Work in Canada as an International Student - Immigrant Visa Center

With its friendly immigration policies, Canada allows specific eligible individuals to work in Canada as an international student, without having to apply for a work permit. To qualify to work without filing for another permit, you must meet several conditions. The first is that you must be a full-time student.

Conditions for working in Canada without a work permit.

Will you work in Canada as an international student? If you do, you must meet the following conditions.

• You enrolled at a Designated Learning Institution at the post-secondary level.
• If you are studying in Quebec, your secondary-level course must at least be a vocational program.
• The study permit includes a condition that states you can work on or off-campus. 
• The study permit you hold is valid.
• You have a Social Insurance Number to work in Canada.

If you are a part-time student, you may work off-campus only if you meet the conditions above and you are studying part-time studies because

• The work period is the last semester of your study program, and you do not need a full course load to graduate and
• You were a full-time student in your study program until your last semester.

Off-campus work in Canada as an international student.

If you want to work off-campus instead, you may do so without a work permit if you meet these additional requirements:

• The post-secondary academic, vocational, or professional training program is at least six months long.
• After you complete the course, you will gain a degree, diploma, or certificate.

You will not be eligible to work while studying without a work permit if your course is

• English or French as a second language (ESL or FSL) or
• general interest or preparatory courses or
• a prerequisite for the school to accept you into a full-time program.

Conditions to work on-campus.

Are you going to work on-campus? You can work at all the buildings on the campus where you are studying. If your school has multiple campuses, you may work at other locations of your school under particular circumstances. Your school may allow you to work at a library, hospital, or research facility off-campus if your work is related to a research grant.

Your on-campus employer can be:

• The school
• a faculty member
• a student organization
• a private business
• a private contractor that provides on-campus services to the school

Remember, your study permit will become invalid 90 days after you have completed your study program. We, therefore, recommend that you change your migration status before this period is over.

The number of hours you can work in Canada as an international student.

You may do part-time work in Canada as an international student. However, you can work only when your studies begin. You cannot work during a break that comes before the start of your first semester.

If you are eligible, you may work up to twenty hours per week during a regular school term or semester. 

Scheduled breaks include winter and summer holidays. As there is no set number of hours to be considered full-time work, you may do overtime time work. You may also have two part-time jobs and work over forty hours per week. However, as there is no set number of hours per week that can count as full-time work, you may work overtime or two part-time jobs for over forty hours per week. Your employer must follow all provincial laws on overtime pay.

If your study program doesn't have scheduled breaks, you can work up to twenty hours per week.