Canada To Temporarily Lift Work Hour Limits for Certain Study Permit Holders

Effective November 15, 2022 until December 31, 2023, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is removing the limit on the number of hours international students are permitted to work off-campus each week in an effort to address labor shortages in Canada. To be eligible under the new policy, students must hold a valid study permit, have an approved work permit, or have an application for a study permit submitted before October 7, 2022. It is unclear if this new policy applies to individuals who have applied for their study permits on or after October 7, 2022 or who are applying for extensions to their study permits inside Canada. Students ineligible under the new policy are subject to the current policy which limits off-campus work to a maximum of 20 hours per week while class is in session and full-time during regularly scheduled breaks.

What This Means For Our Clients

Employers can hire students eligible under the policy in a full-time capacity at any time and no longer need to wait for regularly scheduled breaks. Student employees must be diligent to maintain full-time academic status during the course of their study program in order to qualify for a Post Graduation Work Permit following the conclusion of their study program. If working more than 20 hours per week results in a reduced course load or less than full -time studies,  the student may be disqualified from applying for the Post Graduation Work Permit.