Working While Studying

As an international student, if authorized, you are allowed to work while you are studying. Before you start to work in Canada, you must obtain a Social Insurance Number (SIN).

Information for Students

How do I apply for a Social Insurance Number (SIN)?
Working Off Campus
Working On Campus

How do I apply for a Social Insurance Number (SIN)?

You can apply for a Social Insurance Number online on the Service Canada website.

A Social Insurance Number (SIN) is required to work in Canada or to receive benefits and services from government programs. You must have a condition or remark similar to below printed on your study permit in order to apply for a SIN:

“May work 20 hours/week off-campus or fulltime during regular breaks if meeting criteria outlined in section 186(v) of IRPR.”
“May accept employment on or off campus if meeting criteria eligibility criteria as per R186(f), (v) or (w) and must cease working if no longer meeting these criteria.”

If your study permit does not have one of the above conditions or remarks, you can submit a request for an amendment to your study permit before you can apply for a SIN. There is no fee for this request.

Visit the Government of Canada website for more information on amending your study permit conditions.

If your study permit states: “This permit does not permit the holder to engage in off campus employment in Canada”, but your study situation has now changed, you must apply to change the conditions of your study permit and pay the applicable fee ($150).

Working Off Campus

Before you start working, confirm that your study permit is:

valid for post-secondary studies and
verify that your study permit allows you to work on or off-campus.

You can only start working in Canada once your study program has started.

You can work off-campus up to 20 hours per week if you meet all following conditions:

You are enrolled as a full-time student in an eligible program at Humber (English for Academic Purpose studies are not eligible to work off-campus); OR
You are enrolled as a part-time student in the last semester of your studies, and you do not need a full course load to complete your program, and you were a full-time student up until the last semester; AND
You have a valid study permit, which states you "may work" or "may accept employment" on or off campus
You have a Social Insurance Number

You can work full-time hours if:

You are on a scheduled break from your program; AND
You are registered as a full-time student immediately before and after the break

You must stop working off-campus if:

Your enrollment status changes to part-time and this is not your last semester; OR
You are on an authorized or unauthorized leave from your studies

For more information, see the Government of Canada website: Work off Campus

Working On Campus

Finding a job on campus while you are a student is a great way to gain valuable work experience, develop transferable skills for employment, and learn about resources and services available at Humber. Learn more about applying for a work-study position from Advising & Career Services.

On-campus work includes working at any of our campuses, in areas such as: Athletics, Student Life Programs (Orientation, Leadership, Residence, First Year Experience), Peer Programs (peer mentors, peer tutors), Indigenous Education & Engagement, Counselling, Accessibility Learning Services, Student Wellness and Accessibility Centre (SWAC), Student Events, Public Safety, International Centre, Library, Facilities, Recruitment (campus tour guide), IGNITE, as well as the academic faculties.

Humber allows students to work on-campus for up to 24 hours per week.

For more information, see the Government of Canada website: Work on Campus.

Information for Employers

Working On Campus
Working Off Campus

Working On Campus

Students may work on-campus without a work permit while they study at Humber if they:

Have a valid study permit, and the study permit includes a condition that says they are allowed to work on-campus; AND
Are registered full-time (Note: a student registered part-time in their very last semester and who has maintained a full-time course load for all previous semesters without any unofficial breaks, may still be eligible to work); AND
Have a valid Social Insurance Number

Work Hours for On-Campus Employment

Positions during the academic year: you can work a maximum of 24 hours per week
Positions during the scheduled break can be full-time to a maximum of 40 hours or part-time to a maximum of 24 hours

More information is available on the Government of Canada’s Work On Campus as an International Student page.

Working Off Campus

Students may work off-campus without a work permit while they study at Humber if they:

Have a valid study permit, and study permit lists a condition that says they are allowed to work off-campus; AND
Are registered full-time (Note: a student registered part-time in their very last semester who have maintained a full-time course loads for all previous semesters without any unofficial breaks may still be eligible to work); AND
Are enrolled in a degree, diploma, or certificate program that is at least six months long and have already started the program; AND
Have a valid Social Insurance Number

Work Hours

Students may work off-campus for up to 20 hours per week during their regular full-time academic sessions and may work full-time during their regularly scheduled breaks.

More information is available on the Government of Canada’s Work Off Campus as an International Student page.

Information for Graduates

Maintained Status
Social Insurance Number and Maintained Status

Maintained Status

International students who have applied for a Post-Graduation Work Permit may start to work full-time until the decision is made as per s.186 (w) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (considered as maintained status) if they:

had a valid study permit when they submitted their application; AND
completed their study program, and the PGWP application was submitted within 90 days following the completion of their program of study; AND
were eligible to work off campus without a work permit while studying and they did not work more hours than they were allowed to

Social Insurance Number and Maintained Status

If a temporary resident (i.e. international student or foreign worker) applies for renewal of their work or study permit and their permit expires before a decision is made, they can continue working or studying under the same conditions while their application for renewal is being processed, as long as they remain in Canada. This is referred to as "maintained status"; as per paragraph 186(u) and section 189 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations. For more details, please visit the Government of Canada’s Employer Information – Social Insurance Number (SIN) page, and refer to the subsection titled “Before extending employment for your employee”.

Disclaimer

There are several temporary measures in place that may impact application policies and processes. The information on our website is based on normal situations and for applications made from inside Canada. For the most recent updates, please visit the IRCC website.

The information on this website was prepared by a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) in compliance with the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. This is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Immigration laws and procedures change frequently, so the requirements and procedure for working while studying may have changed. This page was updated on July 25, 2024. It is intended for students of Humber; the information contained herein may not be applicable to students at other academic institutions.