International Students Back To 20 Hours/Week Of Off-Campus Work – General Immigration

Bottom Line

The temporary policy allowing international students to work
more than 20 hours per week off campus has expired effective April
30, 2024. International students can work unlimited hours during
scheduled breaks – like the upcoming summer holidays.
However, any international student who is also studying can now,
once again, work a maximum of 20 hours per week off-campus.

The Temporary Public Policy to Lift the Limitation
that Eligible Study Permit Holders Can Work Without a Work Permit
no More than 20 hours per Week Off-Campus During Regular Academic
Sessions (the “Temporary Policy”) was implemented on
November 15, 2022, in response to the economic and labour
challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally slated to
expire on December 31, 2023, the Government of Canada chose to
continue the Temporary Policy until April 30, 2024.

On April 29, 2024, the Government of Canada published a news release confirming that Temporary Policy
would not extend past April 30, 2024. This means that international
students without work permits will once again be restricted to
working a maximum of 20 hours a week off campus during the academic
school year.

As part of its plans to reform the International Student
Program, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marc
Miller has announced that starting this fall, the Government of
Canada intends to increase the work limit to 24 hours per week.
However, until then, the limit remains at 20 hours. Notably,
international students can work unlimited hours during scheduled
breaks, such as winter and summer holidays.

Takeaway

Since the Temporary Policy has been rescinded effective April
30, 2024, employers must be sure that no international students are
being scheduled to work more than 20 hours as of this week.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general
guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought
about your specific circumstances.