Work Study in Canada: SIN, On-Campus and Off-Campus Jobs, Co-Op and Internships

Work-study in Canada now runs on three separate rules. Off campus allows 24 hours a week. On-campus hours are unlimited. Co-op placements need no separate permit. The co-op work permit was eliminated on 1 April 2026. You need a SIN before any of it. Student wages run about CAD 16 to 18 an hour. Reports suggest over 70% of international students in Canada hold some form of employment during their studies. The SIN, the job types, the co-op change, and the compliance rules below cover the full picture.

• On-campus hours sit outside the cap, which most students never realise.
• The co-op rule changed this April, removing a permit and its processing time.
• You keep the compliance record, not your employer.
• Breaking the cap threatens the PGWP, long after the paycheque is spent.

Conversions based on a CAD-INR rate of INR 66.5 as of 2026. Rates fluctuate; check the current rate before financial planning.

The SIN and Who Can Work

No SIN, no legal job. The Social Insurance Number is the first thing to arrange after arrival. Eligibility comes attached to your study permit. You can work off campus only if all of these hold:

• A valid study permit carrying the work-authorisation wording.
• Full-time enrolment at a designated learning institution.
• A qualifying program of at least six months leading to a degree, diploma or certificate.
• A Social Insurance Number, applied for after arrival once the permit wording is confirmed.

Who is excluded: students in English or French language programs and general interest courses. Anyone on an authorised leave from studies is also barred. The cost side sits in this guide on the average cost of studying abroad. Work income supplements a budget rather than replacing one.

Note: Read your permit wording carefully, then read the current rule. Some permits still print the older 20-hour condition, yet eligible students may work up to 24 hours under current policy. The printed number on an older permit does not override the rule in force.

On-Campus Jobs and the Cap Exemption

Hours worked on your institution's physical premises are exempt from the 24-hour weekly cap. That single fact reshapes student budgeting.

What counts as on-campus work:

• Library and bookstore roles run by the institution.
• Research and teaching assistantships within departments.
• Administrative, lab and student services positions on the premises.

Campus roles are advertised through student portals, department noticeboards and faculty directly. Research assistantships in particular come from professors rather than job boards, so ask early in the term. Why students should chase these first:

• They sit outside the cap, so a campus role can run alongside off-campus hours.
• They fit around timetables, since employers are the institution itself.
• They build academic references, which matter for research and further study.

If you can hold one campus role, then take it before hunting outside. That means more income within the rules and less commuting time lost.

Off-Campus Work and the 24-Hour Rule

The off-campus limit is 24 hours a week during academic terms, whatever the number of employers. Breaks lift the cap entirely. The rules in detail:

• The term cap: 24 hours a week total, not per employer.
• Scheduled breaks: summer, winter and reading weeks allow unlimited hours.
• The 150-day rule: where back-to-back breaks exceed 150 consecutive days, unlimited hours apply only to the first 150.
• Gaps and leaves: no off-campus work during authorised leave or while between institutions.
• Remote work abroad: employment for an employer outside Canada is reported as falling outside the cap. All other permit conditions must still hold.

The realistic maths matters more than the maximum. Budget for 20 hours a week in term and 35 to 40 in summer. That gives roughly 1,200 to 1,400 hours a year. At CAD 16 to 18 an hour, that is about CAD 20,000 to 25,000 gross.

Co-Op, Internships and Compliance

The biggest change of 2026 removed a permit entirely: co-op placements no longer need their own work permit. The rule took effect on 1 April 2026. What changed and what still applies:

• The change: eligible post-secondary students complete required placements under the study permit alone.
• The conditions: the placement must be a formal program requirement, and it cannot exceed 50% of total program length.
• What it saves: a separate application, its fee and its processing time.
• The side-job rule: hours from any additional job outside the placement still count against the 24-hour cap in term.

Two practical notes help. Placements can be paid or unpaid depending on the program. Either way, they count as program requirements rather than employment you arranged. Your institution's co-op office confirms the paperwork, so speak to them before accepting any offer. Compliance is where students lose more than income:

• You keep the log. Your own record of hours is the defence, not your employer's payroll file.
• Cross-checks are routine. Institutions submit enrolment verification and payroll data gets matched against it.
• The penalties escalate: permit revocation, removal orders, refused post-graduation work permits and flagged residence applications.

Also Check:

Work-study in Canada rewards students who read the three rules separately. Get the SIN first and confirm your permit wording. Chase a campus role, since those hours sit outside the cap. Keep off-campus work at 24 hours in term and load the summer instead. Let the co-op placement run on your study permit and log every hour yourself. Do that, and the work years strengthen the degree rather than threatening it.