The cap on off-campus work hours for international students is back. The temporary policy allowing students to work over 20 hours a week came to an end on April 30, 2024.
The Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Honourable Marc Miller, announced that this fall, the number of hours students may work off campus per week will change to 24 hours.
Miller explained that the reinstated limit is a measure to guarantee students’ success. “First and foremost, people coming to Canada as students must be here to study, not work.”
According to the Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), “allowing students to work up to 24 hours per week will ensure they focus primarily on their studies, while having the option to work, if necessary.”
The new regulation permits students to work three eight-hour shifts off campus while continuing to be employed on campus for an unlimited number of hours. Students will also be able to exceed the 24-hour limit during their scheduled academic breaks.
However, with the minimum wage in Ontario fixed at $16.55, reducing the number of off-campus hours threatens to hinder students’ ability to financially sustain themselves.
The IRCC is aware of this fact, and has thus amended the cost-of-living financial requirement for incoming students. The revised guidelines require that a single applicant present $20,635 in addition to their first-year tuition and travel cost — as opposed to $10,000 — which was considered sufficient proof of financial capability since the early 2000s.
“These long-overdue changes will protect international students from financially vulnerable situations and exploitation,” stated Miller.
According to the IRCC, “the financial requirement hasn’t kept up with the cost of living over time, resulting in students arriving in Canada only to learn that their funds aren’t adequate.”
These changes come at a difficult time for international students considering an education in Canada. Earlier in the year, the government also imposed a two-year cap on study permits issued, decreasing the number of incoming international students by 35 per cent from 2023 to 2024.
With the new requirements making arriving into Canada more challenging for students, the IRCC has also announced that it would not extend Post-Graduate Work Permits (PGWPs) which have expired beyond Dec. 31, 2023, thus ending the COVID-enlisted policy of allowing students to extend the permits by 18 months.
These amendments have sparked country-wide protests across Canada, as thousands of international students now face deportation. Many feel that tightening its grip on international students is the government’s way to address the housing crisis and the declining job market.
Over the years, Canada has been more than a study destination — a beacon of hope to build a better life. According to the Canadian Bureau of International Education, 57 per cent of international students in Canada plan to apply for permanent residency.
The IRCC recognizes that international students create a significant contribution to Canada’s development, accounting for “more than $22 billion in economic activity annually, greater than Canada’s exports of auto parts, lumber or aircraft, and supports more than 200,000 jobs in Canada.”
The Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) continues to fight for international students’ rights. Under the Fairness for International Students campaign, the CFS advocate for equitable access to healthcare, a streamlined process of Study Permit and entry visa applications, as well as expanded mental health supports available to students suffering from immigration stresses and financial pressures.
As the Canadian economy struggles with the cost of-living crisis, international students suffer the consequences of the government’s long-term failure to stabilize population growth and address the pressures on housing, infrastructure, and healthcare, thus raising the question of whether Canada today is as attractive a destination for students as it once used to be.
