On Friday, Canada allowed international students who have off-campus work authorization on their study permit to work for twenty hours per week while classes are in session.
Sean Fraser, the Immigration Minister, made this announcement earlier this month and said that this measure has been taken temporarily and is applicable from 15 November to 31 December.
Canada explains which international students can apply for the off-campus work permit
International students will also be able to benefit from this policy if Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada approve their application.
Eligibility of off-campus work permit for international students:
As reported by CIC News, having a valid study permit is a must for international students.
They must be studying full-time at a Designated Learning Institution (DLI).
The students must be part of an academic, vocational, or professional training program that is of 6 months duration.
Apart from this, they must also remain in satisfactory academic standing.
The student must also have a social insurance number (SIN)
As per the report, if a student's situation changes during their time working and they no longer meet any eligibility criteria, they must stop working off-campus.
The report also noted that if any student is no longer studying full-time in an institute, they might be able to continue working off-campus under certain conditions.
List of students who are not eligible for off-campus work:
As per the CWS report, students who are enrolled in English or French as their Second Language (ESL or FSL) are not eligible for the off-campus work permit.
Apart from this, students who are pursuing a general interest course or program are also ineligible.
Visiting or exchanging students at a Designated Learning Institution (DLI), it stated.
The report further states that the students who are taking authorized leave from their studies, switching schools, and are not currently studying are all not eligible for the off-campus work permit.
Canada is currently dealing with labor shortages and an unemployment rate that is low by historical standards.
Statistics Canada has reported that the country's unemployment rate fell to 5.2 percent in September, down from 5.4 percent in August.
At present, the rule is that international students who apply to study in a Canadian educational program may get authorized to work off-campus during their studies in the country for up to 20 hours per week.
However, this limit is lifted during scheduled breaks, such as the summer and winter holidays, allowing international students to support themselves financially.
With nearly a million job vacancies, this has resulted in the Canadian government easing this rule for the time being.
According to the Canadian Bureau for International Education research, the majority of international students have an interest in remaining in the country as permanent residents upon completing their studies.
Canada is among the leading destinations for international students. In 2021 alone, it hosted over 620,000 international students.
Canada has already processed more than 452,000 study permit applications between January and August of 2022, a 23 percent increase compared to the 367,000 processed over the same period in 2021.
