International students and advocates are urging Canada to permanently remove the 20-hour work limit.

‘Students emphasize that working additional hours offers stability in light of escalating costs.’

Although Ottawa temporarily relaxed the cap on weekly off-campus work hours last year, international students and advocacy groups in Canada are pleading with the government to permanently remove it. This year will mark the end of the pilot program, which allowed students to work more than the previous cap of 20 hours per week while in class and affected almost 500,000 students.

Twenty-year-old foreign student Krunal Chavda at the University of Saskatchewan says that the previous academic year was helpful since he was able to work forty hours a week, which allowed him to pay for his tuition. Chavda had college loans totalling around $40,000, but he was able to pay back $10,000 by working a full-time job. But this is a chance that is likely to go in the following year.

Chavda stated that his monthly grocery budget has increased from a minimum of $100 to a maximum of $300 due to inflation. He talked about having to decide whether to prioritize needs above wants and whether to make necessary expenditures.

Meghal, a classmate of Chavda’s, said that students generally feel anxious and apprehensive as they deal with a variety of problems. She asserts that the situation is becoming more challenging, making it harder for students to maintain their financial stability.

Domenici Medina, an Ecuadorian international student at the institution, stressed how being able to work a full-time job eases financial strains and anxieties about money. Being able to work off-campus for up to 40 hours a week has allowed her to contribute to tuition fees, which have tripled despite her mother’s help with educational expenditures.

Beyond funding academic costs, the additional revenue is helpful for meeting non-university-covered medical requirements, such as dental visits. The 22-year-old is currently actively looking for jobs on campus. Medina underlined that the well-being and mental health of overseas students will benefit from this approach being permanent.

Doris Yim, a pharmacy student, said that the permanent move will benefit companies as well as students. Yim’s inability to work full-time over the holidays is a result of a limitation that goes into effect after December 31 and makes it more challenging for her to get the pharmacy cashier position that she is now looking for.

Yim discussed her financial circumstances and how sometimes choosing healthier alternatives ends up costing more, forcing her to put affordability ahead of need.

The federal immigration administration cited continuing evaluations of the policy’s effects, including the degree to which qualified overseas students have taken advantage of it, in a recent email message. The statement made clear that the temporary elimination of the 20-hour workweek cap for off-campus employment is a reaction to the labour crisis in Canada.

The government promised to notify the public as soon as any changes to the current plan are considered.