Recently, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has stated that it would allow all the eligible students to work for 24 hours per week off campus without a work permit. Previously, this limit was up to 20 hours.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that some people were exploiting immigrants by making false promises of jobs, diplomas, and easy paths to citizenship. The policy has been changed to prevent these problems and control the number of immigrants. This new policy will provide students with better opportunities to balance study and work and will also strengthen Canada’s workforce.
Eligibility criteria:
The applicant should be a full-time student at a designated learning institution. He/she should be enrolled in a post-secondary academic, vocational, professional training program or a secondary-level vocational training program (Quebec only).
Additionally, the applicant’s study program should be of at least 6 months and should lead to a degree, diploma or certificate and should have started studying. The applicant should have a social insurance number (SIN) as well.
According to the IRCC, the student must meet these requirements for working off-campus or else they may have to leave Canada.
The IRCC has stated that during the regular semesters, students can work up to 24 hours per week in more than 1 job to make up these hours as long as they continue to meet the conditions of their study permit. Additionally, during winter and summer vacations, the student can work for an unlimited number of hours if they’re on a break scheduled by the institution.
IRCC Minister Mark Miller has said that the purpose of this change is to give students the opportunity to gain Canadian work experience along with their studies. This step will help students in their studies and financial needs. Indian students will directly benefit from this change as now they will not only be able to increase their earnings by working more hours, but will also be able to gain a good work experience.