Canada International Student Work Hours Increased to 24-Hrs Per Week

Key Points

1. Increase in working hours: Canada international student work hours have been increased to 24 hours per week off campus, up from the previous limit of 20 hours.

2. Balancing work and study: The new policy aims to strike a balance between work and academics, allowing students to gain work experience while focusing on their studies.

3. Unlimited working hours during summer breaks: International students can continue to work unlimited hours during the upcoming summer academic break.

In recent Canada student working hour news, the policy introduced by the IRCC to allow international students to work more than 20 hours per week has come to an end, replaced by a 24-hour work week. This policy, introduced in 2022 as a temporary measure in the face of growing labor shortages, was due to end by December 31, 2023. However, the Canada student working hours rule was unchanged until April 2024.

The Canadian gov’t claimed in December 2024 that it would consider allowing students to work up to 30 hours per week while still in the academic year. However, the IRCC has now announced that the 20-hour work limit Canada will now be lifted, and students can work for up to 24 hours per week during off-campus time from the upcoming fall semester.

Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Marc Miller admits, “Working off campus helps international students gain work experience and offset some of their expenses”.

IRCC confirmed that for the upcoming summer academic break, international students can continue working for unlimited Canada student working hours.

“As international students arrive in Canada, we want them to be prepared for life here and have the support they need to succeed. However, first and foremost, people coming to Canada as students must be here to study, not work. We will continue working to protect the integrity of our student program.” Miller added regarding recent student working hours in Canada news

The IRCC believes that Canada's new rules for international students working hours “strike the right balance” and help students to gain the correct experience without compromising on academics. The IRCC reached this conclusion on Canada's international student work hours after conducting thorough research. The body claims that its assessments of students and policies in other countries have revealed that excessive working off-campus hours can cause harm to a student’s academics.

The move also comes as a relief to the students who claimed that the 20-hour work limit in Canada left them open to exploitation, which left them open to spiralling amidst the country’s shooting housing prices and cost of living.

Miller revealed in his latest announcement that the new Canada student working hours “seem reasonable” when one considers them as three eight-hour working shifts in a week and brings them in alignment with other countries. The UK allows international students to work 20 hours per week, while Australia allows for 48 hours of work every two weeks.

“We know that 80%+ of students are working over 20 hours. We think it would’ve been unduly burdensome to reduce it to 20 hours,” Miller added when talking about Canada international student work hours.

TL;DR

In Canada student working hours news, the IRCC has increased off-campus working hours for international students in Canada to 24 hours per week, allowing unlimited hours during summer breaks. This decision aims to balance work and study, providing students with more opportunities to gain work experience and offset expenses amidst rising living costs.

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