Work Permits for International Students
In 2015, there we 353,570 international students in Canada with China and India as the main source countries. This is almost a 100% increase in numbers from the year 2008, when there were 184,170 international students in Canada.
International students add diversity to the college/ university/ city they are studying in and bring a whole new perspective along. However, the international student fee in Canada is approximately 3 times higher than what a domestic student has to pay. To offset this and to give them a taste of the workforce, the Canadian Government has introduced various work permit options for them.
1. Work on Campus: You may work without a work permit on your school campus where you are studying. For this to happen you need to:
be a full-time post-secondary student
have a valid study permit and
have a Social Insurance Number (SIN).
2. Work off Campus: You may work off-campus without a work permit if you:
have a valid study permit
are a full-time student at a designated learning institution (DLI)
have started studying
are in a program that leads to a degree, diploma or certificate and is at least six months long and
have a Social Insurance Number (SIN)
You and your employer must make sure you are eligible to work off-campus without a work permit before you start working. If you start working off-campus but don’t meet the requirements, you may be asked to leave Canada.
Even if you are a full-time student at a DLI, you may not be allowed to work off-campus without a work permit. This is the case if you are:
studying English or French as a second language (ESL/FSL)
taking general interest courses or courses to prepare for another study program or
a visiting or exchange student who won’t get a degree from your host school in Canada.
If you qualify to work off-campus, you can work up to 20 hours per week. You can work full-time:
during scheduled breaks, such as the winter and summer holidays or spring break, and
after you finish your studies if you have applied for any other work permit.
3. Work as Co-op Student or as an Intern: Some programs include work experience as part of their curriculum. You may apply for a co-op or intern work permit if:
you have a valid study permit,
working is a key part of your study program in Canada,
you have a letter from your school that confirms all students in your program need to complete work placements to get their degree
your co-op or internship is 50 per cent or less of the total program of study.
You aren’t eligible for a co-op work permit if you are studying:
English or French as a second language (ESL/FSL) or
general interest courses or courses to prepare for another study program.
4. Post Graduation Work Permit: If you graduated from a designated learning institution, and want to stay and work in Canada temporarily, you may be eligible to apply for a PGWP. This work experience can help you qualify for permanent residence in Canada.
To get a post-graduation work permit, you must:
be 18 or older when you apply
have continuously studied full-time in Canada in a study program at least eight months long
have a document from your school (transcript, official letter, certificate, etc.) that confirms you completed and passed all your program requirements
have graduated from a:
public post-secondary school, such as a college, trade/technical school or university, or CEGEP in Quebec or
private post-secondary school that operates under the same rules as public schools (currently applies only to certain private post-secondary institutions in Quebec) or
private secondary or post-secondary school (in Quebec) that offers qualifying programs of 900 hours or longer, leading to a diplôme d’études professionnelles (DEP) or an attestation de spécialisation professionnelle (ASP) or
Canadian private school that can legally award degrees under provincial law (for example, Bachelors, Masters or Doctorate degree) but only if you are enrolled in a study programs leading to a degree as authorized by the province
apply for a work permit within 90 days of when it was confirmed that you completed your program and
have a valid study permit when you apply for the work permit.
You aren’t eligible to apply for a PGWP if you:
studied in a program that was less than eight months long
studied for more than eight months but not continuously (for example, you took a semester off)
took part in a Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship Program funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC)
took part in a Government of Canada Awards Program funded by GAC
had funding from GAC
took part in the Equal Opportunity Scholarship, Canada-Chile
took part in the Canada-China Scholars Exchanges Program
took part in the Organization of American States Fellowships Program
completed a study program by distance learning either from abroad or from within Canada or
already had a post-graduation work permit following any other program of study.
How long the post-graduation work permit is valid for depends on the length of your study program. If your program was:
less than eight months
you aren’t eligible for a PGWP
more than eight months but less than two years
your PGWP may be valid for up to the same length as your study program (for example, if you studied for nine months, a work permit may be issued for up to nine months)
two years or more
a PGWP may be issued for three years
more than one program
a PGWP may be valid for up to three years, for example, if you finished a diploma or degree from an eligible school in Canada, and within the next two years you get a one-year graduate degree or diploma from an eligible school in Canada.
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