Sean Fraser Announcement: Now Work More than 20 hours On Student Visa

“Now Students Can Work More than 20 Hours on Student Visa”

The Canadian government has taken a significant step by permitting international students studying in Canada to work for more than 20 hours per week off-campus from November 15, 2022, until December 31, 2023, Sean Fraser, the immigration minister, said today during a news briefing in Ottawa.

This step will benefit the 500,000 international students already studying in Canada to support them financially. Additionally, this will provide the students with more exposure to the Canadian job market and gain valuable work experience which will assist them in obtaining Canadian permanent residency.

This move applies to the students having off-campus work authorization on their study permit and foreign nationals who have already submitted a study permit application as of today. Currently, international students in Canada with valid student visas can work up to 20 hours a week while classes are in session. However, they may work as many hours as they need to during winter and summer breaks to support themselves financially; there is no cap on this.

Canada is currently experiencing a severe workforce shortage, with nearly one million job openings across all sectors. With time, the demand for the workforce is continuously rising, and Canada’s unemployment rate is falling. Hence, many firms are having trouble filling open positions.

So, to address this problem government has taken this temporary step. This month Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is also launching a new pilot project to help automate the processing of requests to extend study permits. There will be a greater approval rate because all applicants that will be considered under this pilot program have already been granted permission to study in Canada.

However, under this initiative, no applications will be automatically rejected; only immigration agents have that authority.

The announcements made today are a part of a series of programs designed to help Canadian graduates and international students, as well as to address the current labour needs of Canada and application processing times.

International students also prefer to study in Canada due to the numerous benefits governments offer, including the high standard of educational institutions, multiculturalism, the affordability of the Canadian dollar, and the opportunities for employment and permanent residence that the nation provides. In 2021, Canada welcomed three times more students than it did in the past.

So far this year, Canada has handled more study permits than it did in any previous year, breaking its own record. From January to August, Canada has already processed more than 452,000 study permit applications which are 23% more than the last year.

The Canadian government is also attempting to assign permanent residency to temporary residents. Therefore, in recent years, particularly during the pandemic, they have looked more and more at international students as a significant source of permanent residents. By November 1st, the government will provide further information regarding its immigrant strategy as part of the Immigration Levels Plan 2023–2025.

Do you want to immigrate to Canada as an international student? You can contact our experts here if you need help choosing the right program for you. Our skilled team led by a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant understands each of these immigration routes and can guide you on the right path to take.