Canada: Foreign students can work full time despite 24-hr cap; know rules

Canada continues to cap off-campus work at 24 hours a week for international students, but unlimited on-campus jobs and foreign freelancing remain permitted during academic terms

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Studying in Canada and also want to work for long hours? According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), most students can work only up to 24 hours a week while classes are running. There are, however, a few circumstances where students can work without hourly limits.

 

What are the work rules during term time?

 

International students may work unlimited hours in the following cases:

• Work done on campus

• Freelancing for international clients

 

All other off-campus work stays capped at 24 hours per week during term time.

 

Kind of work — number of hours allowed while classes are in session

• Work done off-campus for Canadian employers: 24 hours per week

• Work done on campus: unlimited

• Freelancing for foreign clients: unlimited

 

Students may also work unlimited hours for any employer during “regularly scheduled breaks”. These breaks must be set by the institution and last at least seven consecutive days. Canada recognises up to 150 days of scheduled breaks.

 

How does on-campus work operate?

 

International students are free to work unlimited hours on campus, even during academic terms. This applies to jobs with:

• The school itself

• A faculty member

• A student organisation

• The student themselves if they run a business physically located on campus (such as a café)

• A private business on campus

• A private contractor providing on-campus services

 

What counts as on-campus work?

 

Students may work in any building located on their school campus. If the school has several campuses, students can normally work only on the campus where they study. There are exceptions for teaching or research assistants whose work is tied to a research grant. In such cases, work may take place in affiliated facilities such as libraries, hospitals or research centres, even if these lie outside the physical campus.

 

How does freelancing for international clients work?

 

Students may freelance for foreign clients without hourly limits. This is because freelancing for a non-Canadian business does not enter Canada’s labour market. To stay within the rules, the freelancer must be an independent contractor and the client should have no financial ties to Canada.

 

If the work does enter the Canadian labour market, then the usual study-permit work conditions apply: up to 24 hours per week for off-campus Canadian employers while classes are in session.

 

Students are normally treated as residents for Canadian tax purposes. This means they must report worldwide income, including freelance earnings, and may need to pay both employer and employee Canada Pension Plan (CPP) contributions. Foreign employers are defined as those whose main business activities take place outside Canada and who do not have a Canada Revenue Agency business number or Canadian business location.

 

What are the general conditions for student work authorisation?

 

Study permits usually include work authorisation with conditions, according to IRCC. Students may begin working only after their programme starts, and the study permit must contain the printed condition allowing on- or off-campus work. A valid Social Insurance Number (SIN) is required.

 

Students may work on campus without a separate work permit if they are full-time students at:

• A public post-secondary institution (college, university, trade or technical school, or a CEGEP in Quebec)

• A private post-secondary school in Quebec operating under the same rules as public institutions

• A private or public institution in Quebec offering qualifying programmes of 900 hours or more that lead to a Diploma of Vocational Studies (DVS) or an Attestation of Vocational Specialisation (AVS)

• A Canadian private school authorised to grant degrees, if enrolled in a provincially recognised degree programme

 

To keep their right to work, students must meet the conditions of their study permit by:

• Remaining enrolled at a Designated Learning Institution

• Showing they are actively pursuing their studies by enrolling full-time or part-time each term (except breaks)

• Progressing towards course completion

• Avoiding authorised leaves longer than 150 days

• Applying to extend the study permit if switching post-secondary schools

• Stopping work if they no longer meet student requirements

• Leaving Canada when the permit expires

 

What additional study-permit conditions may apply?

 

Some study permits list further conditions, including:

• The level of study

• Whether they may work on or off campus

• Whether medical examinations are required

• Whether domestic travel is permitted

• The date by which studies must end

 

Students are not authorised to work in the following situations:

• The day they stop full-time studies (unless in their final semester and meeting requirements)

• After their study permit expires

• During an authorised leave

• While switching schools and not studying

 

They may resume work only after returning to their studies and meeting all criteria once again.

 

Can part-time students in their final semester work?

 

Students with part-time course loads in their final semester may continue working unlimited hours on campus if they were full-time in all previous semesters and are part-time only to complete the final requirements. They remain eligible for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP), provided all other conditions are met.

 

Freelancing for foreign clients does not need Canadian work authorisation and is not affected by these limits.

 

What work experience counts toward permanent residence?

 

Work experience gained as a full-time student does not count towards the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and does not add Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points for Canadian work experience.

 

However, full-time student work may count for:

• The minimum work requirements under the Federal Skilled Worker Programme

• Meeting eligibility for category-based draws under Express Entry

• CRS points for foreign work experience under skill transferability rules