Canada lifts international student work hour restrictions, announces project to automate study permit processing

The Government of Canada has made two key announcements related to international students. First, the off-campus work hours limit for international students has been temporarily lifted. From November 15th, 2022 and December 31st, 2023, international students and eligible individuals who have submitted a study permit application will no longer be restricted to 20 hours a week of off-campus work. Students will be expected to balance their studies and work so that they can continue to take classes full time. The change was made to address labour needs while providing international students with a way to gain more work experience in Canada. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada will also be launching a pilot program that will automate the processing of some international student study permits. If successful, it will be expanded to other study permits to help reduce processing times. Canada| Brandon Sun Note: Archived stories may contain dead links or be missing source links.