July 26th, 2023 at 02:47 am
What you need to know about working while studying in Canada.
Working in Canada while you study there can be a great way for international students to gain experience, make connections, and earn extra money to pay bills (or buy something special for themselves!). But there are some rules about who can work and what they can do in Canada while they are in school. Here are the things you need to know before you start looking for a job.
Who can work in Canada while studying?
Before you start a job in Canada while you’re still in school, you should make sure you qualify to do so. If you don’t, you could be asked to leave the country. Your study permit will tell you if you can only work on campus or if you can also work off campus.
If all of these things are true, international students can work on campus without a work permit. (Note that you can’t work on campus after your last day of full-time school.)
- You are a full-time post-secondary student at either
- a public post-secondary school,
- a private college-level school in Quebec that gets at least 50% of its funding from the government, or
- a private school in Canada that is allowed by provincial law to give degrees.
- You have a valid study permit.
- You have a SIN, which is a Social Insurance Number.
If they meet all of the following requirements, international students can work off-campus without a work permit. (Keep in mind that you can’t start working in Canada until your study program starts.)
- You go to a Designated Learning Institution (DLI) and study there full-time.
- You are enrolled in either a post-secondary professional, vocational, or professional training program or a secondary vocational training program (only in Quebec).
- You’re in a study program that lasts at least six months and leads to a degree, diploma, or certificate.
- You have already begun to study.
- You have a SIN, which is a Social Insurance Number.
If you’re a part-time student, you must meet all of the above requirements and only be studying part-time because you’re in the last semester of your program and don’t need a full course load to finish it.
Types of work permitted for students
On-campus work
On-campus jobs are those that take place in the buildings on your school’s campus. If your school has more than one campus, you can usually only work on the campus where you study. You can, however, work in other places if you are a teaching or research assistant or if your work is related to a research grant. An on-campus employer can be your school, a faculty member, a student group, a private contractor who provides services on-site, or even you if you run a business on campus. No one can tell you how many hours you can work on campus. Here, you can find out more about jobs on campus.
Off-campus work
If you meet all the requirements for working off campus, you can usually work up to 20 hours a week during regular school terms or semesters. During school breaks, like winter and summer vacations, you can work extra hours or take on two part-time jobs that add up to a higher number of hours than you usually do. The 20-hour-per-week limit has been lifted temporarily from November 2022 to December 2023. During this time, international students in Canada can work off-campus for more hours, up to the maximum allowed by provincial employment standards, which is usually between 40 and 48 hours per week.
To qualify, you must be a full-time student before and after a break. This means that you don’t get credit for the summers before and after your study term. Here, you can find out more about jobs away from campus.
Internships and co-op placements
Work experience is a part of the curriculum for some study programs. If this is true for your program, you can apply for a co-op or intern work permit if you meet these requirements:
- You have a valid study permit
- To finish your program of study in Canada, you have to work.
- You have a letter from your school saying that all students in your program must do work placements in order to graduate.
- Your co-op or internship is less than half of your study program or less.
During COVID, the Canadian government has made some exceptions for co-ops and internships that take place in remote areas. Here, you can find out more about these.
How to Balance Work and School in Canada
- Plan out your time well. Work and school can make it easy to take on too much, especially in the first year of school. Before looking for more work, it might be best to give yourself some time to get used to your new schedule.
- Look for opportunities that are related to your field of study or that will help you learn new things, like how to speak English or French better. Jobs can be more than just a way to make money. Use this chance to learn outside of the classroom and maybe even make some connections that will help you in your field.
- Talk to your boss about your job prospects in the future. Canadian companies often give full-time jobs to former interns or part-time workers with whom they have already worked. Use your internship or part-time job to get a foot in the door.
- Network at work and ask your boss for a LinkedIn recommendation to show future employers you’ll be a great hire. Recruiters fill many Canadian jobs. Networking is the best way to find job openings. Meet industry professionals. They may know someone else looking for a job if they don’t hire you.
- Be proactive. Ask your boss for more work or a specific project. Ask or don’t get! Request assistance. Most Canadian companies encourage teamwork and asking for help.
- Asking a coworker or manager for help can be a way to learn and meet new people.
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