Canada Lifts the Limit on Off-Campus Working Hours for International Students

On October 7, 2022, the Canadian government has announced a temporarily lift on the number of hours to work per week for international students off-campus to address acute labour shortages in Canada’s economy. In general, international students in Canada are allowed to work for no more than 20 hours/week outside the campus during the academic sessions. Now the limit of 20 hours is removed allowing international students work according to their feasibility. But it is not a permanent lift. This change will be effective only from November 15 2022 to December 31 2022.

This latest update is not only for the international students who are in Canada at present but also for students who have submitted their study permit application before October 7, 2022 only if their application is approved.

Canadian Government Estimates

The temporary lifting of the work cap will affect “more than 500,000 international students already in Canada available to potentially work additional hours,” along with those who will come to the country on an approved study permit applied for before the 7 October.

Students will be asked to balance their academic commitments with off-campus employment. They won't be allowed to change to a part-time timetable or take fewer classes. They won't be permitted to work off-campus if they do.

Minister of Immigration, Sean Fraser stated, "Canada needs to look at every option to ensure to have the talent and workforce required to support the national growth. The economy is expanding more quickly than businesses can add new employees. Immigration will be crucial to easing our labour shortage.

By allowing overseas students to work more during their studies, we can address significant requirements in many businesses around the country. They can continue to contribute to our short- and long-term healing while also receiving more chances to earn useful Canadian work experience.

For many international students this year, the chance to work while studying in Canada is essential due to the affordability issue in many countries, as we recently discussed. Over half of overseas post-secondary students in Canada claim to work while they are enrolled in classes. The work limitations will be temporarily relaxed starting in the middle of November, enabling them to earn more money than before.

Since there are currently no limitations on the number of hours that students can work on campus throughout the academic year, the amendment has no effect on international students who work on campus in Canada.

Some are Suggesting to make this Change Permanently

Some programme supporters are approaching the government to permanently lift the restrictions on off-campus work hours so that people will see the program as addressing more than just problems in the Canadian labour supply. Alistair Kirk, a representative for the Canadian Federation of Students Ontario abroad, admitted as much in a forthright interview with CBC News Canada: "International students are frequently seen as cash cows. The likelihood that we'll stay in Canada to contribute to its future development decreases the more harshly they treat us. I want the government to take into account how overseas students make a living.”

New Initiative Attempts to Lead the Extension of Study Permits

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will automate the extension of study permits for a select group of overseas students as part of a pilot programme. The government claims that it makes sense to try to automate this type of applications because they are already commonly approved in order to free up resources for processing "more problematic" applications. More people will have access to this trial program if it is successful.

Tens of thousands of study permit applications from students who require extensions to remain lawfully in Canada as well as new students who haven't yet arrived in the country are backed up, and immigration officials in Canada are striving to reduce this backlog.