Working in Canada

You can work on the University campus without a work permit if you:

• Are a full-time post-secondary student at:
  
  • A public post-secondary school, such as a college or university, or CEGEP in Quebec
  • A private college-level school in Quebec operates under the same rules as public schools, and is at least 50% funded by government grants,
  • A Canadian private school that can legally award degrees under provincial law
• Have a valid study permit and
• Have a Social Insurance Number (SIN).

You must stop working on campus the day you are no longer studying full-time, or when your study permit expires.

ESL, Exchange, and visiting students may work on campus if they hold a valid study permit and are registered full-time. They must apply for study permits outside of Canada and have the required work conditions on their study permit.

Exchange and visiting students may work off-campus if they hold a valid study permit with the remarks "May accept employment" or "May work" and are registered full-time. You must apply for study permits from outside Canada and have the required work conditions in your study permit.

You are not eligible to work off-campus because your program of study does not meet the eligibility requirements for working off-campus and will not lead to a degree.

You are eligible to work on campus, provided you are in full-time studies (9 credits or more) and have a valid study permit containing the remarks "May accept employment" or "May work."

Students studying in a program that requires a co-op, internship or practicum placement as part of their curriculum must apply for a Co-op Work Permit. Co-op Work Permits are for programs with mandatory work components such as co-op/internship programs or programs with practicums only. 

The Government of Canada announced measures that allow students to begin their co-op work placement before their co-op work permit is issued. The measures differ depending on whether your co-op, internship or practicum placement will be on-campus or off-campus.

How to apply for a co-op work permit

Students Who Will be Outside Canada

If the student is outside of Canada at the start of their co-op placement, they can start their co-op placement if both their school and employer agree. They can either:

• accept a Canadian work placement and begin working remotely from their home country
• work for a company in their home country

Students Who Will be Inside Canada

Students who are already in Canada, and have applied for a co-op work permit, may start their co-op placement using their on or off-campus work authorization, provided they meet all the eligibility requirements.

On-Campus Co-op Placement

You may start working full-time if your co-op placement is on the University Campus at which you are registered as a full-time student under paragraph 186(f) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR). There is no limit on work hours for on-campus placement.

Off-Campus Co-op Placement

You may start working a total of 24 hours per week during an academic term or semester as per paragraph R186(v). While working 24 hours per week in your co-op placement, you should not have any other off-campus employment.

You may start working full-time if your co-op placement is during regularly scheduled breaks.

If your co-op application gets refused you must stop working immediately and consult with an international student specialist.

University of Alberta graduate students who meet all the eligibility requirements can work an unlimited number of hours per week on campus and up to 24 hours a week off campus during regular academic sessions.

• Thesis-based graduate students are permitted to work 24 hours per week off-campus year-round and full-time during regularly scheduled breaks (reading breaks and winter break).
• Course-based graduate students are permitted to work 24 hours a week off-campus during academic sessions and full-time during regularly scheduled breaks (reading breaks, winter break, and Spring and Summer may also be considered scheduled breaks for some course-based students - students to check with their program for confirmation).

Part-time registration periods or periods of authorized leaves that exceed 150 days may harm future post-graduation work permit applications and could be interpreted as not "studying continuously." Students must provide additional documentation to explain these periods when applying for a post-graduation work permit.

If you are eligible to work during your final semester, you can continue to work 24 hours/week off campus until your Program Completion Letter gets issued. Once your program letter is issued, you must stop working.

Your completion letter will not be automatically issued. You should request your completion letter once all your final grades get posted to your Beartracks account.

If you are eligible to work during your final semester, you can continue to work 24 hours/week off campus until you receive an email from the Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies (FGPS) that confirms the completion of your graduate program.

Your completion letter will not be automatically issued. You will need to submit the Completion Letter Request Form

Once you submit your PGWP application to IRCC, you can immediately start working full-time while the application is under process - as long as you meet the following requirements:

1. Your study permit is valid at the time you submit your PGWP application.
2. You apply within 90 days of the issued date of the completion letter.
3. Your study permit authorizes you to work off-campus (your study permit must have a condition listed on it that authorizes you to work off-campus).
4. You did not work more than the allowable hours of work during regular academic terms) except for the time during which the temporary policy was in effect.

If you submit your PGWP application on the same day your Program Completion Letter becomes available, you may continue to work without any gaps in your employment.

If you are unable to submit your PGWP application on the same day your Completion Letter becomes available, you must not engage in any employment activity until you submit your PGWP application and if you meet all the eligibility requirements listed above, you may start full-time work after you submit your PGWP application to IRCC.