PACP - International Students – Work Hours - December 5, 2023

Key Messages

• There is a public policy in place that waives the 20-hour limit on off-campus work hours. It applies to students whose study permit applications were submitted on or before October 7, 2022. The public policy expires on December 31, 2023.
• The purpose of the public policy was to provide international students with a greater opportunity to gain valuable work experience in Canada, and increase the availability of workers to sustain Canada’s post-pandemic growth.
• We have been working to assess the impact of the public policy. We have heard a lot of views, and we know that the public policy has had a lot of support amongst students and employers. However, we have to balance work authorization with the fact that international students are in Canada to study. No decisions have been made yet on the future of the public policy.

Supplementary Information

• Canadian work experience gained while a full time student does not count towards the work experience requirement for the Canadian Experience Class.