Student job in Canada – RainCity Immigration Ltd

Working While Studying in Canada

According to new regulations in Canada for 2024, international students in Canada can work up to 24 hours a week without needing a work permit while studying.

First and foremost, you need to familiarize yourself with the term Social Insurance Number (SIN Number). Having this number is essential for student work in Canada.

Canada's Social Insurance Number (SIN)

It’s a unique 9-digit national number issued to every newcomer who has received permanent residency in Canada or to those who enter Canada with a Study permit (students) or Work permit.

This number serves as a national ID in Canada and is used for identifying individuals, as well as for all government services and transactions. Students and their spouses who hold a work permit can receive their SIN number by visiting the nearest Service Canada office with their passport, study permit, or work permit after arriving in Canada and completing initial tasks like renting a place (getting an address).

Keep in mind that after starting work in Canada, you only have 3 days to inform the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada about this number. The process to obtain this number is free of charge.

Benefits of Student Work in Canada

– Expanding your social and professional network

– Getting more familiar with the academic community

– Gaining Canadian work experience and enhancing your learning and skills

– Earning income to support your student living costs in Canada

Know the rules for student work in Canada!

To work as a student in Canada, there are rules and conditions that include:

– You must have a valid study visa.

– You need to complete course units during your study period. You can’t work while taking a language course.

– You must be a full-time student in Canadian colleges and universities.

– Your study program must be longer than 6 months.

– You can work only after starting your studies, not before.

– You’re allowed to work 24 hours a week during your studies.

– On holidays like official holidays or breaks between semesters, you can work full-time, up to 40 hours a week.

– You need to have a SIN number.

Full-time students who are in their last semester studying part-time.

Students who have studied full-time throughout their academic term and only take their last semester part-time due to fewer remaining courses can work full-time during the breaks before their last semester and can work up to 24 hours a week (off-campus) during their last semester.

Types of Student Work in Canada

The different types of student work during studies in Canada, or working while studying in Canada, are as follows:

On-Campus Student Work

If you are a full-time student with a valid study permit, you can work at the university you are enrolled in without needing a work permit.

Who is the employer for on-campus student work?

The universities themselves in Canada

The student organization

Private contractors working within the campus area

To be allowed to work on campus, the following phrases must be written on your study permit:

May accept employment on the campus of the institution at which registered in full-time studies.

May accept employment on or off campus if meeting eligibility criteria as per R186(f), (v) or (w). Must cease working if no longer meeting these criteria.

Off-Campus Student Work

If you are a full-time student with a valid study permit, you can work 24 hours a week during school terms and unlimited during university breaks in Canada.

To have permission for off-campus student work, the following phrases must be written on your study permit:

May work 24 hors per week off-campus or full-time during regular breaks if meeting criteria outlined in section186(v) of IRPR.

May accept employment on or off campus if meeting eligibility criteria as per R186(f), (v) or (w). Must cease working if no longer meeting these criteria.

Also, if your visa has this phrase, you will not be allowed to work:

This permit does not permit the holder to engage in off campus employment in Canada.

What to do if student work permission is not written on your study permit?

Usually, study permits for students state that they can work inside or outside of Canada. However, some study permits might not mention student work at all.

In such cases, students must amend their study permit before starting any work in Canada. This is done by submitting the “Application to Amend File, Permanent Residence Confirmation or Temporary Residence Document” form. The code for this form is IMM 1436.

Required conditions for applying for an amendment to the study permit

If your study permit doesn’t mention student work authorization, you can apply for a correction to your study permit if you meet the following conditions:

When your study permit is issued, you should be eligible to work in Canada.

Your study permit doesn’t specify the conditions for student work authorization.

For example, it might state that a student is not allowed to work in Canada or cannot work outside of campus. Alternatively, there might be no mention of student work authorization at all; in this case, the permit needs to be corrected.

Steps to correct the study permit:

1. Gather Documents: To apply for a study permit correction, you must send the following documents to the immigration office:

Acceptance letter from the university

Enrollment letter

Passport

Official identification documents

Original study permit

2. Fill out the application form:

Applicants for study permit corrections must download the latest version of the “Request for Correction of Records, Confirmation of Permanent or Temporary Residence” form, also known as form IMM 1436, from the immigration office website, and print it out. This form should be completed before sending it to IRCC and must be signed by the applicant.

This form also includes a checklist of documents that should be printed and submitted with the application.

3. Submit the application:

Ideally, applications for study permit corrections in Canada should be sent via a traceable postal service or courier to the Operations Support Centre in Ottawa.

Using a reputable postal service allows you to track when your application reaches IRCC. This is very important; IRCC will not provide confirmation of receiving your submitted application.

Amendment requests for study permits sent by mail should be addressed to:

Operations Support Centre (OSC) P.O. Box 8784 STN T CSC Ottawa, Ontario K1G 5J3

Requests sent by Canada courier service should be addressed to:

Operations Support Centre (OSC) 365 Laurier Avenue West Ottawa, Ontario K1A 1L1

4. Receive and review your new study permit:

Applicants’ new study permits will be sent to the address provided by students in their application form.

What types of student work permits are there in Canada?

As mentioned earlier, to work on-campus or off-campus, you need to have permission in your study permit letter. In this case, you don’t need a separate authorization and can work inside or outside of Canadian universities with that letter.

However, in other situations, you need a legal work permit and you’ll have to apply for it separately. The types of student work permits during and after studies in Canada include the following:

Co-Op Work Permit

If your study program includes an internship or co-op in Canada, since completing this program is mandatory and you need to work for a specific organization or employer, having a work permit is essential. To obtain such a permit, you need to apply and submit your request to Immigration Canada.

Conditions to work as an Intern in Canada | Co–op Student or Intern:

– You must have a valid student visa.

– The internship must be part of your study program.

– Your employment must be an integral part of the course at a recognized educational institution in Canada, and you should have a confirmation letter from the institution.

– The internship should not exceed 50% of your study program.

Post Graduate Work Permit (PGWP)

After graduation, you can stay in Canada and work full-time. For this, you need a work permit known as the Post Graduate Work Permit or PGWP for short. To obtain a post-graduation work visa in Canada, you need to meet the following conditions:

– You must have graduated from a university that is recognized by Canada, or has a Designated Learning Institute (DLI) number.

– Your study program must be at least 8 months long.

– You must have received your transcripts and diploma.

– You need to apply for the PGWP before your study permit expires.

– You can only apply for the post-graduation work permit once.

The duration of the post-graduation work permit is based on the length of your study. For example, if your study duration is one year, the work permit will also be issued for one year. However, if your study duration is two years, the work permit will be granted for three years.

At the end of your first year of work, you can apply for permanent residency in Canada.

Alireza’s experience with student work in Canada

After I got my student visa, I headed to Canada. I had a master’s degree in biomedical engineering in Iran, but since I didn’t meet the requirements to get into that field in Canada, I enrolled at the University of New Brunswick to pursue an MBA. I’m currently in my third semester, and I have two more semesters until I finish my studies.

From the very beginning of my studies, I started working part-time, clocking in about 20 hours a week. The minimum wage for student work in Canada is $15. With this wage, I earn about $1,200 a month, which covers roughly 70 to 80 percent of my living expenses.

At first, juggling work and study was tough, but over time, I managed to balance my schedule effectively, and neither my work nor my studies suffered.

Spouse of a student, working in Canada

As long as the main applicant maintains their study conditions and their student visa is valid, their spouse can work indefinitely in Canada with a work permit. A work permit is issued to these individuals upon their arrival in Canada.

Unauthorized courses for work in Canada

If you’re studying in any courses other than the ones listed below, you will have the right to work while studying in Canada under certain specific conditions. Canadian labor laws require employers to comply with minimum wage requirements. Working during studies is not permitted in the following programs:

– Part-time courses

– High school courses

– Language courses

– General interest or preparatory courses

How much can student work earn in Canada?

Student work wages in Canada typically range from $14 to $20 an hour. However, at the graduate levels, you can earn up to $25 an hour as a research assistant.

By working 24 hours a week, you could earn between $1,300 to $1,900 a month, which pretty much covers all your living expenses as a student. Of course, this also depends on your lifestyle and the city you live in. Living costs tend to be higher in major Canadian cities.

Student Jobs in Canada and Their Earnings

As mentioned earlier, you can work both inside and outside the university and earn an income. There are various types of part-time student jobs in Canada, and here are some of the more common ones:

Teaching Assistant (15.65 CAD per hour)

In graduate programs like Master’s and Ph.D. in Canada, it’s quite common for a supervisor to hire their student as a teaching assistant. The student can help with teaching students, creating lesson plans, and other tasks assigned by the professor.

Freelancer (25.60 CAD per hour)

There are many kinds of freelance jobs. A freelancer can be a writer, a website designer, a graphic designer, a programmer, and so on. Many freelance jobs can be done remotely.

Translator (21.16 CAD per hour)

Knowing a second, third, or even fourth language can definitely help you translate various texts and earn a good income during your studies.

Sales Associate (12.42 to 50 CAD per hour)

Having good social skills and a strong ability to communicate can help you in a sales job. There are many chain stores in Canada where you can work.

Restaurant Server (11 to 15 CAD per hour)

Working in a restaurant offers flexible scheduling. You can work in the evenings and on weekends and still have enough time to study. Usually, the tips earned can exceed the base pay.

Babysitter (14.67 CAD per hour)

In Canada, there are many parents who need a babysitter for taking care of their children and handling related tasks. If you’re a single student and love working with kids, this job can help you earn some money.

Ride-share Driver (14 to 25 CAD per hour)

In Canada, there are online service companies like Uber that offer ride-share services as well. Mornings, evenings, and weekends are times when there’s a higher demand for ride-share services.

Do students in Canada have to pay taxes?

As an international student in Canada, you may be required to pay taxes if you’re working with a Canadian study permit. Everyone moving to Canada for studies has to file a tax return every year.

Canada’s tax system is based on residency, not citizenship. This means that if you have residential ties to Canada, you need to pay taxes. If you belong to any of the following groups, it indicates that you have residential ties with Canada:

– Having a Social Insurance Number (SIN)

– Having a Canadian bank account

– Having Canadian health insurance

– Having a Canadian driver’s license

– Staying in Canada for more than 183 days in a year

– Having a spouse or dependents moving to Canada to live with you.

You have to report the income you earn while working and studying in Canada on your Canadian tax return at the end of the tax year. The tax department in each province has its own specific rules, and a minimum annual income threshold is set for each province. If someone’s income exceeds the minimum annual income in that province, they need to pay income tax.

For example, if we assume that the minimum annual income in the province of Quebec is set at CAD 12,000, and a student earns more than CAD 12,000 in that year, they will need to pay taxes on it.

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Frequently asked questions

How much can I expect to earn from student work?

Yes. There are countless opportunities. From general work in Canada to delivery jobs and specialized roles. The ability to search for jobs in Canada depends on many factors. Your language proficiency plays a very important role. But overall, the chances of finding a job in Canada are higher compared to many other countries, and most students who are seriously looking for work succeed in this path. Finding specialized jobs during your studies in Canada can be a bit tough, but general work is definitely an option. These jobs can be in restaurants or in factories and manufacturing companies. At the master’s and doctoral levels, there are also opportunities for student projects, which universities and professors usually offer to students, providing some form of income or study assistance in exchange for completing these projects.

Do I need a permit for an internship in Canada?

Yes. If your program has a co-op component, you need to apply for a co-op work permit. You can apply for a co-op work permit either at the same time as your visa or after you receive your study permit and enter Canada.

How many hours am I allowed to work while studying in Canada?

While you are a full-time student, you can work up to twenty hours a week. During breaks when the university is closed, like between semesters and summer holidays, you can work without time limits. If you work on campus, you won’t have any hour restrictions at any time. For instance, if you’re working in the university cafeteria, you can work full-time while studying.

Does my spouse have the right to work in Canada?

Yes. As long as the primary applicant is enrolled in academic programs, the spouse has permission to work full-time and without restrictions.

Do you think I can find a job in Canada?

Finding a job in Canada depends on individuals’ personal skills as well as their language abilities. Certainly, based on your skills, there is a possibility for you to find a job.

Can I start working in Canada before my study program begins?

No. You can only start working in Canada once your study program has begun. Language courses do not count as part of a study program. So be careful not to work while you are in a language course. Prerequisite courses, which are considered part of your credits, allow you to work while studying. If your prerequisite course is not part of the main program, you do not have the option to work while completing it.

Can I continue working in Canada after completing my studies?

Generally, after receiving your final grade from the university, you need to stop working. To continue working, you must apply for a work permit or start a new study program. When you submit your next application, your status connects to that application, even if the result of your next application isn’t determined yet. The Canadian immigration service assumes you have the status of the next application. For example, if you’re applying for a work visa after graduation, you’ll be able to work full-time right after you graduate. So you’ll be working, and your application response will come. If it’s positive, that’s great; if it’s negative, you’ll have to stop working.

Is it possible to drop out and work in Canada?

Yes, as long as you can sign a formal employment contract with a Canadian employer.

How much can I earn with student jobs in Canada?

Students in Canada usually benefit from the minimum wage rate in the country, which is around $10 to $20 per hour. After taxes, you can earn about $200 a week and $800 a month.

What are the highest paying student and part-time jobs in Canada?

The most profitable jobs for students in Canada are as follows:

– Web Developer

– Sales Representative

– Translator

– Currently, delivery jobs are also very popular because they are quite cost-effective for students in terms of income.

Can students work in more than one job?

Yes, international students can work in more than one job simultaneously while studying.

What is a SIN?

The Social Insurance Number (SIN) is a unique 9-digit national number that is issued to every newcomer who has received permanent residency in Canada or to those who have entered Canada with a study permit or work permit. This number is essentially like a national ID in Canada, used for identifying individuals and for accessing government services and transactions. Students and their spouses who have a work permit can visit the nearest Service Canada office with their passport and study or work permit after settling in, such as finding a place to live, to receive their SIN document.

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