Canada offers off-campus and two-year work permits for foreign students

On April 27, 2006, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) announced a new program to make off-campus study permits available to foreign students.

Students with study permits can apply for the new work permits after six months of full time study. The permits allow the student to work off campus for 20 hours a week while school is in session, and full-time during school holidays.

Students must attend a publicly funded post-secondary institution to be eligible. Some private schools are also eligible. The institution must sign an agreement with CIC to participate in the program. Click here for a list of participating institutions.

Students must apply for and receive a work permit before beginning work. The fee is $150 Canadian. The permit remains valid until graduation, as long as the student complies with all the terms and conditions of his study permit.

There are no restrictions on the type or location of the job.

In addition, Canada will now permit some students who have completed a course of study of two years or more at a post-secondary institution to obtain two-year post-graduate study permits. To be eligible, both the place of study and the place of employment must be outside the greater metropolitan areas of Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.