international student work canada

Some international students in Canada will be restricted to a 20-hour work week

International students in Canada soon won't be able to work more than 20 hours per week as a pilot program comes to an end.

Last fall, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Sean Fraser introduced the pilot program which temporarily lifted the 20-hour-per-week cap on the number of hours eligible post-secondary students can work off-campus while class is in session. This change started last November and is ending December 31, 2023.

The rules impacted full-time students who were authorized on their study permit to work in Canada.

The purpose of the measure was to "provide eligible international students with a greater opportunity to gain valuable work experience in Canada, and to increase the availability of workers to sustain Canada's post-pandemic economic growth," said a spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

As international students will once again be limited to a 20-hour work week in 2024, some may be strained by the change.

In Canada, an average full-time international student will pay $38,081 for an undergraduate degree program in the 2023-24 school year, according to Statistics Canada. Meanwhile, Canadian students will pay $7,076.

The temporary measure is being assessed by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to identify the impact the policy had, "including how many eligible international students have taken advantage of the temporary public policy."

"The program is currently under review, and decisions to extend or expand will be communicated publicly," a spokesperson said.

This article has been updated after a spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship of Canada provided clarity on the pilot program. 

Lead photo by

A Great Capture


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in City

Mysterious Parisian-style pavilion in Toronto hides abandoned secret tunnel

Canadians could be getting even more money from the feds next week

Deadline approaches for Canadians to claim part of $1.8M Nissan settlement

Ontario Place bulldozed under cover of darkness and people are livid

German neighbourhood has streets named after Toronto and other Canadian cities

Here's when Toronto could get its first snowfall of the year

Ontario child dies of rabies after contact with bat in their home

Canada just got a stunning new sundial coin that can actually tell time