During their education, foreign students and their partners or spouses might well be allowed to work.
As long as their study visa specifies they are allowed to work on or off campus, international students studying in Canada may be permitted to work while they are there. After they commence their studies, the student can begin working, but only after they have fulfilled all other qualifying requirements.
Rules for working off-campus
A qualified student may be permitted to work for a company that is not situated on the campus of the academic institution. If a student is qualified, they are only allowed to work up to 20 hours each week during the normal school seasons and full-time during the spring, winter, and summer breaks.
A foreign student who wants to work off campus must meet the following requirements:
- possess a current study permit
- attend a Designated Learning Institution full-time (DLI)
- have enrolled in classes and continue to maintain a sufficient GPA as judged by their institution
- be enrolled in an educational program that lasts at least six months and leads to the awarding of a certificate, diploma, or degree, whether it be academic, vocational, or professional.
- possess a social security number (SIN)
- A student must discontinue working off campus if their circumstances change while they are employed and they are no longer eligible under any of the aforementioned conditions.
If a student is no longer enrolled in classes full-time, they might still be eligible to work off campus if they:
- were enrolled as full-time students since the start of the study program in Canada,
- are currently enrolled in part-time classes as their program’s final semester
- approaches and a full-time course load is no longer necessary to graduate.
The following students are not permitted to work off campus:
- students taking a specific interest training or program students visiting or
- studying abroad at a designated educational institution
- taking only the courses necessary to be accepted into a full-time program
- students enrolled in English as a Second Language (ESL) or French as a Second Language (FSL) program
- students taking an authorized leave from their studies
