Off-campus work rules for international students: May 2026 update
International students in Canada remain subject to a 24-hour weekly cap on off-campus work during academic terms, but the rules governing co-op placements changed substantially on April 1, 2026, when Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada eliminated the separate co-op work permit requirement. Students enrolled in programs with mandatory work placements — including co-op terms and internships — can now complete those placements under their study permit alone, provided the placement is a formal program requirement and does not exceed 50 percent of total program length.
The 24-hour limit itself has been in place since fall 2024, but enforcement details and eligibility conditions have evolved through 2025 and into this year. The April change represents the most significant shift: previously, students needed to apply for and receive a distinct co-op work permit to participate in required work placements, a process that added processing time and fees. Under the new framework, as reported by CIC News, eligible students can work in placements tied to their program of study without additional authorization, streamlining access to experiential learning components that many Canadian post-secondary programs mandate.
To work off-campus under a study permit, students must hold a valid permit explicitly authorizing work, be enrolled full-time at a designated learning institution in a post-secondary academic, vocational, or professional training program of at least six months leading to a degree, diploma, or certificate, have started classes, and possess a Social Insurance Number. Students in English or French as a Second Language programs, general-interest courses, preparatory or pathway programs taken before another program begins, and exchange students attending a Canadian institution through a foreign-school exchange remain ineligible for off-campus work without a separate work permit. Part-time students are also excluded, with one exception: those in their final term who are part-time only because they are completing remaining required courses retain off-campus work authorization.
"You can only work unlimited hours off campus for a total of 180 days during each calendar year," the announcement notes, clarifying the annual cap on scheduled-break work.
Scheduled breaks — periods when the 24-hour cap does not apply — must appear in the institution's published academic calendar, last at least seven days, and bracket terms in which the student is enrolled. Winter break, reading week, spring break, and summer terms (if the student is enrolled in the surrounding spring and fall terms) typically qualify. Statutory holidays alone do not count as scheduled breaks, nor does vacation time taken during an active term, time between programs, or breaks when the student was not enrolled before and will not be enrolled after.
Students currently enrolled in co-op programs who previously held separate co-op work permits no longer need to renew those permits; the work authorization now flows from the study permit itself, provided the placement meets program requirements and the 50-percent-of-program-length threshold. Students should verify that their study permit document states they are authorized to work and confirm with their institution that placements qualify under the new rule before beginning work. Those approaching the 24-hour weekly limit during academic terms should track hours carefully, as exceeding the cap can result in study permit conditions being violated and future immigration applications being affected.
Source: CIC News — published 2026-05-27.