Canada Is Changing Its Work Rules For International Students & They Can Earn So Much More Now
McGill University in Montreal. Right: Canadian currency.
International students in Canada will soon be able to work more than 20 hours a week while studying in the country.
As announced by immigration officer Sean Fraser in a news briefing on October 7, the cap on the number of hours international students are allowed to work will be temporarily lifted starting November 15 and will remain in place until the end of 2023.
How many hours can international students now work in Canada?
This means that international students in Canada will be able to pick up extra work shifts and not be constrained by the 20-hours-a-week work rule. There does not seem to be any upper limit cap on the number of hours they can work during this period.
This temporary arrangement has been made to address the country's labour shortages, said Fraser.
"This change is going to help sustain Canada's post-pandemic growth and provide a boost for thousands of employers looking to add to their staff in the upcoming holiday season – particularly in sectors facing severe labour shortages," he said.
"It's also going to give post-secondary students a greater opportunity to support themselves, to gain work experience in Canada, in many instances in their field of study as well," he added.
Who benefits from this new change?
This means that around 500,000 international students who are already in the country will soon be eligible to work more, if they wish to do so, he pointed out.
Foreign nationals who have submitted a study permit can also benefit from this temporary change, as of today, as long as their application is approved.
This is great news for international students who wish to pick up jobs to support themselves financially as they study.
However, if a student were to stop studying or reduce their course work to only part-time study, they would not be eligible to work off-campus.
How many hours could international students work before this?
Before this, international students were only allowed to work 20-hours a week while classes are in session.
During scheduled breaks in the year – like summer or winter breaks – they were allowed to work full-time.
Fraser also announced a pilot project to automate the processing of student permit extensions, that will have some study permits processed much faster, while also "freeing up" officers to work on more complex applications.
If this pilot project were to be successful, it could be expanded to further help reduce processing times.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
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