On October 7, 2022, the Honourable Sean Fraser, Canada's Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced the temporary lifting of the 20-hour-per-week cap on the number of hours that eligible post-secondary students are allowed to work off-campus while class is in session.

From November 15, 2022 until December 31, 2023, international students who are in Canada and who have off-campus work authorization on their study permit will not be restricted by the 20-hour-per-week rule. Foreign nationals who have already submitted a study permit application, as of today, will also be able to benefit from this temporary change, provided their application is approved.

More information about this update and current study permit conditions is available via Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)'s official news release.

Please note that Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) criteria pertaining to qualifying Manitoba employment has not changed. Persons interested in applying to the MPNP's Skilled Worker in Manitoba Pathway must possess a work permit from IRCC. Qualifying Manitoba employment includes work completed while in possession of a valid post-graduation work permit or other work permit. The MPNP does not consider periods of employment during which you were engaged in full-time study or did not hold a work permit when calculating the period of qualifying work experience in Manitoba.

For more information about eligibility to apply as a Skilled Worker in Manitoba and what is considered qualifying Manitoba employment, please see the Eligibility - Skilled Worker in Manitoba page.

Eligibility criteria to apply under the International Education Stream (IES) is not impacted by these changes in IRCC's study permit conditions. Information about eligibility to apply to the IES is available on the eligibility pages of each of IES pathway.