Extension of the off-campus work hours for international students was done by Canada until April 2024 to seek employment for their career.
Canada’s immigration department, known as Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) recently decided to continue a special rule for certain international students. This rule lets these students work more hours than usual, specifically beyond the regular 20-hour limit for off-campus jobs during non-academic breaks.
This decision came about because Canada is facing a shortage of workers. So, in 2022, the immigration department introduced a short-term rule. This rule allowed certain international students to take up full-time employment, meaning they could work for 40 hours per week off-campus. Initially, this special rule was set to end on December 31, 2023, having started on November 15, 2022. However, with the recent announcement, they have extended this temporary policy. Now, it will last until April 30, 2024.
Before the new rule kicked in around the end of 2022, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) had a limit for international students working off-campus. They could only work up to 20 hours per week during the school year. However, when there were academic breaks like reading week or winter break, they were allowed to work full-time under the existing IRCC policy.
Now, with the recent announcement, things have changed. The IRCC shared that international students who were already in Canada and those who applied for a study permit by December 7, 2023, can now work off-campus for more than 20 hours per week until a specified time. This update means they have an extended opportunity to work more hours temporarily.
Eligible International Students Across Canada
The decision by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) may not have made the policy permanent, as many international students wished. However, it’s still a valuable change for students through a Canada work permit.
This is because having the option to work more hours is a big relief for international students. It means they don’t have to stress as much about money. An international student from Ecuador expressed how being able to work full-time “allows us to get more money and not have that financial burden, or worry so much about money.
Eligible For Working Hours Policy
It is important to note that not all international students can work beyond the usual limit on off-campus employment. To be eligible for more than 20 hours per week, certain conditions must be met. Firstly, the student has to be attending in-person classes at their Canadian post-secondary institution; online classes from abroad don’t qualify. Additionally, their study permit must include authorization for off-campus work.
It’s worth mentioning that students who applied for a study permit by October 7 of last year, which is when IRCC first introduced this temporary policy in 2022, have also been able to enjoy the removal of the restriction on off-campus work hours.
Additional Measure Considers By IRCC
In the recent announcement, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) shared that they’re thinking about future changes to the policy. Although nothing concrete has been done yet, the announcement specifically mentioned the possibility of expanding off-campus work hours for international students to 30 hours per week while class is in session.
If this happens, it would be a significant shift from the usual rules for international students working off-campus. Currently, foreign nationals studying in Canada are limited to 20 hours of off-campus work per week when they are attending classes. So, the potential change to 30 hours would be a notable deviation from the existing restrictions.
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