Jobs for International Students in Canada: Hours Rules, Co-op and Where to Apply

International students in Canada can work on campus with no hour limit, off campus for up to 24 hours per week while classes are in session, and unlimited hours during scheduled breaks, as long as they meet the conditions printed on their study permit. Co-op and internship placements that your program requires follow separate rules, and since April 1, 2026, eligible post-secondary students no longer need a separate co-op work permit for them. You also need a social insurance number (SIN) before you start. The best places to look for work are your campus career centre, your school's co-op office and employer career sites.

This guide summarizes the rules Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) publishes on canada.ca as of September 2026. It is general information, not immigration advice. Your work conditions are tied to your own study permit, so confirm them on canada.ca or with your school's international student advisors before you accept a job.

How many hours can international students work in Canada?

Eligible study permit holders can work up to 24 hours per week off campus during academic sessions and unlimited hours during breaks scheduled by their school. On-campus work has no weekly limit, and neither does a co-op or internship placement your program requires. Remote work for an employer outside Canada does not count toward the 24 hours.

Type of work	Hour limit	Separate work permit?
On campus	No limit, during terms or breaks	No
Off campus, during an academic session	Up to 24 hours per week	No
Off campus, during a scheduled break	Unlimited (see break rules below)	No
Required co-op or internship (post-secondary)	No weekly limit	No, since April 1, 2026
Remote work for an employer outside Canada	Not counted toward the 24 hours	No

Source: IRCC pages on working off campus, working on campus and student work placements.

What changed in 2024

A temporary policy that let eligible students work more than 20 hours per week off campus ended on April 30, 2024. IRCC then set the limit at 24 hours per week, and the regulations were in effect by November 2024, as confirmed in IRCC's November 2024 news release. If your study permit still says 20 hours, canada.ca states you can work up to 24 hours per week as long as you remain eligible.

Who can work off campus

• You are enrolled full time at a designated learning institution (DLI).
• You are in a post-secondary academic, vocational or professional program (or secondary-level vocational training in Quebec) that lasts at least six months and leads to a degree, diploma or certificate.
• Your program has started. You cannot work before your studies begin.
• Your study permit is valid (or you applied to extend it before it expired) and has off-campus work conditions printed on it.
• You have a SIN.

What counts as a scheduled break

According to IRCC's help centre, a break must be scheduled by your school and last at least 7 consecutive days, such as winter holidays, a summer break or a reading week. A statutory holiday or long weekend on its own is not a scheduled break. If back-to-back breaks run longer than 150 consecutive days, you can only work off campus during the first 150, and unlimited off-campus work is capped at 180 days per calendar year.

Working more than 24 hours a week during a session violates your study permit conditions. canada.ca warns this can cost you your student status and affect future permit applications, so keep a record of your hours across every job you hold.

Working on campus

On-campus jobs are open to full-time post-secondary students with a valid study permit, on-campus work conditions printed on it and a SIN. There is no hour limit during terms or breaks. "On campus" means buildings on the campus where you study, and the employer can be your school, a faculty member, a student group or an on-campus business.

Eligible employers include the school, a faculty member, a student organization, a private business or contractor that provides services on campus, and you, if you run a business physically located on campus. Teaching and research assistants can sometimes work at a library, hospital or research facility affiliated with the school, if the work is strictly related to a research grant.

Typical on-campus roles include library and residence jobs, teaching and research assistant positions, athletics and recreation staff, and food service run by campus contractors. These jobs fit around class schedules and give you a Canadian reference for later applications. You must stop working on campus if you stop studying full time (outside of your final semester), your permit expires, you are on an authorized leave, or you are switching schools and not currently studying.

Co-op and internship placements

Since April 1, 2026, eligible post-secondary international students no longer need a separate co-op work permit for placements their program requires. You still need on-campus work conditions on your study permit, a letter from your school confirming the placement is required, full-time enrolment, and a placement that makes up 50% or less of your program.

The full conditions are on IRCC's student work placements page. Key points:

• No weekly hour limit applies to a required placement.
• Existing co-op work permits can be used for their entire validity.
• Secondary school students still need a co-op work permit.
• Not eligible: English or French as a second language courses, general interest courses, and courses that prepare you for another study program.

Because this change is recent, some school web pages and older articles still describe applying for a co-op work permit. When sources disagree, rely on canada.ca and your co-op office. Co-op is also one of the most structured routes into paid, program-related work: the office screens employers, fits work terms around your academic schedule, and a strong work term can lead to a return offer.

How to get a social insurance number (SIN)

You need a SIN to work in Canada. International students can apply online (Service Canada's fastest option), by mail, or in person at a Service Canada Centre, using a study permit that shows work conditions plus a secondary identity document such as a passport. A temporary resident's SIN starts with 9 and expires when your permit does.

If your study permit is missing work conditions you are eligible for, request an amendment from IRCC before applying for a SIN; canada.ca explains when this is free and when a fee applies. When you extend your permit, update your SIN record too. Service Canada's SIN page for temporary residents lists the steps.

Give your SIN to an employer only after you are hired. Service Canada's code of practice for employers says not to ask for a SIN on a job application or during an interview, and to request it no more than 3 days after employment begins.

What can employers ask international students?

Employers can ask whether you are legally entitled to work in Canada, and after hiring they can collect your SIN and confirm your work authorization. Ontario human rights guidance says application forms should not ask about citizenship, permanent residency or your SIN. Other provinces have their own human rights codes, so check yours.

• Fair to ask: "Are you legally entitled to work in Canada?" The Ontario Human Rights Commission gives this as an acceptable application question. Employers can also ask about your availability, including how many hours you can work during the school year.
• After an offer: your SIN and documents that confirm you can work. IRCC's guidance for employers says they may ask for a letter of enrolment showing you study full time in an eligible program.
• Not on an Ontario application form: questions about citizenship, permanent residency, refugee status, place of birth, or your SIN.

In 2023, the Ontario Court of Appeal (Imperial Oil Limited v. Haseeb) restored a tribunal finding that an employer discriminated on the basis of citizenship when it required applicants to be eligible to work in Canada on a permanent basis, which excluded a candidate legally entitled to work on a post-graduation work permit.

A clear way to answer the eligibility question: "Yes. I can work up to 24 hours a week during the school term and full time during scheduled breaks." Only say this if it matches your permit, and mention your placement authorization if the job is a co-op or internship.

Where to find jobs as an international student

Start with your campus career centre and co-op office, which post jobs for students at your school and know the work rules. Then apply directly on employer career sites, and use job boards to find employers you had not considered. Check every posting's hours against your permit before applying, and match your resume to each role.

1. Campus career centre. On-campus job postings, career fairs, employer information sessions, resume reviews and mock interviews. Many centres have advisors who work specifically with international students.
2. Co-op and internship office. If your program offers co-op, this is the most direct route to paid work in your field while you study.
3. Employer career sites. Banks, insurers, retailers, technology companies and public sector organizations often run student and new-grad programs through their own career pages. A full-time role during the term will not fit a 24-hour limit, so look for part-time, summer or placement roles.
4. Job boards. The Government of Canada's Job Bank lists jobs across the country. On LANDTHATROLE you can browse current Canadian jobs or a field such as software engineering jobs in Canada, and tailor your resume to a posting from any job page (3 a day free). The Canadian hiring report shows which fields and employers have the most active postings.

If you are applying and hearing nothing back, review your resume and targeting before assuming your status is the barrier. Our guide on why you might not be getting interviews covers the common fixes. Use a Canadian resume format (no photo, date of birth or marital status) and include campus jobs, student club roles and volunteer work in Canada.

Your work authorization changes again when you finish your program. Read IRCC's page on working after graduation, including the post-graduation work permit, well before your final semester ends.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many hours can international students work in Canada?

Eligible students can work up to 24 hours per week off campus while classes are in session, unlimited hours during scheduled breaks, and with no limit on campus. Confirm the conditions on your own study permit on canada.ca.

Do international students need a work permit for co-op?

Since April 1, 2026, eligible post-secondary students do not need a separate co-op work permit for placements their program requires. Secondary school students still need one.

Can I start working before my program begins?

No. IRCC says you can only start working in Canada once your study program has started.

Can an employer ask for my SIN in an interview?

Service Canada tells employers not to ask for a SIN on a job application or during an interview. Employers must request it no more than 3 days after your job starts.

Does remote work for a company outside Canada count toward the 24 hours?

No. canada.ca says remote work for an employer outside Canada does not count toward the 24-hour off-campus limit, as long as you still meet your study permit conditions.