Canada student visa work rights

At a glance

The permission, as published

Off campus: up to 24 hours per week during regular school terms or semesters (you may hold more than one job to make up those hours), and unlimited hours during breaks scheduled by your DLI such as summer/winter holidays and reading week. If your existing permit still says "20 hours per week", IRCC confirms you may work up to 24 hours as long as you remain eligible. On campus: no limit on hours, during terms or breaks. Conditions: you cannot work at all before your study program begins; you must be a full-time student at a DLI in a post-secondary academic, vocational or professional program of at least 6 months leading to a degree, diploma or certificate; your study permit must carry a printed work condition; and you need a Social Insurance Number. Students only in ESL/FSL, general-interest or pre-admission prerequisite courses cannot work off campus. Remote work for an employer outside Canada does not count toward the 24-hour limit. Co-op/internship placements need a separate co-op work permit. Spouses/common-law partners get an open work permit only if you are in a master's program of 16 months or longer, a doctoral program, an eligible program, or a listed professional degree (MD, JD/LLB, DDS/DMD, DVM, PharmD, OD, BScN/BSN/BNSc/BN, BEd, BEng/BE/BASc) — a rule in force since 21 January 2025 that removed eligibility for most college and bachelor's students.

Treat the hours as a hard limit

• The limit is on hours worked, not on income. Two jobs are counted together.
• Term time and vacation are usually different, and "vacation" means the institution's official dates rather than when your teaching stops.
• Self-employment and freelancing are restricted or prohibited on several student routes, and are easy to breach unknowingly.
• Your employer may not know the rules. The obligation is yours.

A breach is a visa matter. It can end the current visa, affect a later work route, and follow you into applications to other countries, which is a very large consequence for a few extra hours.

Budgeting around part-time work

Part-time earnings are a supplement, not a funding plan. Most routes set the financial requirement on the assumption you will not be earning, and the first months are the hardest: you arrive before you find work, and the costs arrive first.

1. Budget as though you earn nothing for the first three months.
2. Check the local minimum wage and what the permitted hours actually produce after tax.
3. Count travel and the time cost against study, which is what you are there for.