Working In Canada & FAQs

If you're able to work during your studies, it'll say so in the conditions on your study permit.

If you're eligible for on-campus work, you don't need a work permit.

You can work on-campus without a work permit if you meet all of these requirements:

• you have a valid study permit
• your study permit has a condition that says you’re allowed to work on- or off-campus. 
• you are a full-time student
• you have started your studies, and
• you have a Social Insurance Number (SIN). 

There are no restrictions on the number of hours you can work on campus, if you continue to meet the eligibility requirements.

You can learn more about working on campus, via the IRCC Website.

• Work in an Assiniboine campus building—whether the employer is the college itself, or an associated organization (examples: bookstore, daycare, cafeteria, Students’ Association).
• Work outside of an Assiniboine campus building IF the employer is the college (example: a college event at a banquet facility outside of campus).

You cannot work on-campus in any of the following situations:

• You are registered as a part-time student, unless it is your final term of study.
• Your study permit does not include the condition allowing you to work on-campus.
• You are on an “unscheduled” break. This is a break that you chose, not a break scheduled by the college for your program/intake. Examples of unscheduled breaks:
  • You failed course(s) and could not retake them until a later term, and therefore have no classes scheduled in at least one term.
  • You are on “restriction” or “suspension” from the college, for academic (grades) and/or disciplinary reasons; generally this will mean an 8 month unscheduled break.
  • You owe the college money from earlier terms and therefore cannot be registered in a term, which results in an unscheduled break.
  • You are not studying during a regular term: examples: medical reasons or choosing to leave Manitoba for a number of weeks.
  • You withdraw from all courses during a regular term.
  • You are switching schools, or programs at the same school, and therefore are not studying.

If you are eligible to work on-campus, you can start working on-campus on the first day of your program.

If you meet all of IRCC’s eligibility requirements, you can work unlimited hours on-campus.

If you also have an off-campus job, you must follow IRCC rules for hours off-campus.

Note: Even though IRCC allows unlimited hours on-campus, it may not be a good idea for you. You still must balance your work, studies and health. If you work so many hours that you will receive poor grades and/or your health suffers, please reduce your hours and ask college staff for help!

A SIN is a 9-digit number that the Government of Canada gives you. You need one to work in Canada.

To apply for a SIN to work off campus, you must have 1 of these conditions printed on your study permit:

• May work 24 hours per week off campus or full-time during regular breaks if meeting criteria outlined in paragraph 186(v) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR).
• May accept employment on or off campus if meeting eligibility criteria, per paragraph 186(f), (v) or (w) of the IRPR, and must cease working if no longer meeting these criteria.

Yes. An employer cannot pay you without an SIN.

Apply Online at sin-nas.canada.ca.

Apply when you:​

• are in Canada​
  • have a study permit with the condition allowing you to work​
  • have an acceptable document showing the most up to date Canadian address​

You do not need a job or job offer to apply for an SIN. You can apply before you look for a job.​

After your application has been processed, register for My Service Canada Account at canada.ca/msca to view your SIN.

Maybe—but maybe not. It will depend on whether the failed course either makes you a part-time student and/or creates a gap in study for you. If you have failed a course, please connect with your Student Success Advisor (SSA).

Generally, no. Part-time students cannot work.

The only exception is if the part-time term (semester) is your final term—in other words, if you will complete your college program at the end of that term. If it is your final term, you can work on-campus.

Maybe—but maybe not. Missing weeks of college can create major difficulties—you may not be able to pass your courses, and may even be “un-registered” from classes. This could make you a part-time student and/or create a gap in study for you. Please discuss your situation with your program Student Success Advisor or Chair before making travel arrangements.

Start with your program Student Success Advisor or Chair—so you understand the academic options for your decision. After you have done that, if you require further advice, we suggest that you reach out to a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) to discuss your situation in more detail. RCIC's charge a fee for their services. Please visit this website to search for an RCIC: RCIC Search (college-ic.ca). In the search tab, type in Brandon as the City so that you can find a list of RCIC’s that provide their services here.

We strongly recommend you ask questions before making any decision to change your studies (like dropping courses, or taking an unscheduled break, or changing programs).

Yes, if you are on “maintained status” (formerly called “implied status”) you can continue to work under the same conditions as your previous permit while waiting for a decision.

Maintained status is a legal extension of status that allows temporary residents to stay in Canada while IRCC processes their application. To be eligible, the temporary resident must apply to extend their status before it expires. This used to be known as “implied status.” TRP holders do not benefit from maintained status.

See IRCC’s website.

If you're able to work during your studies, it'll say so in the conditions on your study permit.

If you're eligible for off-campus work, you don't need a work permit.

You can work off campus without a work permit if you meet all of these requirements:

• You're a full-time student at a designated learning institution (DLI) such as Assiniboine College
• You're enrolled in either of the following
  • a post-secondary academic, vocational or professional training program or
  • a secondary-level vocational training program (Quebec only)
• Your study program
  • is at least 6 months long and
  • leads to a degree, diploma or certificate
• You've started studying
• You have a social insurance number (SIN)

If you're a part-time student at a DLI

You can work off campus only if:

• you meet all of the requirements above, except the requirement to be a full-time student,

  and

• you're only studying part-time, instead of full-time, because:
  • you're in the last semester of your study program and you don't need a full course load to complete your program and
  • you were a full-time student in your program in Canada, up until your last semester

You cannot work off-campus in any of the following situations:

• You are registered as a part-time student, unless you're in your final term.
• You are studying English for Academic Purposes or Mature Student High School. Students studying English or secondary school cannot work off-campus.
• Your study permit does not include the condition allowing you to work off-campus.
• You are on an “unscheduled” break. “Unscheduled” means a break that you chose, not a break scheduled by the college for your program/intake. Examples of unscheduled breaks:
  • You failed course(s) and could not retake them until a later term, and therefore have no classes scheduled in at least one term.
  • You are on “restriction” or “suspension” from the college, for academic (grades) and/or disciplinary reasons; generally this will mean an 8 month unscheduled break.
  • You owe the college money from earlier terms and therefore cannot be registered in a term, which results in an unscheduled break.
  • You are not registered during a regular term: examples: medical reasons or choosing to leave Manitoba for a number of weeks.
  • You withdraw from all courses during a regular term.
  • You are switching schools, or programs at the same school, and therefore are not studying.

If your study permit doesn't have work conditions on it you can ask to have these conditions added if you're eligible to work off campus. There's no fee to add these conditions to your permit.

You must request an amendment to your study permit before you can apply to Service Canada for a SIN.

If you weren't eligible to work off campus, but your study situation has now changed, you may be able to change the conditions of your study permit.

You can apply to change the conditions of your permit if:

• you've changed your study program to one that may allow you to work off campus and
• your study permit says "This permit does not permit the holder to engage in off-campus employment in Canada"

OR

• we included a condition on your study permit that may no longer apply

Example: You have a study permit to complete prerequisite courses, such as an ESL course. You're then accepted into a full-time study program. This would mean you could apply to have the condition (not being allowed to work off campus) removed from your study permit.

You must apply to change the conditions of your study permit. There's a fee to make this change. You must change the conditions on your permit before you can apply for a SIN.

You can only start working in Canada on or after the first day of the semester i.e. when you start your program of study. You cannot start to work before your studies begin.

As of November 8, 2024, students who are eligible to work are allowed to work off-campus up to 24 hours per week without a work permit. Make sure you meet all of the requirements for working while you study.

If you are eligible to work off campus, you may work than one job at a time as long as you continue to meet the conditions of your study permit and you do not exceed that maximum 24 hours total per week.

You can work remotely for an employer outside Canada as long as you still meet the conditions of your study permit. This type of work doesn’t count towards your 24 hours per week off-campus work limit.

A SIN is a 9-digit number that the Government of Canada gives you. You need one to work in Canada.

To apply for a SIN to work off campus, you must have 1 of these conditions printed on your study permit:

• May work 24 hours per week off campus or full-time during regular breaks if meeting criteria outlined in paragraph 186(v) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR).
• May accept employment on or off campus if meeting eligibility criteria, per paragraph 186(f), (v) or (w) of the IRPR, and must cease working if no longer meeting these criteria.

Yes. An employer cannot pay you without an SIN.

Apply Online at sin-nas.canada.ca.

Apply when you:​

• are in Canada​
  • have a study permit with the condition allowing you to work​
  • have an acceptable document showing the most up to date Canadian address​

You do not need a job or job offer to apply for an SIN. You can apply before you look for a job.​

After your application has been processed, register for My Service Canada Account at canada.ca/msca to view your SIN.

Maybe—but maybe not. It will depend on whether the failed course either makes you a part-time student and/or creates a gap in study for you. If you have failed a course, please connect with your Student Success Advisor (SSA).

Generally, no. Part-time students cannot work.

The only exception is if the part-time term (semester) is your final term—in other words, if you will complete your college program at the end of that term. If it is your final term, you can work off-campus.

Maybe—but maybe not. Missing weeks of college can create major difficulties—you may not be able to pass your courses, and may even be “un-registered” from classes. This could make you a part-time student and/or create a gap in study for you. Please discuss your situation with your program Student Success Advisor or Chair before making travel arrangements.

Start with your program Student Success Advisor or Chair—so you understand the academic options for your decision. After you have done that, if you require further advice, we suggest that you reach out to a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) to discuss your situation in more detail. RCIC's charge a fee for their services. Please visit this website to search for an RCIC: RCIC Search (college-ic.ca). In the search tab, type in Brandon as the City so that you can find a list of RCIC’s that provide their services here.

We strongly recommend you ask questions before making any decision to change your studies (like dropping courses, or taking an unscheduled break, or changing programs).

Yes, if you are on “maintained status” (formerly called “implied status”) you can continue to work under the same conditions as your previous permit while waiting for a decision.

Maintained status is a legal extension of status that allows temporary residents to stay in Canada while IRCC processes their application. To be eligible, the temporary resident must apply to extend their status before it expires. This used to be known as “implied status.” TRP holders do not benefit from maintained status.

See these FAQS; please share link with your employer if that helps you.

See IRCC’s website.

Many college programs include one or more required courses called “co-op work placements” or “practicums” or “applied practical skills”. Students in these programs have work experience placement(s) with a local business or organization. A CWP is required by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada for a student to do a work placement while studying at Assiniboine, even if the work placement is unpaid.

A CWP is a different document than a study permit, although they look very similar. A CWP will list the words “work permit” near the top of the document. The CWP must list Assiniboine College as the employer. If you have a CWP that lists a different employer because you applied to or studied at a different DLI, you will need to apply for a new CWP.

If you applied for your study permit outside Canada using Assiniboine’s letter of acceptance, you likely received both documents (a study permit and a CWP) when you entered Canada.

The CWP allows you to only work within the “co-op work placement” or “practicum” or “applied practical skills” course(s) within your program.

Two ways you can see whether you need one:

1. Look at your letter of acceptance, page 2, section 24. If that section says “Required”, you need a co-op work permit.
2. Look at the list of courses on your program’s webpage, under the “Courses and Costs” tab. (Look at both years if it’s a two year program). If your program’s list of courses includes any course named “co-op work placement” or “practicum” or “applied practical skills”, you need a co-op work permit.

As early as possible! IRCC’s processing time can be very long.

If you apply for your study permit using Assiniboine’s letter of acceptance, then you can apply for the study permit and co-op work permit together, on the same application.

If you already have a valid study permit for Assiniboine and your study permit will not expire before the end of Assiniboine’s program, you will need to apply for the co-op work permit separately. The college will send you a “co-op letter” about one to two weeks after your program starts along with information about how to submit the application.

This will depend on when you apply. See FAQ above.

Information about the co-op requirement will be on two letters from the college:

1. Your letter of acceptance, page 2, section 24; and
2. A “co-op letter” we will email you about one to two weeks after your program starts.

Use one of these documents, depending on when you apply.

• If you apply before your program starts, use the letter of acceptance.
• If you apply after the program starts, use the “co-op letter” and/or your letter of acceptance.

Also see FAQ above for information about when to apply.

There is no fee to apply for a co-op work permit.

Generally, yes, a co-op work permit is required. If you do your work experience placement without it, you are violating your study permit conditions, which could cause problems with future applications to IRCC.

There may be some exceptions, but most students will require a co-op work permit. We encourage all students to review the IRCC webpage for more information.

You can work as many hours as are required by your “co-op” or “practicum” or “applied practical skills” course placement. Your instructor(s) can guide you about this.

When you finish all hours needed for the course, you must stop using the co-op work permit and work only part-time (on your study permit) again.

Yes. During the weeks of your course’s placement only, you can do both the placement and your part-time job (if you are eligible to work on- or off-campus).

Remember, the placement hours are on the co-op work permit, but your part-time job hours are on the study permit. During the weeks of your course’s placement only, you are using both permits.

When you finish all hours needed for the course placement, you must work only part-time hours on the study permit again (if you are eligible to work on- or off-campus)..

See these FAQS; please share link with your employer if that helps you.

See IRCC’s website.

When we email you the “co-op letter” after your program starts, we will include information in the email. Keep the email so you can use that information when you need it. Also see Assiniboine’s video about application.

A PGWP is an “open” (usually) work permit allowing work in Canada after program completion.

As of November 1st, IRCC has updated PGWP eligibility requirements.

International graduates must meet all PGWP eligibility criteria set by IRCC. Final decision on PGWP approval rests with the Government of Canada and is independent of Assiniboine College.

Most students can apply for a PGWP if:

• You graduated from a program that is aligned with a CIP that is eligible.
• You have completed an Assiniboine post-secondary or advanced diploma program of at least 8 months.
• You maintained full-time status in every term (semester) of your program/intake (except your final semester before completion can be part-time).
• You took no “unscheduled breaks” from your study program; all your breaks were scheduled by the college, for your program/intake, and
• Your study permit has been valid within the last 180 days, or you applied for an extension before it expired and are still waiting for IRCC’s decision about that extension.

Note: you can receive only one PGWP in your life, so apply only if you are sure you are finished your studies as an international student.

Our college -- or any Canadian school -- cannot guarantee that a graduate will receive a post-graduate work permit. Graduating from an eligible program at Assiniboine College is only one of the requirements, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) makes the decision.

This depends on the typical length of the college program you graduated from:

• Programs of less than two academic years: IRCC may give a PGWP of up to the same number of months as the study.
• Programs of two academic years (or more): IRCC may give a PGWP of up to 3 years.
• Graduation from two programs: IRCC may “combine the length” of each program to determine the length of PGWP. Each program must be PGWP-eligible, and at least 8 months in length.
• See more details about PGWP.
• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) makes the decision. (Assiniboine does not make the decision.)

Note: The length of PGWP is based on the typical length of the program, not on how long you needed to complete it. For example, if you fail some courses in an 8 month program, and therefore need 16 months to complete it (because you need to repeat courses in another semester), your PGWP will still be only 8 months—not 16.

Note: You can receive only one PGWP in your life. You can’t receive one PGWP, then study a second program, and then receive a second PGWP. Our advice is to apply for a PGWP when you are sure you are finished your studies in Canada as an international student (and within the times shown in the FAQ about “When do I apply for a PGWP?).

You must apply for your PGWP within 180 days of confirmation that you completed your program of study. Your study permit needs to have been valid at some point during the 180 days after you graduated and before you submitted your PGWP application.

See the IRCC website for more information.

See these FAQs and read the FAQ about “working after program completion”.
If you leave Canada before you apply for PGWP, this will be different.

You can work full-time until IRCC makes a decision on your work permit application if you;

• had a valid study permit at the time you submitted your application
• completed your study program
• were eligible to work off campus without a work permit while studying and you didn’t work more hours than you were allowed to

Apply online! You can apply for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) from within Canada or from another country, as long as you’re eligible. You have up to 180 days after you graduate to apply for a PGWP. Follow instructions from IRCC’s webpage for how to apply.

At minimum, you will need the following documents;

• Proof that you completed your studies (a credential, an official completion letter or official transcripts)
• Proof that you were enrolled in full-time studies
• Proof of language results
• Proof that you graduated from an eligible field of study
• Proof of upfront medical exam.

Please visit IRCC website for more information.

See these FAQs.

Note: If your study permit will expire less than two weeks after you complete your program, you may need to apply for a study permit extension! We suggest that you reach out to a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) to discuss your situation in more detail. RCIC's charge a fee for their services. Please visit this website to search for an RCIC: RCIC Search (college-ic.ca). In the search tab, type in Brandon as the City so that you can find a list of RCIC’s that provide their services here.

See these FAQS; please share link with your employer if that helps you.

See IRCC’s website.

Also, see these FAQs about working after completion, and about documents from the college.