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Have you ever wondered how much money you can save by working in Canada as a student? Did you know that you can also work in Canada while you complete your education? Canadian immigration has many opportunities to offer even to foreign nationals when they arrive in Canada. Apart from studies wouldn’t it be a great idea to work and gain experience while you get instructions from your professors how everything works in your field of study? Working in Canada while you study not only helps you gain experience it also helps you support yourself in so many ways such as professionally and financially. Students in Canada come for many opportunities and working in Canada just adds to their skills and knowledge of their profession as well as the country where they want to work and study. In this blog we will discuss who fits the requirements to be considered eligible to work off-campus in Canada. We will also discuss what the conditions are and how one can avoid any kind of trouble working in Canada while studying.
From June 1, 2014, the government of Canada made amendments to the rule to help international students to work in Canada. Now students can work off-campus while completing their studies in Canada. You can work for up to 20 hours throughout the week and full time during your schedule breaks such as summer holidays and winter holidays with the work permit. In order for you to qualify you must meet the requirements, the requirements are listed below:
As a student you must be registered under a designated learning institution at the post-secondary level or if a student is enrolled in Quebec, it has to be a vocational program at the secondary level
The student must have a valid study permit
The student must be a full time student
The student must be enrolled in an academic, professional and vocational training program that qualifies the student to get a degree, diploma, or certificate that has the duration of six months at least.
Also, students will require social insurance number from service Canada to work in Canada or to be able to receive any benefits and helpful services from government programs. There are conditions to be able to apply for insurance number. There are conditions or may be remarks printed on your study permit that says “May work 20 hours per week off-campus or full-time during regular breaks if meeting criteria outlined in section 186(v) of IRPR” or it may say “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”
If the student does not find any of the above conditions on his study permit then the student must submit an application for an amended study permit to include this condition to be able to work in Canada. Once the student gets these remarks printed on his study permit then he can apply for social insurance number. In case if you have “This permit does not permit the holder to engage in off campus employment in Canada” printed on your study permit and you had to change your program of study for some reason, in such condition you will have to apply to change the conditions of your study permit.
We mentioned the possibility of working in Canada without a work permit, but just because you can work in Canada as a student without work permit does not mean that everyone can qualify under it. There are restrictions but not to a point where majority of the applicants would not be allowed to work in Canada. Off course it all depends on your program of study. Every program of study has its requirements and if you qualify for a program that does not fit the criteria needed to work off campus without any implication then you may not be eligible to work off-campus. There are program requirements that help you qualify and then there are programs that have conditions that could restrict a student from working off-campus. The program requirements that could make a student ineligible are listed below.
If the student is participating in any of the following programs, he/she would be ineligible to work off-campus:
If the student is visiting or exchange student
If the student is registered in a general interest program
If the student is enrolled in an English or French as a second language program
One needs to be mindful of these requirements if they are planning to study as well as work in Canada.
There are new rules in effect that may affect one’s eligibility to apply as part of a co-op or internship program. From June 1, 2014, students are able to work as part of a co-op or internship program only if the work is an important part of their academic or professional training program which is offered by their designated learning institution. For a student to work for their co-op/internship program, he/she will require a co-op work permit that is different and separate from study permit. If you are ineligible to work because you are enrolled in ESL/FSL, you will need to apply for a Positive Labour Market Impact Assessment from employment and social development Canada only if you are eligible for it.
This permit is given to students after their period of study in Canada. Students apply for a Post-Graduation Work Permit during the 90 days transition period after the completion of their study in the country. Students can continue to work off-campus only if they hold a valid study permit and have already applied under the post-graduation work permit. Students are expected to stop working if their work permit application under PGWPP is rejected.
If a student fails to comply with the terms and conditions of their Study Permit it will be considered non-compliance. In case of any violation of the conditions of the study permit non-compliant individual may face enforcement action by Canada Border Service Agency or the violation may also result in invalidation of the study permit. It may also effect any future applications from that individual under the IRPA and its regulations.
If you have any further questions about off Campus Work Permit or need help with the application process then please don’t hesitate to contact us at 416-477-2545. Our team of dedicated consultants and lawyers will take good care of you by presenting the best possible case for you and your loved ones.
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