Limit on off-campus work hours to be lifted temporarily

From November 15, 2022 to December 31, 2023, international students who are in Canada and are allowed to work off-campus under a study permit will not be restricted by the 20-hour-per-week rule as currently prescribed (the maximum time international students can work off-campus is currently set at 20 hours per week). Foreign nationals who have applied for a study permit, as of today, will also be able to benefit from this temporary change, provided their application is approved.

Canada Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship announced the temporary lifting of the 20-hour per week limit on the number of hours eligible post-secondary students are allowed to work off-campus because Canada is currently working in the period of economic recovery and growth after the Covid pandemic has lasted for nearly 3 years. Employers in Canada are facing unprecedented challenges in finding and retaining the right workers.

With more than 500,000 international students already living in Canada, able to work overtime, this temporary change reflects the important role international students play in addressing Canada's labor shortage, taking advantage of the availability of workers in the golden age to maintain growth after the pandemic. The measure will also provide international students with a greater opportunity to gain valuable work experience in Canada. However, international students still have to balance their commitment to study and work on a study permit, as students who stop studying or reduced course load to study part-time will not be eligible to work. outside the school grounds.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is also launching a pilot project to automate the study permit renewal process. The types of applications included in this pilot program consistently have high approval rates, as all applicants have previously been approved to study in Canada. If this pilot is successful, it will be expanded to help reduce processing times and allow staff to focus on more complex applications.