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McGill.CA / International Student Services / Work & Permits

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View recordings of completed webinars on immigration, work authorization, and health insurance.

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Off Campus Work

For up to date and full details on all the changes to the off-campus work program for students, we recommend periodically visiting the Immigration Canada’s website.

Definitions:

What does Off-Campus and Off-Campus work mean?

  1. According to the Government of Canada:
    " Any location outside the boundaries of the campus of the educational institution at which the student is registered."
  2. Refer to the official Immigration Canada website for detailed definitions and complete information on off-campus work.

What is a regularly scheduled break?

  1. According to the Government of Canada , a break is considered a regularly scheduled break if:
    "It is a part of the Designated Learning Institution’s (DLI) academic calendar (for instance, winter and summer holidays, Reading Week)."
  2. For undergraduate and some non-thesis master programs the Summer term, reading week and the winter holidays are considered scheduled breaks. 
  3. Thesis programs do not have any scheduled breaks.

What are Full-Time studies?

The definition of Full-Time studies depends on the type of degree program. The criteria for each are listed below:

  1. For Undergraduate Students:

    1. Minimum Requirement: 12 credits per term.

    2. Exceptions:

      • Scheduled breaks (e.g., Reading Week, Winter Holidays, Summer).

      • Final term before graduation when you are permitted to register part-time and still maintain working privileges.

  2. For Non-Thesis Masters Students:

    1. Minimum Requirement: 12 credits per term.

    2. Exceptions:

      • Department-scheduled breaks (confirm with your department, if unsure)

      • Final term before graduation when you are permitted to register part-time and still maintain working privileges.

  3. For Graduate Thesis (Masters, PhD) students:

    1. Requirement: Registered full-time in every academic term, including Summer, regardless of the number of credits per term.

    2. Note: Thesis programs do not have scheduled breaks.

Eligibility Criteria:

Who is eligible?

  1. Students registered in full-time studies McGill degree, certificate, diploma students, visiting/exchange students, and who have a valid study permit.

  2. To work during scheduled breaks, students must be registered full-time before and after scheduled breaks with the exception of the last term.

Who is NOT eligible?

  1. You can't work off-campus in Canada if your study permit says you aren't authorized to work off campus while you study.
  2. Students not registered as full-time.
  3. We recommend consulting the Immigration Canada Website for a detailed list of circumstances that make a student ineligible for off-campus work.

Required Documents:

  1. A Valid study permit.
  2. Social Insurance Number.
  1. If you are a McGill degree-seeking student:
    • Your study permit will likely include conditions and/or remarks that clearly state that you are eligible to work on or off-campus if you meet the eligibility requirements.
    • This will be necessary in order to be able to apply for a Social Insurance Number.
  2. If you are a McGill degree-seeking student, and your Study Permit does not include a reference to your eligibility to work on or off-campus:
    • You can submit a request for an amendment to your study permit in order to be able to apply for a Social Insurance Number.
    • The Request to Amend can only be submitted by mail - there is no fee for this request -and you can check the current processing time required.

If You're Eligible and Have the Required Documents:

How many hours can you work?

  1. As of November 8, 2024, international students can work up to 24 hours per week during regular full-time academic sessions.
  2. As per new guidelines, students who have regularly scheduled breaks during the summer as per their program of study and who decide to study part-time or full-time during the summer are eligible to work off-campus on a full-time basis during the summer as long as they meet the other eligibility criteria for off-campus work.
  3. Students who complete one program of studies and then commence a new program within 150 days from the completion of their program are eligible to work off-campus full-time until the start of their program.

If your program does not have a regularly scheduled break, working more than 24 hours off-campus per week is a violation of your study permit conditions and may lead to loss of student status.

Where can you find work on campus?

  1. Off-campus jobs are posted regularly on McGill MyFuture.
  2. You can also visit the Find a Job section on the Career Planning Services (CaPS) website for more resources and job search sites.

You got the job... Now what?

Congratulations on the getting the job!

  1. Visit Onboarding Central to access practical tips and resources that will help you get the most out of your student employment experience.

Related Content:

On-Campus Work
Social Insurance Number (SIN)
Off-Campus Work (Immigration Canada)

In addition to the information above, please also review ISS' FAQs page.

FAQs
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