Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced that international students will be able to work off campus up to a maximum of 24 hours per week starting in September.
The Liberals had temporarily suspended the 20-hour work cap for international students during the COVID-19 pandemic in an effort to ease labor shortages.
This exemption expires on Tuesday.
“If you look at best practices and policies in place in other countries, most of them limit the number of working hours for international students. Canadian rules must be harmonized, otherwise we will find that our programs will attract more and more candidates whose main intention is to work and not study,” said Mr. Miller.
“To be clear, the purpose of the program for international students is to study, not to work. »
The new work limit comes as the federal government takes action on rising international student enrollment across the country.
Critics have warned that allowing foreign students to work full time could turn a study permit into an unofficial work visa, undermining its purpose.
A “reasonable” limit
However, the federal government says it is listening to foreign students who say they need to work more to pay for their studies.
Mr. Miller said his government set the cap at 24 hours because it seems “reasonable” and would allow students to work three full eight-hour shifts.
The ministry’s internal work shows that more than 80 percent of foreign students currently work more than 20 hours a week, he also noted.
The limit will return to 20 hours per week until September, when the government can implement a permanent change to 24 hours.
There is no limit on the number of hours international students can work when they are not actively enrolled in class, such as during the summer.
The Canadian Press reported earlier this year that officials in Mr. Miller’s department warned the government in 2022 that the temporary exemption could distract students from their studies and undermine the purpose of temporary foreign worker programs.
Marc Miller had already launched the idea of setting the ceiling permanently at 30 hours per week. However, on Monday the Immigration Minister said that would be too close to full-time.
“We also know from studies that when you start working around 30 hours, there is a significant impact on the quality of your studies,” he stressed.