The working hour limitations for international students in Canada have been lifted.
One of the most important issues for international students anywhere is the ability to work while studying so that they can take care of their daily expenses. International students are limited to working 20 hours per week in the United States and Canada. However, with the rising living costs, it’s very difficult for international students to handle their living expenses with only the income from 20 hours of work.
In order to help this situation, the Canadian government will temporarily remove the limit on the number of hours that international students in the country can work from November 15 as stated by the Immigration Minister of the Canadian Government.
The move is an attempt to address Canada’s labor shortages as the country faces its lowest rate of unemployment on record, with nearly one million job vacancies going unfilled.
International students are currently limited to working 20 hours per week but student groups have renewed calls over the past year for this cap to be lifted as living costs spiral.
“This change is going to help sustain Canada’s post-pandemic growth and provide a boost to thousands of employers looking to add to their staff for the upcoming holiday season, particularly in sectors that are facing the most severe labour shortages,” said immigration minister Sean Fraser at a press conference today. “It’s also going to give many post-secondary students a greater opportunity to support themselves to gain work experience in Canada and in many instances actually in their field of study as well.” This will probably help Canada become a more wanted destination for international students for “Study in Canada” outlook.
The new policy will last until December 31, 2023, although the minister hinted that this may be reviewed.
Our international student platform “Student Exchange Portal” hopes that this will be repeated in the USA and UK, which are also very popular study destinations for international students.