ISS is now located in Brown Bldg., Suite 4100.
ISS is open Mondays to Fridays, 10am - 4pm both in-person and virtually.
1. How many hours can I work as an international student during an academic term?
- Full-time students are authorized to work in Canada full-time on-campus and part-time off-campus (up to a maximum of 24hrs per week) during an academic term. Exceptionally, students who are part-time in their final term but have been full-time in every previous term are authorized to work full-time on-campus and part-time off-campus in their final academic term before graduating.
- For undergraduate and non-thesis graduate students, full-time means you are enrolled for a minimum of 12 credits per academic term. PhD and Masters thesis students are considered full-time in every semester of their program, including the Summer term, regardless of the number of credits they are taking.
- NOTE: If you are outside of Canada, you are not restricted to the limits defined by Canadian immigration regulations regarding on-campus and off-campus work. You must, however, respect the allowable hours of work in the country where you are currently residing.
- *IMPORTANT: Please note, the number of hours international students can work off-campus during an academic term has increased to a maximum of 24 hours per week as of November 8th, 2024. For more details, please see the announcement from Immigration Canada.
2. I'm about to complete my program. Can I work after the end of my final semester of studies?
- It depends.
- If you were enrolled full-time in every term except your last term, and have always respected the allowable hours of work during your studies:
- you can continue to work full-time on campus and/or part-time off-campus (maximum of 24 hours per week) after the end of your final semester until the first date you receive written confirmation from McGill that you have complete your program.
- Once you receive written proof of program completion, you must then stop all work activity – whether or not this work is paid or unpaid (including in the summer, if Winter is your final term).
- You can start working full-time on campus and/or off-campus:
- After you have obtained your PGWP; or
- As soon as you have submitted an online PGWP application as long as you meet certain conditions. These conditions include holding a valid study permit at the time of application, applying from inside Canada, having been full-time throughout your studies (with the exception of your final term of studies), and having respected the allowable hours of work during your studies.
3. Can still work if I can am enrolled as a part-time student?
- Under the current conditions for CAQ holders, international students must make their studies their principal activity. This means that in order to respect your CAQ conditions, you must maintain full-time student status every term for the duration of your program, with the exception of your last term.
- Under the current eligibility requirements to work on-campus and off-campus, international students must maintain full-time student status every term for the duration of their program, with the exception of their last term.
- Therefore, if you are enrolled as a part-time student, you are not eligible to work on or off-campus.
- Exceptionally, you can be enrolled part-time in your final term and still work on and off-campus on the conditions of your study permit, if you were enrolled full-time in every other academic term.
- Under the current eligibility requirements for the post-graduation work permit (PGWP), international students must maintain full-time student status every term for the duration of their program, with the exception of their last term.
- We, therefore, recommend that all international students maintain full-time student status for the duration of their program with the exception of their last term, so as not to compromise their ability to extend their CAQ, maintain authorization to work on and off-campus or their eligibility for the PGWP.
- If you must be part-time due to extenuating circumstances such as health issues or a family emergency, please contact us so that we may best advise you. You may also wish to review our Immigration Obligations page.
4. Do I need a medical exam before starting my on-campus or off-campus job?
- It depends.
- If the job you plan on doing brings you into close contact with vulnerable people, you will need to undergo a medical exam by a panel physician - even if you are not prompted to do so when submitting your study permit application. Examples of such jobs include:
- clinical laboratory workers;
- patient attendants in nursing and geriatric homes;
- medical students admitted to Canada to attend university;
- medical electives and physicians on short-term locums;
- workers in primary or secondary school settings, or workers in child-care settings;
- domestics;
- workers who give in-home care to children, the elderly and the disabled;
- day nursery employees; and
- other similar-type jobs.
- If you already have a Study Permit it is important to verify the conditions of your permit. If it does NOT have the condition that states that you are restricted from working in the industry where you will or intend to be employed (e.g., healthcare, primary or secondary education, daycares, senior homes, etc.), then you may use it to work in Canada (if meeting all other requirements to do so). If it DOES state this condition, then you will need to undergo a medical exam by a panel physician and apply for a new Study Permit (and pay all applicable fees) so that the condition is removed in order to work in your intended job.
- You can find a list of panel physicians in your area on the Immigration Canada website.