🧑🎓 Canada Restores Work Hour Limits for International Students
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The Canadian government has announced that starting this fall, international students in Canada will face a new limit on their off-campus work hours. The weekly work-hour ceiling will be reduced from the current 40 hours during the school year to only 24 hours.
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Immigration Minister Marc Miller stated that the federal government will restore this weekly work-hour limit, which was temporarily lifted during the COVID-19 pandemic to allow international students to help address Canada's labour shortage and ease their financial burdens. However, the government has determined that the primary purpose of the international student program is education, not employment. As such, Canada's rules need to align with those of other developed countries to prevent the program from becoming a "loophole for workers" rather than a focus on academic pursuits.
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The new 24-hour per week limit, equivalent to three 8-hour shifts, is intended to strike a balance that allows international students to offset some of their education costs while still prioritizing their studies. This change comes after the government had previously suggested a 30-hour per week limit, which was deemed too close to full-time employment.
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The temporary waiver that allowed unlimited work hours during the pandemic will not be extended past April 30, 2024. The work-hour limit will revert to 20 hours per week until the new 24-hour rule is implemented in September 2024.
International students in Canada face new limit on work hours this fall
Off-campus work will be limited to 24 hours a week, down from the current 40.
Nicholas Keung
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