International Students: Off-Campus Work Hours Now 24/Week

If you're an international student working off-campus while studying in Canada, there's good news: as of November 2024, IRCC raised the off-campus work limit from 20 to 24 hours per week during regular academic sessions. You can still work full-time during scheduled breaks, including summer, reading week, and between terms, as long as you're enrolled full-time at a Designated Learning Institution in a program longer than six months and your study permit allows off-campus work.

This small change adds up. An extra four hours a week is close to 200 additional hours over a full academic year, which can make a real difference for students covering living costs here in Vancouver.

A few things worth double-checking before you take on more hours:

Your study permit must explicitly allow off-campus work. Not all study permits do.

You need to remain enrolled full-time and stay in good academic standing.

The limit applies per week, not as an average, so you can't bank hours from a light week to use later.

If you're not sure whether your study permit allows off-campus work, or your situation has changed since you applied, we're happy to take a look. Reach out and we'll walk you through it.