On And Off Campus Work Permit

On Campus Work Permit:

A foreign national in Canada on a valid study permit is authorized to work on campus without a work permit provided that the student is enrolled full time at a public or other authorized post secondary institution and that the student maintains full time status at the institution.

On campus means the employment facilities within the boundaries of the campus. The student may work only on the campus of the educational institution at which he/she is registered. In the event that the school has more than one campus, the student may work at a different location provided that it is within the same municipality.

Students working as graduate assistants, teaching assistants, or research assistants are considered to be within the scope of on campus employment provided that the student have been recommended by officials of their department; the work to be performed is directed by a department head or a faculty member and the work takes place in a research institute or program in an affiliated hospital or research unit.

Off Campus Work Permit:

There are two situations in which a foreign student may be eligible to work off campus:

• The student has become destitute through circumstances beyond his/her control. Students may apply for work permit if they have become destitute due to circumstances beyond their control such as war, upheaval, or collapse of the banking system in the home country. The student may be granted an open work permit which allows the student to work for any employer for a specific period of time.
• The second situation is when the student is enrolled as full time student at a post secondary educational institution that participates in the Off campus work permit program. A student may apply for an off campus work permit if the student is attending a publicly funded post secondary institution that has signed an agreement to participate in the program with its provincial or territorial government. These students are requires to comply with the following criteria in order to qualify for an off campus work permit:
  • Must hold a valid study permit
  • Be enrolled in a participating institution
  • Have full time student status for at least 6 months of the 12 months preceding the application for work permit
  • Have maintained satisfactory academic standing
  • Have signed a form authorizing the institution, the province and CIC to share the student’s personal information in order to confirm he/she meets the criteria.

Applications for work permit can be found on CIC website along with complete instructions and guidelines on how to submit the application.

Contact Us:

If you need help in obtaining a work permit or are looking for more information regarding the topic, don’t hesitate to contact us.