Working on a Study Permit
You can work off-campus without a work permit if you meet all of these requirements:
- you’re a full-time student at a designated learning institution (DLI)
- you’re enrolled in
- a post-secondary academic, vocational or professional training program or
- a secondary-level vocational training program (Quebec only)
- your study program is:
- at least six months long and
- leads to a degree, diploma or certificate
- you’ve started studying
- you have a Social Insurance Number (SIN)
If you’re a part-time student, you can work off-campus only if:
- you meet all of the requirements above, and
- you’re only studying part-time, instead of full-time, because:
- you’re in the last semester of your study program and you don’t need a full course load to complete your program, and
- you were a full-time student in your program in Canada, up until your last semester
Students may be eligible to work up to 20 hours per week while they study. You can review the eligibility requirements for working off-campus below:
If you are eligible to work off-campus, it is extremely important that you abide by the rules and work 20 hours or less during your studies. You can usually still work full-time during scheduled breaks.
How many hours you can work off campus
During regular school terms/semesters
You can work up to 20 hours per week.
During scheduled breaks in the school year
You can work full-time if you’re on a scheduled break, such as winter and summer holidays, or a fall or spring reading week. You’re free to work overtime or work two part-time jobs that add up to a higher than usual number of hours.
You must be a full-time student both before and after the break to work full-time.
You can’t work during a break that comes before you start your very first school semester.
Learn more about working off-campus with your study permit
Click here to submit an addition/edit to this pageLast Modified: September 22, 2021