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Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship has announced that the international students in the North American nation will now be only able to to work for 24 hours in a week. Marc Miller took it to social media platform X to make the announcement.
“When we lifted the 20 hrs/week work rule for international students, we did so to support the post-pandemic recovery. Today, I announced that this measure will no longer be extended and, this fall, off-campus student work hours will be limited to 24 hrs/week,” he posted on his official X account.
Since November 2022, some international students in the country have been permitted to work off-campus more than 20 hours per week while studying, and unlimited hours during academic breaks. The policy expired on April 30, 2024.
The government temporarily waived the cap on the hours international students are allowed to work amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This decision came as part of efforts to address the country’s labor shortage and improve students’ quality of life amid the rising cost of living. Although it was a successful measure in helping the Canadian economy recover from the pandemic, according to Miller, it is no longer necessary. He said that international students should be in Canada to study and not work.
According to Miller, this change will be helpful for the students as it will help them concentrate on their studies instead of working long hours. “First and foremost, international students come to Canada to study. This change will allow students to focus on their classes, while providing the option to work. We’ll continue to maintain the integrity of the program, while protecting students from vulnerability,” he said.