Jobs & Work Permits

Step 1: Get a Social Insurance Number (SIN)

You cannot legally be paid in Canada without a SIN. Apply as soon as you arrive at a Service Canada location (in person or, in some provinces, online) with your study permit and passport. It's free and usually issued same-day in person.

On-campus jobs

Most full-time study permit holders can work on-campus at their DLI without a separate work permit, as long as their study permit says they're authorized to work. On-campus jobs include things like:

• Library and administrative assistant roles
• Teaching or research assistant positions (often for upper-year/grad students)
• Campus food services, bookstores, and recreation centres

These are a great first Canadian job — flexible around class schedules and easy to find through your school's student job board.

Off-campus work

Eligible students can generally also work off-campus without a separate permit, subject to hour limits that IRCC sets and periodically changes (historically capped around 20 hours/week during regular academic sessions, with full-time work allowed during scheduled breaks like summer and winter holidays). Because this cap has been adjusted more than once in recent years, always check your study permit and the current IRCC rules rather than relying on a number you heard from a friend.

To be eligible, you generally need to:

• Hold a valid study permit that authorizes off-campus work
• Be a full-time student in an eligible program at a DLI
• Have already started your study program (not before your first term begins)

Co-op and internship work permits

If your program requires a work placement to graduate (co-op, internship, practicum), you need a separate co-op work permit in addition to your study permit — apply for this alongside or shortly after your study permit, since you can't legally start the placement without it.

Building a Canadian-style resume

Canadian employers expect a different format than many other countries:

• 1-2 pages, no photo, no birthdate, no marital status
• Focus on quantified achievements ("Increased X by Y%") over just listing duties
• A short, tailored summary at the top matching the specific job posting
• Canadian spelling/formatting conventions (many free templates exist online)

Where to actually find work

• Your school's career centre — often has employer relationships specifically for international students and can review your resume/cover letter for Canadian norms
• LinkedIn, kept genuinely up to date, with a Canadian-style profile
• Sector-specific job boards for your field
• Networking events and career fairs — a large share of jobs in Canada are never formally posted; informational interviews matter more here than in many countries

After graduation: the PGWP

Once you graduate from an eligible program, the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) lets you work for virtually any employer, in any field, with no hour restrictions — see our Immigration & PR guide for full details on eligibility and how this connects to permanent residency.

A few things that trip students up

• Working more than your permitted hours, even accidentally, can affect your immigration status — track your hours if you have more than one job.
• Unpaid "internships" that don't go through a proper co-op work permit process can still count as unauthorized work in some cases — check with your school before accepting.
• Self-employment and starting a business have their own separate rules — don't assume your study permit covers freelance or gig work by default.