If your Canadian course has a co-op term, an internship or a practicum built into it, there used to be two permits between you and the placement: the study permit, and a separate co-op work permit for the placement itself. From 1 April 2026 the second one is gone for most post-secondary students.
That is the whole change, and it is worth being plain about what it is not. It does not create placements, it does not help you get one, and it does not widen who is allowed to work. IRCC says so in its own announcement: the change "does not increase the number of students who are authorized to work". It removes a form.
What changed on 1 April 2026
In IRCC's wording: as of 1 April 2026, a post-secondary international student does not need a co-op work permit for a student work placement such as a co-op or an internship.
Two details most summaries leave out:
- It is broader than the word "co-op" suggests. IRCC lists co-op placements, internships, practicums and mentorship programmes, and says that list is not exhaustive. If your programme requires the placement and your institution approves it, it counts.
- If you already hold a co-op work permit, keep using it. It stays valid for its full term and you need do nothing.
If you have an application still in the queue, IRCC says students with pending decisions need take no action — it will withdraw eligible active applications itself and write to you. You can also withdraw it yourself.
Who qualifies
Six conditions, and all of them have to be true at the same time. One is narrower than most write-ups make it sound.
- The placement is required to complete your study programme.
- Your initial study permit carries the printed condition saying you are allowed to work on campus. Summaries tend to paraphrase this as "work authorisation conditions"; IRCC names the on-campus work condition specifically, so read the printed text on the permit rather than trusting a summary of it.
- You have a letter from your designated learning institution confirming the placement is a requirement of your programme.
- You hold a valid study permit, or you applied to extend it before it expired.
- You are a full-time student at a Canadian DLI on a post-secondary academic, vocational or professional training programme.
- The placement is 50% or less of the total programme.
IRCC adds that it may ask for a letter confirming that every student on the programme has to complete a placement in order to graduate. Depending on the work you may also need a Social Insurance Number, and if the placement is in a hospital — or anywhere else where protecting public health matters — you will need a medical exam first.
Who still needs a co-op work permit
Secondary school students. This change is post-secondary only. An international student at a Canadian high school still needs the permit for a qualifying placement.
Separately, four groups cannot take a student work placement at all, whatever permit they hold:
- English or French as a second language courses
- general interest courses
- courses taken to prepare for another study programme
- courses at an institution outside Canada
If you are in one of those and you want to work in Canada, that is a work permit application, not a placement.
The hours question has two different answers
This is where most coverage blurs two separate rules. Keep them apart:
- A student work placement has no weekly hour limit. IRCC states that directly. The limit on a placement is structural rather than weekly — it cannot be more than half your programme.
- Off-campus work is capped at 24 hours a week during regular academic sessions, and is full-time during scheduled breaks such as summer, winter holidays and reading week.
A useful footnote on the second one: if your study permit still carries the older "may work 20 hours per week" condition, IRCC says you may work up to 24 anyway, provided you still meet the eligibility requirements. You do not need a new permit for the extra four hours.
When you have to stop
The authorisation is tied to being a full-time student, and it ends when that does. You have to stop the placement:
- the day you stop studying full-time — unless you are in your final semester
- when your study permit expires
- if you are on an authorised leave from your studies
- if you are switching schools and are not currently studying
You can return to it if you start studying again and still meet every requirement.
What to check before you pick a course
The permit step has gone. The questions that decide whether a co-op programme earns its fee have not changed at all:
- Is the placement actually required, and will the institution say so in writing? "Co-op available" and "co-op required" are different programmes, and only the second is covered by this route. Ask for the letter before you accept the offer, not after.
- Is the institution a DLI? IRCC publishes the list. Check it there rather than in a brochure.
- How long is the placement as a share of the programme? Over half, and this route does not apply.
- Is the placement paid? Nothing in this change requires it to be.
- What does the whole thing cost? Tuition, living costs and the placement term together — our guide to a master's in Canada and the education loan comparison both start from the full figure rather than the tuition line.
If you are still weighing Canada against other destinations, our post-study work visa guide sets the stay-back rules side by side, and study in Canada covers intakes, costs and institutions.
Questions we get asked
Do all international students in Canada need a co-op work permit in 2026?
No. From 1 April 2026, eligible post-secondary students do not need one for a placement their programme requires. Secondary school students still do.
Does this guarantee me an internship or a job?
No. It removes a permit step and nothing else. Finding a placement and being accepted for it is exactly as it was — IRCC's own notice says the change does not increase the number of students authorised to work.
Can any internship count?
No. It has to be required by your programme, approved by your designated learning institution, and no more than half the programme.
I am on an English language course. Can I use this route?
No. English and French as a second language courses, general interest courses, preparatory courses and courses at institutions outside Canada are all excluded from student work placements.
How many hours can I work?
Two separate answers, and they are often mixed up. A student work placement has no weekly cap. Off-campus work is 24 hours a week during academic sessions, and full-time during scheduled breaks.
I already hold a co-op work permit. Is it void now?
No. IRCC says existing permits remain usable for their full validity.
My co-op work permit application is still pending. What should I do?
Nothing, according to IRCC. It will withdraw eligible active applications and send a letter explaining why. You may also withdraw the application yourself.
Sources
- IRCC — Work in a student work placement (page last modified 1 May 2026)
- IRCC — Simplifying the co-op work permit requirement (Ottawa, 9 April 2026)
- IRCC — Work off campus as an international student (page last modified 15 April 2026)
All three were read on 3 November 2026. Immigration rules change, and this one changed this year — read the official page before you act on anything here. It is the authority; this is a summary of it.
Where Vibedu fits
The part of this that is easy to get wrong is not the rule, it is the course. A programme advertised as having co-op is not necessarily a programme that requires co-op, and only the second one uses this route. We check that with the institution in writing before you apply, alongside DLI status, the placement's share of the programme, and what a full year costs once living expenses are counted.
We also send you to the IRCC page rather than to our version of it. These rules moved in April and they will move again.