New International Student Program regulations

Regulations for the International Student Program are updated by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada.

Press release November 15, 2024—Ottawa—Canada is a popular destination for students from all over the world because of its inclusive and diverse society, top-notch educational system, and prospects for employment or immigration upon graduation. Students must be shielded from systemic abuse, and the international student program must be viable.

By combating fraud and shielding students from dishonest people and financial instability, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has taken important actions in the last year to guarantee the International Student Program’s survival. In order to better meet our long-term economic objectives and maintain the integrity and caliber of our temporary resident programs, Canada will reduce the number of temporary residents over the coming years, as stated in our 2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan.

The Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship, the Honourable Marc Miller, confirmed today that new rules affecting the International Student Program, such as the modification to the amount of time that international students can work off campus that was suggested earlier this year, are now in force. With this modification, qualified students can now work off campus for up to 24 hours every week during the time when classes are in session.

Going future, before switching educational institutions, international students must apply for and be granted a new study permit. This modification is consistent with the significant efforts we have been making to improve the International Student Program’s integrity.

DLIs, or designated learning institutions, are crucial in preventing abuse of the student program. The IRCC and DLIs have been collaborating to improve student compliance reporting since 2015. DLIs who neglect to check acceptance letters or submit compliance reports will now face repercussions. Under this modification, a DLI who fails to furnish the necessary information may be barred from accepting new international students for a maximum of one year.

These enhancements will benefit international students and protect their academic experiences in Canada while offering more monitoring.

Quotes “We’re finding the ideal mix between giving students work opportunities and assisting them in maintaining their academic concentration by setting the off-campus work limit at 24 hours per week. In order to maintain the integrity of the International Student Program, we also anticipate that universities will assist us. The significant adjustments announced today will contribute to the successful and positive experience that international students should have in Canada.

Facts

-A few facts International students must be enrolled full-time in a post-secondary academic, vocational, or professional training program, or a secondary level vocational training program offered in Quebec, that lasts at least six months and results in a degree, diploma, or certificate in order to work off campus without a work permit.

-During gaps in their academic calendar, such as the summer break between school years or the winter break between semesters, international students who are permitted to work off campus may work full-time. Designated educational institutions are required to report to the IRCC twice a year on whether all of the study permit holders connected to their institution have continued to be enrolled. Since they might be violating the terms of their study permission, students who drop out of school could be looked into and subject to enforcement action.

-Up until now, Quebec’s designated learning institutions have not taken part in student compliance reporting. Setting up this reporting mechanism for Quebec DLIs will require some time from both the IRCC and Quebec. Because of this, Quebec DLIs are exempt from the compliance reporting requirement for a certain amount of time. The verification procedure for the new letter of acceptance (LOA) has been successful. Beginning on December 1, 2023, and ending on October 6, 2024, the IRCC has obtained about 529,000 LOAs for confirmation. verified the validity of around 492,000 LOAs directly with designated learning institutions (DLIs). found over 17,000 LOAs that either didn’t correspond with any DLI-issued LOAs or that the DLI had revoked prior to the applicant’s study permit application.