International students in Canada who meet IRCC's off-campus work eligibility requirements may work up to 24 hours per week off campus during regular academic terms.
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24 hours per week off-campus during academic terms — this is a hard cap, per week, across all employers combined
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Unlimited hours during scheduled breaks winter, reading week, summer (if enrolled before and after) — up to 180 days total per calendar year
- Unlimited hours on-campus on-campus work has no weekly cap and is governed by a separate rule
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No co-op work permit required from April 1, 2026 mandatory work placements (co-op, internship, practicum) are now covered by your study permit alone
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Exceeding the 24-hour cap is a study permit violation it shows up when you apply for your PGWP and can result in refusal
The 24-Hour Rule: What It Actually Means
International students in Canada who meet IRCC's off-campus work eligibility requirements may work up to 24 hours per week off campus during regular academic terms. This rule took effect in November 2024, replacing the previous 20-hour weekly limit after the temporary public policy allowing additional off-campus work ended on April 30, 2024.
The 24-hour cap is per week, not per day, not per employer, and not an average across weeks. If you work 28 hours in one week and 20 hours the next, the first week can still be treated as a violation if you were only authorized for 24 hours. If you have two part-time jobs, you must combine all off-campus hours across both employers. For example, 15 hours at one job and 12 hours at another in the same week equals 27 hours, which exceeds the limit.
Who Can Work Off-Campus - and Who Cannot
Not every international student is automatically eligible to work off campus. To work under the 24-hour rule, you must meet all the following conditions at the same time:
- Hold a valid study permit that authorizes work — check the conditions listed on your permit document.
- Be enrolled full-time at a Designated Learning Institution (DLI).
- Be studying in a post-secondary program of at least 6 months that leads to a degree, diploma, or certificate.
- Have already started your studies — you cannot work before classes begin, even if your permit is already in hand.
- Have a Social Insurance Number (SIN).
There is one important exception to the full-time requirement: if you are in your final semester and are part-time only because you are finishing your remaining required courses, you can continue working off campus under the same rules, if you still meet all other off-campus work conditions.
Students enrolled in English or French as a Second Language (ESL/FSL) programs, general-interest or self-improvement courses, or programs that do not lead to a degree, diploma, or certificate are not eligible to work off campus without a separate work permit. Exchange students at a Canadian DLI through a foreign-institution exchange must also meet IRCC's specific conditions and may not be eligible to work off campus under the standard student work rules.
Working During Scheduled Breaks: Unlimited Hours, Conditions Apply
During regularly scheduled academic breaks, eligible international students may work full-time off campus, with no weekly hour cap. This applies only when the break is officially scheduled, and the student continues to meet IRCC's off-campus work conditions.
What qualifies as a scheduled break?
A scheduled break is a break that forms part of your school's official academic calendar. Common examples include winter break, reading week, spring break, and summer break if your school treats that period as a regularly scheduled break. To rely on this rule, you must remain eligible to work off campus and should generally be a full-time student in the term before and the term after the break, unless you are in a recognized final-semester situation.
Even during scheduled breaks, IRCC limits full-time off-campus work to a total of 180 days in each calendar year. If your school has back-to-back scheduled breaks that create a break period longer than 150 consecutive days, you can only work off campus during the first 150 consecutive days of that break.
What does not qualify as a scheduled break?
Vacation time you personally take while classes are in session does not count as a scheduled break. You also cannot rely on scheduled-break work rules if you are on authorized leave, if you are switching schools and not currently studying, or if you are otherwise no longer eligible to work off campus.Once you receive official confirmation that you have completed your program, you generally must stop working under your study-permit-based work authorization. You may work after completion only if you meet IRCC's post-completion work rules, such as applying for a PGWP before your study permit expires and meeting the conditions to work while awaiting a decision or starting a new eligible study program under the applicable rules.
On-Campus Work: A Different Rule Entirely
On-campus work is governed by a separate set of rules. If you are eligible to work on campus, IRCC does not set a specific weekly hour limit — you may work as many on-campus hours as your studies reasonably allow, if you continue to meet your study permit conditions.
On-campus work can include work for your school, a faculty member, a student organization, yourself if you run a business physically located on campus, or a private business or contractor that provides services to the school on campus. If you work both on campus and off campus, your on-campus hours do not count toward your 24-hour off-campus limit.
→ On-campus work rules on IRCC ↗The April 2026 Co-op Change: No More Separate Work Permit
As of April 1, 2026, eligible post-secondary international students no longer need a separate co-op work permit to complete required student work placements, such as co-ops, internships, practicums, or mentorship placements.
The placement must be required to complete the program, approved by the Designated Learning Institution (DLI), and make up 50% or less of the total study program. Optional placements are not automatically covered and should not be described that way.
Key conditions for the new co-op rule
- The placement must be required to complete your program.
- Your DLI must confirm that the work placement is a program requirement.
- You must be a full-time post-secondary student at a DLI.
- Your study permit must have conditions printed on it that allow you to work.
- Your study permit must be valid, or you must have applied to extend it before it expired.
- The total work placement component must be 50% or less of your study program.
- Secondary school students still need a co-op work permit for student work placements.
If you already applied for a post-secondary co-op work permit and no longer need one under the new rules, IRCC's notice indicates that eligible co-op work permit applications will be withdrawn administratively, and applicants will be informed that a separate co-op work permit is no longer required.
What Counts as Work
For this rule, students should not think only about payroll from one employer. What matters is the total off-campus work activity that may count under their study permit conditions.
This can include:- Paid work for one employer.
- Paid work across multiple employers.
- Self-employment, freelance work, or app-based gig work.
- Trial shifts or training shifts if they are actual work.
- Volunteer roles that are effectively replacing a paid job.
If you are working remotely for an employer outside Canada, do not automatically assume the hours fall outside the rule. Review the facts carefully before relying on any exception.
Safe/Risky/Not Allowed Examples
| Scenario | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 12 hours at one job + 10 hours at another in the same week | Allowed | Total is 22 off-campus hours that week. |
| 15 hours at one job + 12 hours at another in the same week | Not allowed | Total is 27 off-campus hours that week. |
| Full-time work during an official scheduled break | Usually allowed | Only if the break is officially scheduled by the school and the student remains eligible. |
| Working before classes start | Not allowed | Students must have started their studies before off-campus work begins. |
| Working during authorized leave | Not allowed | Work authorization does not continue during authorized leave. |
What This Means for Your Specific Situation
Officer’s Lens: How IRCC May Review Your Work History Later
Work-hour issues are often not identified right away. They may surface later when IRCC reviews a new application, such as a PGWP, a study permit extension, a work permit, a visa, or a permanent residence application.
At that stage, an officer may review:
- Study permit conditions — to confirm what type of work you were authorized to do.
- Enrolment records and full-time status — to check whether you met the study requirements throughout your program.
- Program completion timeline — to verify when your study-permit-based work authorization ended or changed.
- School calendar and scheduled breaks — to confirm whether the period you worked full-time was an official break.
- Pay stubs and work schedules — to assess how many hours you worked in each week.
- Tax slips, such as T4s — to compare reported employment income with your declared work history.
- Employer letters and job records — to review your employment dates, hours, and role.
- Declared work history in your application — to check whether your forms and documents are consistent.
This is why even an older issue can matter later. If the records show unauthorized work, excess off-campus hours, or inconsistencies in your declared history, it can create compliance concerns in a future application.
What Happens If You Exceed the 24-Hour Limit
Working more than 24 hours per week off campus during a regular academic session is a violation of your study permit conditions. IRCC may not notify you immediately when the violation happens, but the issue can arise later when you apply for a PGWP, study permit extension, work permit, visa, or permanent residence.
When you apply for:
- Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP): Your PGWP may be refused if IRCC finds that you did not comply with your study permit conditions. This can affect your ability to gain eligible Canadian work experience after graduation.
- Study permit extension: Your extension may be refused, and you may lose your student status or be required to restore it.
- Express Entry / Permanent Residence: Unauthorized work can create concerns about compliance. If the work history is hidden, misstated, or supported by inaccurate documents, it may also raise concerns about misrepresentation.
- Future work permits or visitor visas: Previous non-compliance may negatively affect future temporary resident applications.
The safest practice is to track your off-campus hours every week and keep clear records, including pay stubs, work schedules, T4s, Notices of Assessment, school calendars, enrolment letters, and transcripts. If IRCC reviews your history later, these documents may help show whether you complied with your study permit conditions.
How to protect yourself: records every student should keep
Students should keep clear records from the beginning, not only when preparing a later application.
Recommended records include:- A weekly work-hours log.
- Pay stubs.
- Timesheets or app screenshots where relevant.
- Employment letters.
- Academic calendar.
- Enrolment letters.
- Transcripts.
- Completion letter where relevant.
- T4s and Notices of Assessment where available.
College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC)
