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Do you want to gain work experience in Canada during and after your degree? It is important that you do so legally. Unauthorized work is taken very seriously by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
To work in Canada, you will also need a Social Insurance Number (SIN)
If you hold a valid open work permit, obtained prior to starting your studies at Waterloo and want to use it to work more than the study permit regulations allow, please speak with one of our immigration consultants.
Students enrolled in an English (or French) as a second language (ESL) program only, cannot work off campus. This would include if you are enrolled solely in the ESL programs based out of Renison University College’s English Language Institute (ELI). If you are registered full-time at the ELI and your study permit has the R186(f) work condition on it, you can work on campus at Renison.
Off-campus work measures
In October 2022, IRCC announced that study permit holders in Canada meeting certain conditions could work more than 20 hours per week for off-campus employers. This policy went into effect on November 15, 2022 and was extended until April 30, 2024.
If your study term/co-op work term was impacted during the spring 2020 term:
Still have questions? Please connect with an Immigration Consultant.
IRCC allows full-time work in Canada off campus, without a work permit, on regularly scheduled breaks that are a part of an educational institutions schedule, when:
It is very important that you visit our immigration policy page for what is considered a regularly scheduled break at Waterloo. IRCC explains on their website that if a student creates their own break, it is considered a leave from studies rather than a break, and the student is not eligible to work on or off campus in Canada during that break. This is the case even if a program sequence change is approved by the University.
IRCC has a definition of what it means to work in Canada. Work is an activity for which someone is making money and/or impacts the Canadian labour market. If a position is considered “work” then you must follow the immigration policies for working in Canada. Self-employment or an unpaid job done by a student are very likely considered work by IRCC. Visit the link above for what kinds of activities are not considered “work”. A true volunteer position would not require full-time enrolment or have a limit on hours.
IRCC policy states that “…once a student receives written confirmation of program completion from their institution, they are no longer authorized to continue to work in Canada, as they no longer meet the eligibility criteria in paragraph R186(v).”
At the University of Waterloo, “written confirmation of program completion” would be the first day you are listed as degree awarded on Quest. For undergrad and course-based grad students, this will vary from student to student. For research-based grad students, this will depend on the date of your thesis submission.
The onus is on the student to check their degree awarded status on their unofficial transcript. You could be designated degree awarded on Quest anytime between the end of your final term and the “Standing decisions and official grades are available” date posted in the official academic calendar.
Due to the variability in specific degree awarded dates, we strongly recommend referring to the information below to determine the best date to stop working upon finishing your degree requirements. This should minimize the risk of accidentally working without authorization:
Undergraduate students: You can work full-time hours on-campus and up to 20 hours per week for off-campus employment until the end of your final term or when you are declared ‘degree-awarded’ on Quest (whichever happens first).
Graduate students: You can work up to 20 hours for on-campus employment and up to 20 hours per week for off-campus employment.
For course-based students: You would stop working at the end of your final term.
For research-based students: You would stop working on the date you submit your thesis.
For course-based Masters students who have a masters research paper in their final term: If you are in your final term and only working on your research paper (not taking other courses), then you would stop working on the date you submit your research paper. If you do have other courses, then you would stop working at the end of the term.
The following scenarios outline how Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada's (IRCC) policies regarding working as a full-time student relate to the University of Waterloo's enrolment rules. These are some scenarios of degree-required and non-degree required work terms – for more information about general work conditions in Canada, please refer to the above tabs
Please note:
Your University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP) will continue in all the scenarios. Contact Student Financial Services for more information about your specific situation.
If your degree includes required work term(s) that you are completing in Canada, then one of the following two scenarios apply to your ability to work on the co-op work permit.
Scenario A: Internship or practicum
What you need:
Limitations on hours:
Scenario B: Co-op
What you need:
Limitations on hours:
In accordance with the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar, you can also work an average of 10 hours per week on campus. Your study permit has to have the R186(f) work condition stated. You can work more on-campus hours, up to a maximum average of 20 hours per week, if you obtain approval from your supervisor or graduate officer/program director if you do not have a supervisor.
If your degree includes required work term(s) that you are going to complete outside of Canada, then the following scenario applies to your ability to work.
What you need:
Limitations on hours:
The following three scenarios apply to graduate students who will be working with funding from Mitacs Accelerate Fellowship, NSERC Connect Grant, or NSERC CREATE.
Scenario A: Off-campus employment in Canada
What you need:
Limitations on hours:
Scenario B: Employment outside of Canada
What you need:
Limitations on hours:
Scenario C: Employment on campus (NSERC CREATE)
What you need:
Limitations on hours:
You can also work up to 20 hours per week off campus and, depending on the term, full-time hours off campus during Fall and Winter Reading Week, and the University holiday closure in December. Your study permit has to have the R186(v) work condition stated.
Even if you do not have a degree-required work component in your program, the scenarios below indicate other opportunities to work on a study permit.
Scenario A: Off-campus employment in Canada related to your thesis or academic program
What you need:
Limitations on hours:
Scenario B: Employment outside of Canada related to your thesis or academic program
What you need:
Limitations on hours:
Scenario C: On-campus employment related to your thesis
What you need:
Limitations on hours:
Scenario D: Employment in Canada not related to your thesis or academic program
What you need:
Limitations on hours:
Waterloo's graduate level programs are intensive and do not have regularly scheduled terms off. Changing your enrolment to inactive means that you are taking a leave of absence from your degree. Students who have been granted inactive status will have limited access to university services while on leave and are not expected to study or conduct research and should not expect supervisor access. It is very important to check with Graduate Studies and Post-Doctoral Affairs (GSPA) for all the details.
As an international graduate student taking an inactive term inside or outside of Canada, you would not meet the eligibility requirements to apply for the post-graduation work permit. R220.1(1) in the Immigration, Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR) explains that a study permit holder shall actively pursue studies and must remain enrolled until completion of studies; therefore an inactive term could also impact future study permit extensions due to non-compliance.
Please meet with one of our immigration consultants to discuss any concerns you have regarding immigration implications, future applications, or to discuss your individual personal circumstances.
Scenario A: Inactive status for medical or personal reasons
What you need:
Limitations on hours:
Scenario B: Employment in Canada that is not a degree requirement nor related to your thesis or academic program, and you already hold the post-graduation work permit
What you need:
Limitations on hours:
Scenario C: Employment outside of Canada that is not a degree requirement nor related to your thesis or academic program, and you already hold the post-graduation work permit
What you need:
Limitations on hours:
If you have the following restriction listed on your study permit or co-op work permit, then you would not be authorized to work in certain occupational sectors.
Not authorized to work in childcare, primary/secondary school teaching, health service field and agricultural occupations.
This restriction appears on your permit when an immigration medical examination was not completed in the last 12 months before the permit was approved. By having this restriction listed, you would be unable to work in any of the following occupations:
If you are working in health services or childcare setting, but don’t have one of the job titles listed above, you would still be restricted from working. For example, all occupations in a hospital from janitor to doctor require a medical exam, not just those who are in health services occupations, and all employees in a day care require a medical exam, not just the teachers.
Next steps:
South Campus Hall, second floor
University of Waterloo
519-888-4567 ext. 84410
Book a same-day appointment on Portal or submit an online inquiry to receive immigration support.
Request an authorized leave from studies for immigration purposes.
The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is co-ordinated within the Office of Indigenous Relations.
