Rules for Employment Under Canadian Student Visas

Many young people come to Canada for post-secondary education on a student visa. Naturally, it is common for students to want to work so that they have a little spending money.

In this post, we will cover the rules and restrictions for employment under a Canadian student visa. We will take a close look at rules for working both on and off-campus and what students should do if they want to find employment in Canada after they graduate.

Suggested Read: 5 Essential Things to Know About Working in Canada

Rules for Working On-Campus

If you are an international student studying in Canada on a student visa, you are automatically eligible to work on campus.

The biggest caveat here is that you must be currently taking classes to be able to work. That means if you arrive on campus before your semester begins, you will not be able to start working until classes start.

In addition to your student visa and full-time enrollment status, you must have a Social Insurance Number to apply for an on-campus job.

You cannot work on campus if for whatever reason you withdraw from your classes or your student visa expires.

Rules for Working Off-Campus

Rules for working off-campus are the same as working on campus plus a few more restrictions.

The biggest restriction is the number of hours that you are allowed to work. You may not clock more than 20 hours any given week during the semester, but you can work full time during any school breaks, like winter or spring break.

The Government’s statement on international students working off-campus specifies that your program of study must have a minimum duration of six months.

Post Graduation Restrictions

Many students come to Canada for school then decide to stay and make it their home. In order to do this legally as per immigration legislation, a person must apply for a post-graduate work permit.

Graduates must apply for this permit within 180 of receiving their marks from their final semester. However, these 180 days are not necessarily part of your student visa.

You’ll have to either apply for a visitor record to wait in Canada or you’ll have to leave the country until our post-graduate work permit is issued.

The most important thing is to be mindful of deadlines because a simple mistake could result in forfeiting your immigration status altogether.

Conclusion As long as you follow all of the guidelines set forth by the Canadian government, you should have no issue working with your student visa.

Many might argue that on-campus work is preferred since there are fewer restrictions on hours, but it is up to you to decide the best way to go.

Best of luck in both your studies and your job search!