After Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that international students could work 24 hours a week off-campus, it says it’s working to implement the rule by the fall.
Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced the changes in April, stating, “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.”
Currently, international students can work 20 hours a week off-campus during the school year but can work full-time during breaks.
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“At this time, the new rule is not yet in effect; however, the department continues to work towards implementation of the regulatory changes in Fall 2024,” said Isabelle Dubois, IRCC’s communications advisor, media relations, and spokesperson.
On November 15, 2022, the government temporarily lifted the rule limiting students to working 20 hours per week off-campus to address labour shortages. That waiver was only extended until April 30, 2024, drawing criticism from international students.
Dubois defended the decision, calling it “generous” compared to rules in other countries.
“Other countries that welcome international students set limits on the number of hours they may work while they study. Australia recently changed its policy to allow international students to work up to 48 hours every two weeks,” she said.
“In the US, international students can only work off-campus after their first year, and if their work meets specific criteria. At 24 hours per week, Canada’s policy on off-campus work would be more generous than most like-minded countries.”
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The 24-hour weekly cap is just one of the stricter measures the government announced that will affect international students.
Since the early 2000s, the cost-of-living requirement for a single applicant was set at $10,000. On December 7, 2023, IRCC announced that it’s increasing that limit to $20,635 per applicant.
IRCC also announced a two-year cap on the number of international students that provinces and territories can accept. The cap will reduce the number of approved international student study permits by 35% from 2023.
The government is also keeping a closer watch on universities and colleges.
According to the proposed changes published in June, IRCC would require schools to track international students’ enrolment or risk a 12-month suspension. Schools must verify the letters of acceptance necessary to apply for study permits. If these changes are approved, officers can do random checks to verify the validity of these letters if there’s a reason to suspect that schools aren’t complying with the rules.
As for the upcoming 24-hour weekly cap, Dubois stated, “International students are here to focus on their studies and not to work full time.”
With files from Isabelle Docto