Working in Canada as an international student: what you need to know 

Everyone – whether a citizen, permanent resident or international student – needs a Social Insurance Number to work in Canada. It’s fairly easy to apply for one through the federal government; you should do it before you arrive in Canada.  

Studying in Canada as an international student has some conditions. For example, you can you can only start working when the school semester begins – so while you can start looking for a job when you land in Canada, you won’t be able to start working until then.

However, the government is temporarily lifting one of the restrictions. International students used to be limited to working 20 hours per week during the school term – that limit is being eliminated as of November 15, 2022 until the end of 2023. This is great news for students, who sometimes struggled to find an employer willing to accommodate the 20-hour cap. So feel free to take on more shifts - but be sure to stay on top of your studies!

Here are the conditions a student must meet in order to waive the 20-hour limit: 

• Must have a valid study permit. 

• Must be studying full-time (or part-time during your final academic session).  

• Your study permit application (or study permit extensions) must have been received by IRCC on or before October 7, 2022. 

• Your study permit must have a condition allowing you to work off campus. 

Universities, colleges and their student unions need a lot of staff during the academic year, whether it’s working in an on-campus business (café, bookstore, etc.) or doing administrative work for the university, like helping their fundraising department. One of the benefits of these jobs, apart from the convenient location, is that they’re used to hiring students and working around class schedules. Check out your school’s website or see if they have a work-study office to learn more.  

For students in master’s programs, you should also look into teaching assistant (TA) jobs, which tend to pay well and accommodate your studies.  

Unfortunately, the cap on working hours and your class schedule restrict what kind of job you can get. You will probably want to find a job in the same field that you’re studying, but flexible, part-time roles in office environments are hard to come by. You may end up working evenings and weekends in a restaurant, grocery store or warehouse. There’s nothing wrong with those jobs – but you shouldn’t expect to find, for example, part-time work as a software engineer while studying.  

This might sound simple, but it’s important: if you have a job in Canada, you’ll need to file your taxes. Even though income tax is automatically deducted from most paychecks, you will need to submit year-end paperwork to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). For more information on taxes for international students, check out the CRA’s website.  

Sadly, there are too many stories of employers exploiting international students who aren’t aware of their rights under Canadian laws. Things like the minimum wage, required breaks and working conditions are regulated by each province’s employment standards. If you think someone is taking advantage of you, you can file a claim with your province’s ministry of labour. 

There are also community groups fighting to make sure employers respect student workers’ rights, like the Naujawan Support Network near Toronto.