Most international students in Canada can work without a separate work permit – but the authorization comes with conditions and violating them can jeopardize not just your current status but every future application you make, including your Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP).

The rules have shifted several times in recent years, most recently in April 2026, when IRCC eliminated the separate co-op work permit.

Here is where things currently stand.

Off-campus work: the 24-hour rule

If you’re a full-time student at a designated learning institution (DLI), enrolled in a program at least six months long that leads to a degree, diploma, or certificate, and your study permit includes off-campus work conditions, you can work up to 24 hours per week off campus during regular academic sessions.

The 24 hours is a hard weekly cap – not an average. Working 30 hours one week and 18 the next is a violation, even though it averages out.

If you hold more than one job, the hours from all of them count toward the same cap.

Check the fine print on your study permit itself. It should contain a condition authorizing off-campus work.

If it doesn’t – some permits only authorize on-campus work, and some authorize none – you can request an amendment before you start working.

You will also need a Social Insurance Number.

Scheduled breaks: full-time work allowed

During scheduled breaks – summer holidays, winter break, reading week – you can work unlimited hours, provided the break appears on your institution’s official academic calendar and you are enrolled full-time both before and after it.

The word scheduled matters.

If your program runs year-round with no formal break, there is no full-time work window. And the break is defined by the academic calendar, not your exam schedule: finishing your last exam early does not start your break sooner.

On-campus work

Students whose study permit includes the on-campus work condition can work on campus without an hourly limit, in addition to off-campus work.

On-campus work generally means working for the institution, a faculty member, a student organization, or a business physically located on campus.

Co-op and internship placements: the April 2026 change

Until recently, students in programs with a mandatory work placement – co-ops, internships, practicums – needed a separate co-op work permit, with its own fee and its own processing queue.

As of April 1, 2026, that permit has been eliminated for eligible post-secondary students.

If your placement is a formal requirement of your program and makes up no more than half of the total program, your study permit alone now authorizes the work.

Placement hours are not counted against the 24-hour off-campus cap – but if you also hold a part-time job during a co-op term, those side-job hours are subject to the cap during academic sessions.

Students who had co-op work permit applications pending when the change took effect did not need to do anything – IRCC withdrew eligible applications automatically and refunded the fees.

What happens if you break the rules

Exceeding the weekly limit or working without authorization is a violation of your study permit conditions.

Compliance is not on the honour system: institutions report enrollment to IRCC, and payroll data is available to the government for review.

Keep your own records – timesheets and pay stubs – especially if you work multiple jobs.

The consequences of a violation can include losing your student status, a removal order, and refusals of future applications.

A work violation discovered during a PGWP application is a particularly painful way to lose a one-time benefit.

If you realize you have gone over the limit, get legal advice promptly – how you address it matters.

When your studies end

Your right to work off campus ends when you complete your program.

To keep working after graduation, most students apply for a Post-Graduation Work Permit – and if you apply before your study permit expires and were eligible to work during your studies, you can generally work full-time while awaiting the decision.

See our PGWP application guide for the full requirements.

Questions about your work authorization, a possible violation, or your post-graduation options?

Book a consultation with Kabir & Alam.

You can also learn more on our Study Permits and Work Permits service pages.