TORONTO – The government of Canada has announced to revise the rules regarding the off-campus work hours allowed to international students.
At present, the students are allowed to work for over 20 hours per week; however, a fresh official statement implies that this limit would come to an end on April 30th this year with no chances of extension.Â
The Immigration, Refugees and Immigration Canada (IRCC) has announced that this fall, the number of working hours students may work off campus per week would be set to 24 hours.
‘Students who come to Canada must be here to study. As such, allowing students to work up to 24 hours per week will ensure they focus primarily on their studies, while having the option to work, if necessary,’ said a statement issued by IRCC.
The government has clarified that students who have a scheduled academic break can continue working unlimited hours, adding that academic outcomes suffer the more a student works while studying.Â
‘We will continue to support and protect international students from financial vulnerability and keep protecting the integrity of the International Student Program,’ the official statement read.
Commenting on the development, Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship said working off campus helps international students gain work experience and offset some of their expenses.
‘As international students arrive in Canada, we want them to be prepared for life here and have the support they need to succeed. However, first and foremost, people coming to Canada as students must be here to study, not work. We will continue working to protect the integrity of our student program,’ he added.
It is to be highlighted that the government of Canada has recently made its visa requirements tough for international students. In December last year, the government increased the cost-of-living threshold that students must meet to be approved for a study permit so they are financially prepared for life in Canada and are not as dependent on working.
Moreover, as per the rules, international students who begin a college program delivered through a public-private curriculum licensing arrangement on or after May 15th this year, will not be eligible for a post-graduation work permit when they graduate but those who already started this type of program prior to May 15th will still be able to access a post-graduation work permit, provided they meet all other criteria.
The authorities in Canada have also announced to reduce the number of international students by 35 percent as compared to 2023 – a step which visibly worried international students from different countries aspiring to study in the country.
