How many hours can I work on my study permit?
Short answer
Since November 8, 2024, an eligible international student may work off campus up to 24 hours per week without a work permit during academic sessions, and full time during the breaks set out in the school calendar.
In detail
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced the move from 20 to 24 hours per week for off-campus work during sessions. This authorization rests on a public policy tied to s. 186(v) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations.
The limit applies during academic sessions. During the breaks set out in the institution's calendar (summer holidays, the winter holiday break, reading week), full-time work is possible.
The authorization depends on conditions tied to your study permit: you must, among other things, be enrolled and comply with the conditions printed on the permit. Those conditions appear on the document itself — that is the first thing to re-read.
What to document
Your study permit (the conditions are written on it), your proof of full-time enrolment, your institution's official calendar of sessions and breaks, and your timesheets or pay stubs week by week.
Put your facts in writing, free. Writing your version down early, keeping your documents dated and preparing your questions for a lawyer: the tool is there to document, never to advise.
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Official sources
- Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada — New rules on off-campus work hours
- Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada — Public policy, working off campus
Related questions
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- Can I make a humanitarian application while my refugee claim is being processed?
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What this page is not
This is general legal information about the law of Quebec and Canada, dated and sourced. It is not legal advice, not a strategy, and not a prediction about the outcome of a case. In Quebec, only lawyers and notaries may give legal advice (Act respecting the Barreau du Québec, ss. 128 and 133). Laws and amounts change: the official source always prevails over us.