Effective immediately, the Liberals have rescinded a regulation that previously permitted 982,880 foreign students to work full-time hours in Canada, Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced. Blacklock's Reporter said the decision comes amid concerns about the impact of unrestricted foreign student employment on Canadian job opportunities.“The policy expires today and it won’t be renewed,” stated Miller on Monday. “The idea behind the international student program is to study, not to work.”Under the new regulations, foreign students will be restricted to working 20 hours per week. This limitation will be increased to 24 hours starting in September. Miller emphasized the need for balance, suggesting that "three shifts of eight hours seems reasonable."The reversal follows a previous decision by then-Immigration Minister Sean Fraser in 2022 to lift the cap on foreign student work hours, citing economic benefits. However, Statistics Canada data revealed a significant increase in the number of foreign students in the workforce, raising concerns about the impact on Canadian employment.Miller acknowledged that the 2022 decision was initially intended as a temporary pandemic measure. "At the time we were recovering from the pandemic and employers couldn’t find workers for positions and many students were struggling with rising costs," Miller said.Despite the popularity of the unlimited-hours policy, Miller stressed the need to prioritize the primary purpose of international students' presence in Canada, which is to study without facing financial hardship.When questioned about the potential impact of the policy reversal, Miller pointed to ongoing labor shortages across the country. However, he did not elaborate on the reasons behind the decision to revert to the previous work hour limitations.This latest move follows a series of regulatory changes, including a 35% reduction in foreign study permits nationwide announced on January 22, and the suspension of work permits for spouses of foreign undergraduates and college students.
Effective immediately, the Liberals have rescinded a regulation that previously permitted 982,880 foreign students to work full-time hours in Canada, Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced. Blacklock's Reporter said the decision comes amid concerns about the impact of unrestricted foreign student employment on Canadian job opportunities.“The policy expires today and it won’t be renewed,” stated Miller on Monday. “The idea behind the international student program is to study, not to work.”Under the new regulations, foreign students will be restricted to working 20 hours per week. This limitation will be increased to 24 hours starting in September. Miller emphasized the need for balance, suggesting that "three shifts of eight hours seems reasonable."The reversal follows a previous decision by then-Immigration Minister Sean Fraser in 2022 to lift the cap on foreign student work hours, citing economic benefits. However, Statistics Canada data revealed a significant increase in the number of foreign students in the workforce, raising concerns about the impact on Canadian employment.Miller acknowledged that the 2022 decision was initially intended as a temporary pandemic measure. "At the time we were recovering from the pandemic and employers couldn’t find workers for positions and many students were struggling with rising costs," Miller said.Despite the popularity of the unlimited-hours policy, Miller stressed the need to prioritize the primary purpose of international students' presence in Canada, which is to study without facing financial hardship.When questioned about the potential impact of the policy reversal, Miller pointed to ongoing labor shortages across the country. However, he did not elaborate on the reasons behind the decision to revert to the previous work hour limitations.This latest move follows a series of regulatory changes, including a 35% reduction in foreign study permits nationwide announced on January 22, and the suspension of work permits for spouses of foreign undergraduates and college students.
