Canada temporarily lifts work hour limits for international students to tackle labour shortage
With an aim to tackle labour shortage, the Canadian government on Friday announced the temporary lifting the 20-hour-per-week cap on the number of hours that international students in Canada are allowed to work off-campus while class is in session.
Underling that employers are facing “unprecedented challenges in finding and retaining the workers”, the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said, “From November 15, 2022, until December 31, 2023, international students who are in Canada and who have off-campus work authorization on their study permit will not be restricted by the 20-hour-per-week rule.”
International Students: we are temporarily lifting the 20-hour-per-week cap on the number of hours that students in Canada are allowed to work off-campus while class is in session: https://t.co/GW6giiJTaR
(thread⬇️) pic.twitter.com/XmE2YPZAIk
— IRCC (@CitImmCanada) October 7, 2022
“Foreign nationals who have already submitted a study permit application, as of today, will also be able to benefit from this temporary change, provided their application is approved,” it added.
There are over five lakh international students in Canada available to potentially work additional hours.
“Study permit holders are still expected to balance their study and work commitments, as those who stop studying or reduce course loads to only study part-time are not eligible to work off-campus,” the department further said.
IRCC is also launching a pilot project to automate the processing of study permit extensions. The types of applications being included in this pilot have a consistently high approval rate, as all applicants have previously been approved to study in Canada. The pilot will involve a small group of applicants who could see their extended study permit processed much faster, with the goal of improving client service.
If the pilot becomes successful, it will then be expanded to help reduce processing times and allow officers to focus on more complex applications.
Prior to today’s announcement, any student with the authorization to work off-campus was permitted to work a maximum of 20 hours per week while class is in session, as well as full-time during scheduled breaks. Students eligible to work on campus are not subject to a cap on hours for on-campus work.
