Welcome to the Guberman // Appleby Immigration Update. We hope you find the information provided relevant to your immigration needs. Our objective is to highlight recent changes in immigration that are of interest to our readers. If you have specific questions relating to this update, feel free to contact us at info@gaimmlaw.com
Today’s topic:
- Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) Makes Changes to Certain Study Permit Requirements and Foreign Student Work Hours
IRCC recently announced changes to certain study permit requirements and signed a public policy impacting the hours of work for foreign students who are already in Canada pursuant to valid study permits.
Changes to Study Permit Requirements
Beginning January 1 2024, there will be an increase in the financial requirements for those who are applying for a study permit. The current financial threshold has remained the same at $10,00 for approximately 20 years. Going forward the financial requirement will change annually based on Statistics Canada’s release of the Low-Income Cut-Off (LICO) figures.
For study permit applications filed as of January 1, 2024, an individual applicant must demonstrate that they have at least $20, 635 in funds available, in addition to funds that will cover year 1 tuition and travel expenses.
Earlier in the fall, IRCC also announced that effective December 1, 2023, Designated Learning Institutes (schools for which study permits can be issued) are required to verify EVERY letter of acceptance with IRCC to confirm that the acceptance letter is not fraudulent.
Public Policy Impacting Hours of Work for Foreign Students
Historically, foreign students in Canada were permitted to work a maximum of 20 hours per week off-campus during the academic sessions. Then, a temporary public policy was introduced allowing students to work for as many hours as they wished while respecting employment and labour laws. Initially, the expansion in weekly work hours for students was set to expire on December 31, 2023; however, on December 3, 3023, the public policy was extended until April 30, 2024.
Therefore, foreign students studying in Canada on a full-time basis who hold a valid study permit or who have applied to renew their study permit and are authorized to study and work off campus without a work permit will continue to be permitted to work for more than 20 hours per week during the academic session until April 30, 2024 – or earlier in the event that the public policy is cancelled. This public policy also includes foreign student who are on co-op placements and internships as part of their study permit. When the public policy ends, unless there are further extension, foreign students who are authorized to work must revert to 20 hours of work per week. This is applicable to those who held study permits or applied to renew their study permit before October 7, 2022 and also those who hold or applied to renew their study permits between October 8, 2022 and December 7, 2023. If you’re ready to apply for a study permit Canada, reach out to the Canadian immigration lawyers at Guberman // Appleby.
Guberman // Appleby Immigration Lawyers are available to discuss how these changes impact you, your business or your employees.
// CONTACT US
We welcome you to contact us directly to discuss the above. Please contact one of our immigration lawyers by reaching out to our general line 416 548 7100 or via email at info@gaimmlaw.com. Our immigration lawyers are always available to discuss any of your specific Canadian or US immigration queries either virtually or in person. We look forward to hearing from you.
