Visas
Working hours on a Canadian study permit
In short
Eligible study permit holders can work up to 24 hours a week off campus while classes are in session, and unlimited hours during scheduled breaks such as summer and winter holidays. The limit rose from 20 to 24 hours in regulations that took effect in November 2024, so a permit printed with 20 hours still allows 24 if you meet the eligibility rules.
This is the rule most often quoted from an outdated page, and getting it wrong in either direction is costly: working over the limit breaches your permit conditions, and working under it on the assumption of 20 hours costs you money you were entitled to earn.
Everything below is the current IRCC position. What it is not is a reason to plan a budget around part-time income, which is a separate mistake we see in funding plans.
The current limit
During regular academic sessions, eligible students may work up to 24 hours per week off campus. IRCC states plainly that working more than 24 hours a week is a violation of your study permit conditions, which can cost you your status.
During scheduled breaks, such as the summer or winter holidays and reading week, the page describes hours as unlimited, provided you remain a full-time student before and after the break.
The increase from 20 hours came in regulations that took effect in November 2024. IRCC's page confirms that permits still printed with a 20-hour condition allow 24, as long as the holder meets the eligibility requirements.
Eligibility is not automatic
Off-campus work rights depend on being enrolled full time at a designated learning institution in a qualifying programme, and on your permit carrying the work condition. A permit issued for a programme that does not qualify will not carry it.
On-campus work runs on separate rules, and co-op or internship placements that are a required part of a programme need a co-op work permit rather than relying on the off-campus allowance.
Why this should not appear in your funding plan
Visa officers assess whether you can pay for the year from funds you already have. A plan that depends on part-time earnings is, on its face, a plan that is short, and the proof-of-funds figures exist precisely so that the answer does not rest on a job you have not got yet.
It is also a practical point rather than a bureaucratic one. Twenty-four hours a week of paid work alongside a full-time graduate programme is a real load, and the students who struggle most are usually the ones who budgeted for it as certain income.
Related questions
My permit says 20 hours. Can I work 24?
Yes, if you meet the eligibility requirements. IRCC's page states that students whose permits were printed with the 20-hour condition are still allowed up to 24 hours a week off campus.
Are the holiday hours really unlimited?
IRCC describes work during scheduled breaks as unlimited, and the break must be a scheduled one in your programme. You generally need to be a full-time student before the break and returning to full-time study after it.
Does working over the limit affect a future PGWP?
It can. Breaching a study permit condition puts your status at risk, and status problems follow you into later applications. The safer reading is that the limit is a condition, not a target.