On-Campus Work For International Students In Canada

On This Page, You Will Find:

• Who can work on campus without a work permit
• What Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada counts as “work”
• How to get a Social Insurance Number as a student
• Where you can work and who you can work for
• How many hours you can work on campus
• What changed for co-op placements and internships on April 1, 2026
• When you must stop working on campus
• How on-campus work compares with off-campus work
• Frequently asked questions

International students with a valid study permit can work on their school’s campus in Canada without applying for a separate work permit. On-campus work is one of the most flexible options available to students because there is no weekly hour limit, either during academic terms or during scheduled breaks.

The trade-off is that eligibility is strict. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) requires the right conditions printed on your study permit, full-time enrolment at a designated learning institution (DLI), and a Social Insurance Number (SIN) before your first shift. Working without meeting every requirement is unauthorised work, which can cost you your student status and affect future permit applications.

This guide reflects the on-campus work rules published by IRCC as of August 2026, including the April 2026 change that removed the co-op work permit requirement for post-secondary students. If you are also considering work off campus, read our companion guide to off-campus work without a work permit in Canada.

Who Can Work On Campus Without A Work Permit

You can work on your school campus without a work permit if you meet all of the following requirements:

• You are a full-time student at a designated learning institution (DLI).
• You are enrolled in either a post-secondary academic, vocational or professional training program, or a secondary-level vocational training program in Quebec.
• You hold a valid study permit, or you applied to extend your study permit before it expired.
• Your initial study permit has conditions printed on it that allow you to work on campus.
• You have a Social Insurance Number.

You can only begin working once your study program has actually started. IRCC is explicit on this point: you cannot work in Canada before your first day of studies, even if you have already arrived in the country and hold a valid permit with work conditions.

Part-Time Students In Their Final Semester

Studying part-time normally ends your on-campus work eligibility. There is one exception. If you are studying part-time only in your final semester in order to finish your remaining coursework, and you studied full-time in every previous semester of your program, you can keep working on campus with no limit on hours, provided you continue to meet all other requirements.

What IRCC Counts As “Work”

Students sometimes assume that unpaid roles fall outside the rules. They do not. IRCC defines work as any activity that:

• you are paid to do, or
• you are not paid to do, but that is a job you would usually be paid for, or that would be considered valuable work experience for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident — an unpaid internship, for example.

Pay includes money or commission received from an employer, for a service, or for any other activity. If a campus role would ordinarily be a paid position, treat it as work and make sure you are authorised before you start.

Getting A Social Insurance Number

A Social Insurance Number is a nine-digit number issued by the Government of Canada. You need one to work and to access government benefits and services. Service Canada will only issue a SIN for on-campus work if your study permit carries one of these two conditions:

• “May accept employment on or off campus if meeting eligibility criteria as per R186(f), (v) or (w). Must cease working if no longer meeting these criteria.”
• “This permit does not authorize the holder to engage in off campus employment in Canada. May accept employment only on campus if meeting eligibility criteria as per R186(f). Must cease working if no longer meeting these criteria.”

If you are eligible to work on campus but neither condition appears on your permit, you can ask IRCC to add it. There is no fee for this. You must request an amendment to your study permit and receive the corrected document before Service Canada will process your SIN application.

IRCC recommends applying for your SIN online, either as a first-time applicant or to update an existing SIN — you can update the expiry date on your SIN or your status in Canada the same way. In-person applications at a Service Canada Centre and applications by mail are still accepted, but they take longer.

Where You Can Work On Campus

“On campus” means all the buildings on your school’s campus. If your school operates more than one campus, you can generally only work at the campus where you are studying.

There is a narrow exception for research and teaching roles. You can work at a location that is not on your campus if all of the following apply:

• You are working as a teaching assistant or a research assistant.
• Your work is strictly related to a research grant.
• You are working at a library, hospital or research facility associated with your school.

You may also be able to work in other locations using your on-campus work authorisation if you qualify for a student work placement. If your work is at a hospital or another setting where public health must be protected, you need a medical exam — unless you already submitted one.

Who You Can Work For

An on-campus employer can be:

• the school itself
• a faculty member
• a student organisation
• yourself, if you run a business physically located on campus, such as a campus coffee shop
• a private business operating on campus
• a private contractor providing on-campus services to the school

How Many Hours You Can Work On Campus

There is no limit to the number of hours you can work on campus. That applies during regular school terms and semesters as well as during scheduled breaks in the school year. As long as you remain eligible, you can work as many hours as you can manage alongside your studies.

This is the single biggest practical difference between on-campus and off-campus work. Off-campus work is capped at 24 hours per week during academic sessions, and the ability to work unlimited hours during breaks is itself subject to annual limits. On-campus hours are not counted against either cap.

Students who are eligible for both can hold on-campus and off-campus jobs at the same time, as long as the off-campus hours stay within the 24-hour weekly ceiling and all study permit conditions continue to be met.

Co-Op Placements And Internships: What Changed On April 1, 2026

As of April 1, 2026, post-secondary international students no longer need a co-op work permit to take part in a student work placement such as a co-op, internship, practicum or mentorship program. Students who already hold a co-op work permit can continue to use it for its full validity period.

Secondary-level students are not covered by the change. If you are an international student at a DLI at the secondary level, you still need a co-op work permit for a work placement.

To take part in a placement as a post-secondary student, you must have on-campus work conditions printed on your initial study permit, hold a valid study permit or have applied to extend it before expiry, be enrolled full-time at a DLI, and have a letter from your school confirming the placement is a requirement of your program. The placement can total no more than 50 per cent of your study program, and there is no weekly hour limit while you are in it.

Our guide to internships and co-op programs in Canada covers how placements fit into a study program in more detail.

When You Must Stop Working On Campus

You must stop working on campus if any of the following apply:

• You stop studying full-time, unless you are in your final semester and meet the other on-campus work requirements.
• Your study permit expires.
• You are on an authorised leave from your studies.
• You are switching schools and are not currently studying.

You can return to work once your studies resume and you meet all the on-campus requirements again. Continuing to work through an authorised leave or a gap between schools is unauthorised work, and the consequences can extend well beyond the loss of a job — including refusal of future study or work permit applications and removal from Canada.

On-Campus Work As Part Of A Longer-Term Plan

On-campus jobs are often the easiest first Canadian work experience to obtain, because the employer is already familiar with international student rules and the hours are flexible around a class schedule. Teaching and research assistantships in particular can build the kind of skilled experience that supports a later permanent residence application.

Students planning to stay after graduation should keep their documentation in order from the start — records of hours worked, employment letters and pay statements. For the routes available after you finish your program, see our guides to working and studying as an international student in Canada and applying for permanent residence after study in Canada.

Frequently Asked Questions