-law partners of international students studying full-time may be eligible for an open work permit. Visit our dedicated page for information on the advantages of an open work permit.