Liberals to temporarily lift cap on off-campus work hours for international students

The Liberal government is lifting the limit on the number of hours international students are allowed to work off-campuseach weekinan efforttoaddress Canada's labour shortage.

Thepilot projectwill run from Nov. 15, 2022to Dec. 31, 2023,ImmigrationMinisterSean Fraser said Friday.

International studentsin Canada whoare authorizedto work off-campus under the terms of their study permits previously were limited to 20 hours of paid work outside their studies for each week class was in session. These students could work full-time during scheduled breaks.

"I don't expect that every international student is going to suddenly start working full-time hours," Fraser said. "It's going to give them the flexibility to do soand it's going to help employers tap into a new pool of labour."

Fraser estimated around 500,000 students would be eligible for the program.

WATCH |International students permitted to work more than 20 hours a week:

Canada to temporarily lift work restrictions for international students

2 years ago

Duration 1:42

Minister of Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Sean Fraser announced authorized international students will be permitted to work more than 20 hours a week.

Student, labour groups welcome 'first step'

Advocacy group Migrant Workers Alliance for Change said in a press release Fridayit has been organizing against the 20-hour work limit since international student Jobandeep Singh Sandhuwas arrested for working too many hours outside schoolin2019and eventually removed from the countryunder whatCBSA calls an "exclusion order," which banned him from returning for one year.

"Today's announcement isn't about labour shortage. It's about labour mobility," the alliance'sorganizerSarom Rho said in a statement.

Christian Fotang, chair of the board of directors for the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations, told CBCNews the change is a welcome "first step."

"Groceries are going up. Textbooks are going up. And especially for international students, their tuition has been skyrocketing more than their domestic counterparts," Fotang said.

"Increasing these work hours allows themto earn more while they're studying and also provides them the opportunity to gain more work experience."

Fotang said hewould like to see more changes beyond the temporary pilot program. He called on Ottawa toreducebarriers forinternational students seeking social insurance numbers and to recognizeeducational extracurricular work experience under the federal government's express entry program.

Conservative immigration critic Jasraj Singh Hallansaid in an email statementtheLiberal announcement is"common sense," addingtheConservative Party called for the 20-hour cap to be lifted earlier this year.

"Today's announcement by no means will solve Canada's labour shortage crisis," Hallansaid. "This government needs to clear the Liberal-made backlog, let newcomers contribute to Canada's economyand get the affordability crisis under control."

Vacancies up, unemployment down

Job vacanciesreached a record high in the first quarter of 2022, according to Statistics Canada. Thehealth-care, social assistance, construction and manufacturing sectors were hit especially hard.

Rising vacancies combined with a shrinking supply of unemployed workers is posing hiring challenges for many businesses.

The labour shortage is being driven in part byCanadians aged 55 and olderexiting the workforce fasterthan young people canreplacethem,economists told CBC.

In the mandate letter sent by Prime Minister Justin TrudeautoFraser late last year, Trudeau called on the ministerto "build on existing pilot programs to further explore ways of regularizing status for undocumented workers who are contributing to Canadian communities."

Fraser also announcedthe introduction of an automatic approval process for students seeking study permit extensions. Any applications that are denied will be reviewed by a human agent.