Temporary Increase in Work Hours for International Students

• Phase 1 will enable family members of workers coming to Canada through the high-wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program or the International Mobility Program to apply for an open work permit.

• Phase 2 aims to expand the measure to the family members of workers from the low-wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, following consultations.

• Phase 3 will include consultation with agricultural partners and stakeholders to assess operational feasibility for expanding the measure to family members of agricultural workers.

More information will be released in the new year.

Key Considerations

• Increasing hours for eligible international students may reduce the need to rely on other employer-specific workpermit programs.
• Employers will be able to better leverage the skills of international students for their organizations.
• Employers should remain diligent about international students they hire being eligible to work off-campus for more than 20 hours per week and remain compliant with the conditions of their study permits under the temporary policy.
• Employers should review employment agreements to assess whether employment agreements with international students should be revised to capture full-time work.

Individuals who have questions or concerns about the new measures are encouraged to contact their usual immigration counsel or KPMG Law LLP (see the Contact Us section below) for further guidance.

FOOTNOTES:

1 Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, “Program delivery update: Study permits – Off-campus work” at
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/operational-bulletinsmanuals/updates/2022-study-off-campus-work.html

2 Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, “Employers and temporary workers to benefit from family work permits to address labour shortages”(December 2, 2022) at: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugeescitizenship/news/2022/12/employers-and-temporary-workers-to-benefit-from-family-work-permits-to-address-labourshortages.html .