International students in Canada will be allowed to work off-campus for an unrestricted number of hours from November 15. This relaxation is available until end December next year.
Currently, international students can work off-campus only for 20 hours per week while classes are in session. This restriction often led to their working in entry level, low-paying jobs or working on the sly, which was an illegal move and led to deportation.
The relaxation announced on Friday, by Sean Fraser, Canada’s immigration minister is temporary and is meant to help resolve the labour-shortage crisis faced by Canadian employers. It will also ease the financial burden of international students.
Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the immigration agency of the Canadian government states, sais “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. Foreign nationals who have already submitted a study permit application, as of today (October 7), will also be able to benefit from this temporary change, provided their study permit application is approved.”
Minister Fraser’s statement read: “With the economy growing at a faster rate than employers can hire new workers, Canada needs to look at every option so that we have the skills and workforce needed to fuel our growth. Immigration will be crucial to addressing our labour shortage. By allowing international students to work more while they study, we can help ease pressing needs in many sectors across the country, while providing more opportunities for international students to gain valuable Canadian work experience and continue contributing to our short-term recovery and long-term prosperity.”
It should be noted that the leeway is not available to ‘future’ students, who furnish their study permit applications post October 7. This, according to some academicians, could create an imbalance.
Safeguards have been built to ensure that this temporary leeway isn’t misused by job seekers. “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,” added the immigration agency.
