Work with a Study Permit

1. Students in Certificate, Diploma and Degree programs
   According to IRCC, if you are enrolled full-time in an academic certificate, diploma or degree program that is 6 months or longer, you are eligible to work up to 20 hours a week off campus and/or full-time on campus during the academic year and full-time during scheduled breaks.

   You may be eligible to work more than 20 hours per week if you meet the Temporary Working Measure criteria. From November 15, 2022 until December 31, 2023, you can work more than 20 hours per week off campus while class is in session if you meet all of the following criteria:

   • You are studying full-time (or part-time during your last semester).
   • You have an off-campus work authorization on your study permit.
   • You applied for your study permit (including extensions) on or before October 7, 2022.
   • You  must be either in Canada or coming to Canada by December 31, 2023.
   • Please note that you are allowed to participate in the Temporary Working Measures for as long as the study permit you held on October 7, 2022 is valid. The only exception is if you applied to extend your study permit before October 7, 2022, in which case, you can participate in the Temporary Working Measures until your new study permit expires, you finish your program, or December 31, 2023– whichever date is first.
2. Upgrading, ESL and Open Studies students
   If you are enrolled full-time in Upgrading, ESL or Open Studies, you are eligible to work on-campus but not off-campus.

As a Study Permit holder, your primary focus of being in Canada needs to be studying. While you may have permissions to work while studying, your academic standing should not suffer as a result of your work.

According to IRCC, in order to work while you study at a NAIT Designated Learning Program (DLPs), you must be enrolled in your program full-time.

To be considered full-time in English as a Second Language (ESL) program, you need to be taking three classes. To be considered full-time in all other NAIT DLPs, you will need to be enrolled in 60% of your program’s full course load.

Note: you need a Social Insurance Number (SIN) to work in Canada. Please visit our Pre-arrival Tips and Resources page to learn more. A SIN is not a work permit, just having a SIN does not permit you to work in Canada.

According to IRCC, some full-time students may be eligible to work up to full-time hours during each regularly scheduled break. At NAIT, the spring and summer months (May to August), winter break (middle of December to early January) and reading week (one week in February around Family Day) are scheduled breaks. Please check the NAIT calendar for the most up-to-date list of important dates.

If you would like to work full-time off-campus during scheduled breaks, you must have been a full-time student before the break and a full-time student after the break. Or, if this is your last semester, full-time student before the break and a full-time OR part-time student after the break. In either case, you must also meet all additional IRCC requirements.

Some students wish to take full-time or part-time classes in the spring semester, even if their program does not require them to. In this case, students may work full-time off-campus, but will still need to have been a full-time student before and after the break, plus meet all additional IRCC requirements.

If after reading this information and exploring the IRCC links above, you still have questions about your Study Permit conditions and working privileges, consider registering for our workshop, You are in Canada, Now What? 

This event is offered at the beginning of every semester.

Sometimes, students in the last semester of their studies may only have one or two classes left to finish their credential. As a result, they may be enrolled part-time, or in fewer than a 3-day courses if in the ESL program.

According to IRCC, students who are enrolled part-time during the last semester of their studies can keep working up to 20 hours per week off-campus if they are in a credit program.

If you are in an Academic Upgrading or ESL program, you can work on-campus only, and you must be enrolled full-time in order to work.

Students who complete all their program requirements and still meet eligibility  for off-campus work, can continue to work part-time until they obtain a written confirmation of graduation. At NAIT, confirmation of graduation is called a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) letter, also known as a Completion of Studies letter. To view an example, select the ‘Post-Graduation Work Permit’ section on the left, followed by ‘How do I apply?’.

According to IRCC , once a written confirmation of graduation is issued, students must stop working immediately. Please visit the ‘Post-Graduation Work Permit’ section on the left to learn more about working after completing your studies.