Biggest violation of Canada Study Permit

So approximately 6.5 years ago from today, meaning around May 2019, a person named Joban Deep Singh Sandhu came to Canada as an international student, or rather, he was deported from Canada and sent back to his home country. His mistake was that while being an international student in Canada, he worked more than 20 hours per week. At that time, the working-hours limit for students was 20 hours per week.

Today’s issue is that when a person comes to Canada as a student, most international students have a common confusion in their mind:
While being an international student in Canada, when, where, and how much are we allowed to work, so that we don’t accidentally break any rules?

On-campus, off-campus, scheduled breaks, reading week, four-month breaks, freelance work — whether it’s allowed or not — Uber Eats, Skip the Dishes, how all of that works.
So today, we'll try to clear all these confusions, because there is always fear that if you accidentally break a rule and work more than you’re allowed to, and if IRCC notices it, there are chances that the person could be deported in extreme scenarios, or eventually, when the person applies for a Post-Graduate Work Permit, it could get rejected. Or even after three or four years, when the person applies for PR, that could also get rejected.

So today, let’s try to clear all these confusions.
Let’s get started.

First of all, if we talk about on-campus jobs, you can work as much as you want on campus. There is no restriction. That means you can work unlimited hours, obviously depending on how many hours you get. But still, whether your classes are going on, scheduled breaks, reading week, four-month breaks — whatever the situation is — there are no ifs or buts. As many hours as you get, you can work and earn your money properly.

But remember one thing: the job must be within the campus boundaries. That means the job must be inside the campus area.

Now, if we talk about off-campus work, at present, there is a limit that an international student cannot work more than 24 hours per week off campus. And if you are doing two or three jobs, the total combined hours still cannot exceed 24 hours per week.

Many people ask, “What if I work 48 hours in one week and don’t work the next week?”
Technically, this is not allowed either. It’s strictly 24 hours per week.

Now, many students have a lot of confusion related to scheduled breaks — like how much they can work during reading week, during the four-month break after a semester, or during a five-day break between semesters. Can they work unlimited hours or not?

Let’s clear these confusions one by one.

The first thing we want to tell you is that during any break, you can work unlimited hours, but that break must be at least seven days long. Reading week is generally seven days long, so you can definitely work unlimited hours during reading week and earn money properly.

But remember: the break must be a minimum of seven days.

Now, the four-month break after the second semester — you can definitely work as much as you want. Unlimited hours, and unlimited truly means unlimited — not 40 hours, not 80 hours. As much as your body allows, you can work. This is usually the time when students collect fees for their third and fourth semesters or try to repay loans.

But here, we want to add two important things:

1. Your break must not be more than 150 days. A four-month break is around 120 days, so unlimited work is allowed. But if the break exceeds 150 days, then from the 151st day onward, you cannot work.
2. In one full year, you cannot work unlimited hours for more than 180 days.

Now let’s talk about remote work or freelance work.

If you have a skill and want to do freelance work online, the rule is simple:
You can work unlimited hours, but the employer, organization, or person you are working for must have no financial or business connection with Canada. That work must not fall under the Canadian labor market. 

For example, if someone you know in India wants you to develop a website, and that person has no relation to Canada, you can easily work for them. That work will not count toward the 24-hour-per-week limit.

But remember: the moment that work becomes tied to Canada in any way, it becomes part of the Canadian labor market, and then the 24-hour-per-week limit applies.

Also remember that any income you earn from remote or freelance work must be reported in your tax return, because if you’re earning money while living in Canada, you must pay taxes.

Now let’s talk about eligibility criteria.

For on-campus jobs, there are only two conditions:

1. You must be a full-time student in Canada.
2. Your study permit must be valid.

For off-campus jobs, the eligibility criteria are:

• You must be a full-time student at a Designated Learning Institution (DLI).
• Your program must be at least six months long and lead to a degree, diploma, or certificate.
• Your studies must have already started (classes must be ongoing).

For example, if you arrive in Canada for the September (Fall) intake, and your classes start on September 5th, but you receive a job offer on August 20th, you cannot work during those 15 days before classes start. That is not allowed. If IRCC finds out, there could be serious consequences.

So whenever you receive a job offer, clearly tell your employer when your classes start and ask them to schedule you only after that date.

Another important thing: if you are enrolled in a program that includes a co-op or internship, you must obtain a separate co-op work permit. If you don’t receive it upon landing, you must apply for it through IRCC using a letter from your college. Without it, you cannot legally do your co-op.

Why? Because during co-op or internship, you work full-time, and without a work permit, that would be a study permit violation.

Now we want to share our personal opinions based on our experience. Some people may not agree, but think about it.

Let’s say you’re allowed to work 24 hours per week, but your employer only gives you 20 hours. That means you’re losing 4 hours per week. Many students feel stressed about this due to fees, loans, or family responsibilities.

But risking your entire future for those extra 3–4 hours is not worth it.

If you calculate it:
4 hours per week = 16 hours per month
16 hours × 12 months = 192 hours per year
192 hours × 2 years = 384 hours
384 hours × $17 ≈ $6,528
After tax, around $6,000

Don’t ruin your entire life for $6,000. Your whole life is ahead of you to earn money. Instead, use that time to learn skills. If you develop strong skills, you’ll earn this amount in a single month later.

Think long-term. Don’t sacrifice long-term benefits for short-term gains. Without skills, life later becomes very difficult — especially considering how tough the job market is in Canada right now.

That’s the system we wanted to explain.