Canada Extends the Exemption of Off-Campus Work Hour Limits for International Students

The Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced that international students, who presently study in Canada on a full-time basis and those who have applied for a study permit by December 7, 2023, will have the opportunity to engage in full-time off-campus work until April 30, 2024.

Exemption of Off-Campus Work Hour Limits

The extension of the exemption from the 20-hour-per-week limit on off-campus work for international students during class sessions will now be in effect until April 30, 2024. Both, i.e. the foreign students currently residing in Canada and those who have applied for a study permit by December 7, 2023, will have the flexibility to engage in off-campus work exceeding 20 hours per week until the specified date.

The IRCC is actively exploring possible future adjustments to this policy, including the possibility of raising off-campus work hours for international students to 30 hours per week during class sessions.

Also read- Canada to Revise Cost of Living Requirement for International Students from 1 January 2024

Other Key Updates for international students in Canada

• On December 7, 2023, Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship, Marc Miller, announced that starting from January 1, 2024, the financial requirement for the cost of living for study permit applicants will be increased. This adjustment aims to make certain that international students are sufficiently financially equipped for their life in Canada.
• The facility allowing foreign students to include online study time in the calculation of their future post-graduation work permit duration, provided it includes less than 50 percent of the program, will persist for students beginning their study program before September 1, 2024. However, this arrangement will no longer be applicable to students commencing their program on or after that date. Firstly introduced in 2020 as a response to pandemic-related travel restrictions, distance learning facilitation measures were scaled back in September 2022, with the majority of foreign students now attending in-person classes in Canada.
• In response to labor market interruptions during and after the pandemic recovery, a temporary policy was sanctioned on 3 occasions to grant an additional 18-month work permit to post-graduation work permit holders whose initial permit was expiring. Those with a post-graduation work permit expiring by December 31, 2023, are still eligible to apply under this policy. However, it's key to note that this temporary policy will not be extended beyond this point.

International Students in Canada

Find below a few key facts:

• Every year, international education contributes over $22 billion to Canada's economy, exceeding the economic impact of the country's exports in auto parts, lumber, or aircraft, and sustaining over 200,000 jobs.
• Quebec individually sets its cost-of-living standard for foreign students attending its educational institutions and regularly revises this benchmark.
• The updated financial guiding principles are now extended to the SDS (Student Direct Stream), a specialized study permit application process accessible to residents of fourteen nations. This streamlined process demands extra upfront information from candidates and offers expedited processing as a priority.

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To check your eligibility status and immigrate to Canada on Student Visa in 2024, you may get in touch with Visas Avenue Migration Expert on Toll-Free No. 78-18-000-777 or you can drop us an e-mail at info@visasavenue.com.

- Rajneesh Kumar