Off-Campus Work Without A Work Permit In Canada

On This Page, You Will Find:

• The current off-campus work limit
• Who can work off campus without a work permit
• Who cannot work off campus
• When you can start working and when you must stop
• How on-campus work is different
• Co-op and internship placements after April 2026
• Working remotely for an employer outside Canada
• What happens if you work more than the limit
• 2026 study permit and PGWP changes affecting student workers
• Frequently asked questions

International students in Canada can work off campus without a separate work permit, but only if they meet every condition Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) sets, and only up to a fixed weekly limit. The number of hours has changed twice in recent years, and students who rely on outdated figures risk breaching their study permit conditions.

The Current Off-Campus Work Limit

Eligible study permit holders can work up to 24 hours per week off campus during regular school terms or semesters. That cap has been in place since November 2024, when new International Student Program regulations took effect and replaced the earlier 20-hour limit. IRCC confirmed the change in a news release issued on 15 November 2024, and the 24-hour figure remains current on canada.ca as of 30 August 2026.

The 24 hours are a total, not a per-employer allowance. Students can hold more than one job to make up the hours, provided they continue to meet every condition of their study permit.

Students whose permits still carry the older wording – “may work 20 hours per week off campus” – are not held to 20 hours. IRCC states directly that those students may work up to 24 hours per week so long as they continue to satisfy the eligibility requirements. There is no need to replace the permit to benefit from the higher cap.

Scheduled breaks

During a break scheduled by the designated learning institution (DLI) – summer and winter holidays, or a reading week – eligible students can work unlimited hours off campus. Taking courses part time or full time during that break does not affect the entitlement to unlimited hours.

One important exception: if a study program has no scheduled breaks, the student is limited to 24 hours per week year-round.

Who Can Work Off Campus Without A Work Permit

IRCC requires students to meet all of the following before starting work:

• Full-time enrolment at a designated learning institution
• The study program has already started
• Enrolment in a post-secondary academic, vocational or professional training program, or a secondary-level vocational training program in Quebec
• A valid study permit, or an application to extend it filed before it expired
• A program that is at least six months long and leads to a degree, diploma or certificate
• Work conditions printed on the initial study permit that allow off-campus work
• A Social Insurance Number (SIN)

The permit must carry one of two specific conditions before Service Canada will issue a SIN: either “May work 24 hours per week off campus or full-time during regular breaks if meeting criteria outlined in paragraph 186(v) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR),” or “May accept employment on or off campus if meeting eligibility criteria, per paragraph 186(f), (v) or (w) of the IRPR, and must cease working if no longer meeting these criteria.”

Where an eligible student’s permit does not carry either condition, IRCC allows an amendment request at no fee. The amendment must be completed before applying for a SIN.

Part-time students in a final semester

A student studying part time can still work off campus, but only in narrow circumstances: they must meet every other requirement, be in the last semester of the program, not need a full course load to finish, and have studied full time in the program in Canada until that final semester.

Exchange and short-programme students

IRCC’s off-campus page does not name exchange students as a separate category. The eligibility test is what matters: a programme must run at least six months and lead to a degree, diploma or certificate from the Canadian DLI. Students on short exchanges or on programmes under six months that do not award a Canadian credential therefore fall outside the exemption and would need a work permit. Students in that position should review the categories of work that do not require a permit or apply for one.

Who Cannot Work Off Campus

The exemption does not apply if any of the following is true:

• The study permit states the holder is not authorised to work off campus
• The student is enrolled only in an English or French as a second language (ESL/FSL) programme
• The student is taking only general interest courses
• The student is taking only courses required for admission to a full-time programme
• Circumstances have changed and the student no longer meets every requirement

ESL and FSL students who are later accepted into a full-time programme can apply to change the conditions on their study permit. Unlike a simple amendment, this route carries a fee and requires a new study permit application from within Canada, and the conditions must be changed before applying for a SIN.

When You Can Start Working And When You Must Stop

Work cannot begin before the study programme begins. IRCC is unambiguous on this point, and it applies to students who arrive in Canada weeks ahead of their start date.

Work must stop during an authorised leave from studies, and while switching schools without currently studying. Students can only resume once studies resume.

After completing a programme, there are two routes to unlimited hours. The first applies to students who applied for a work permit – including a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) – before their study permit expired, were eligible to work off campus during their studies, and are awaiting a decision. The second applies to students starting a new programme: they must have been eligible to work off campus previously, hold a valid study permit or have applied to extend it before expiry, have written confirmation from their current school that the programme is complete, hold a letter of acceptance to a new full-time programme at a DLI, and start that new programme within 150 calendar days of the completion confirmation.

If the work or study permit application is refused, the student must stop working and leave Canada. Students weighing their post-study options should read our guides to the open work permit and how to apply for a Canadian work permit.

How On-Campus Work Is Different

On-campus work carries no weekly hour limit at all, during either regular terms or scheduled breaks. The eligibility test is similar – full-time enrolment at a DLI, an eligible programme type, a valid study permit or a timely extension application, the correct printed conditions, and a SIN – but the six-month programme-length requirement does not appear on IRCC’s on-campus page.

“On campus” means the buildings of the campus where the student studies. Work at another location is permitted only for teaching or research assistants whose work is strictly tied to a research grant at a library, hospital or research facility associated with the school. Employers can include the school, a faculty member, a student organisation, a private business or contractor operating on campus, or the student’s own business if it is physically located on campus.

Because on-campus hours are unlimited, they do not count against the 24-hour off-campus cap.

Co-op And Internship Placements: What Changed In 2026

This is the most significant recent change for students. As of 1 April 2026, post-secondary international students no longer need a co-op work permit for student work placements such as co-ops, internships, practicums or mentorship programmes. Existing co-op work permit holders can keep using their permits for the full validity period.

Secondary-level students still require a co-op work permit.

Post-secondary students must still satisfy conditions to take part: work conditions printed on the initial study permit allowing on-campus work, a DLI letter confirming the placement is a programme requirement, a valid study permit or timely extension application, full-time enrolment in an eligible programme, and a placement totalling 50 per cent or less of the study programme. There is no weekly hour limit on placement work. Students who applied for a post-secondary co-op permit and no longer need one can withdraw the application, or IRCC may withdraw it and send a letter.

Working Remotely For An Employer Outside Canada

Remote work for an employer outside Canada is permitted while studying, provided the student continues to meet all study permit conditions. IRCC confirms this work does not count towards the 24-hour weekly off-campus limit.

What Happens If You Exceed The Limit

Working more than 24 hours per week during academic sessions is a violation of study permit conditions. IRCC states students can lose their student status, may not be approved for a future study or work permit, and may have to leave the country.

The broader consequences of unauthorised work, set out separately by the Government of Canada, can include removal from Canada, a permanent record of fraud with IRCC, a five-year bar on returning, and damage to future applications including for permanent residence.

Students carry the burden of proof. IRCC requires them to track their own off-campus hours – counted as any time spent earning wages or collecting a commission, including hours worked for multiple employers – and to be able to demonstrate they are actively pursuing their studies and not exceeding 24 hours per week. Self-employed students face the same obligation, with hours calculated across earning wages, being paid for a service or product, and collecting commissions.

Notably, a student who worked more hours than permitted during their studies can lose the ability to work full-time while a PGWP application is pending, because that entitlement requires having complied with off-campus limits.

Study Permit And PGWP Changes in 2026 That Affect Student Workers

Two further developments shape the picture for students planning to work.

First, the study permit cap tightened again. IRCC announced on 25 November 2025 that 309,670 study permit application spaces are available under the 2026 cap, with up to 408,000 study permits expected to be issued during the year – 155,000 to new arrivals and 253,000 as extensions. That issuance target is 7 per cent below 2025. From 1 January 2026, master’s and doctoral students at public DLIs no longer need a provincial or territorial attestation letter. See our coverage of the 2026 international student cap and of students exempt from the cap.

Second, the PGWP field-of-study requirement is frozen. Students in non-degree programmes who applied for a study permit on or after 1 November 2024 must graduate in an eligible field of study. IRCC has confirmed a list freeze for 2026: no fields of study will be added or removed during the year. Bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral graduates, flight school graduates, and those who applied for a study permit before 1 November 2024 are exempt from the requirement.

Students should also confirm they can meet the financial requirements for studying in Canada rather than counting on part-time earnings to cover a shortfall. At 24 hours a week, off-campus work is designed to supplement funding, not replace it.

Frequently Asked Questions