The federal government is temporarily allowing international students to work more hours per week in an attempt to address Canada’s labour shortage.
On October 7, 2022, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (“IRCC”) announced the federal government will temporarily remove the 20-hour-per-week cap on the number of hours full-time international students with off-campus work authorization on their study permits can work while class is in session. The temporary removal will be in effect from November 15, 2022 to December 31, 2023. Foreign nationals who have submitted study permit applications as of October 7, 2022 will also be able to benefit from the temporary measure.
The government intends to treat the period as a pilot program to determine whether there is merit to extending the program.
Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, described the program as a win-win situation for employers and international students. He stated the purpose of the program is to “ease the pressing needs in many sectors across the country, while providing more opportunities for international students to gain valuable Canadian work experience and continue contributing to [Canada’s] short-term recovery and long-term prosperity.”
The program could have a large impact on the labour shortage, considering that Canada has become an increasingly popular destination for international students. The IRCC has processed a record 452,000 study permit applications from January 2022 to August 2022. In the second quarter of 2022, there were close to one million job vacancies reported in Canada.
International students who take advantage of the program are expected to balance their study and work commitments, and will lose the opportunity to work off-campus if they stop their studies or reduce their course load.
Some groups are calling for the temporary removal to become permanent, pointing to the ever-increasing costs of living in Canada and the limited nature of the work available to international students under the 20-hour-per-week cap.
In August 2022, the Consumer Price Index rose 7.0% on a year-to-year basis — faster than the increase in average hourly wages over the same period. The increasing costs of shelter and groceries, among other things, have a detrimental impact on international students, who already face heavy financial burdens from higher tuition costs.
There are limited employment opportunities under the 20-hour-per-week cap. This confines international students to low-paying part time positions and makes them more vulnerable to exploitation and mistreatment by employers. The 20-hour-per-week cap restricts their ability to gain valuable work experience in Canada, which may impact their ability to immigrate to Canada in the future. Some groups have argued the 20-hour-per-week cap does not reflect the nature of part time work in Canada, which is generally considered to involve three eight-hour shifts per week (an aggregate 24 hours per week — over the 20-hour-per-week cap).
This is not the first time the federal government has temporarily removed the 20-hour-per-week cap. In April 2020, it was removed for international students who were essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Whether the temporary measure will be extended beyond December 2023 has yet to be seen. Nonetheless, many are considering it to be a step in the right direction.
-VP
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