Canada welcomes thousands of international students, who come via study & work permits, with specific conditions that they must uphold during their studies. Below are the Canadian study permit conditions.
General
Usually, there are different Canadian study permit conditions, ranging from work authorization to travel capabilities & begin/ end dates for the permit. General instances of these conditions include:
- Being enrolled at a DLI
- Displaying active pursuit of one’s studies
- Informing the government any time a student changes their post-secondary school
- Ending one’s studies if they no longer meet the prerequisites of being a student
- Leaving Canada when the permit expires
- The student’s certain study level
- Whether the student needs to report for medical processes
- Whether the student is allowed to work on/ off campus
- The date by which the student should stop studying
- Whether the student can travel within Canada
Work
Most international students pursuing a Canadian education wish to make money simultaneously. If allowed by work permit conditions, students can either work on campus/ off campus without a separate work permit.
Note: In either case, students can only start working when they begin their studies, not before that.
On Campus
Apart from Canadian study permit conditions, to work on campus, international students should be full-time, have a valid study permit, & possess a SIN.
In any of the following cases, international students should stop working on campus:
- When their study permit expires
- If they are on authorized leave from their studies
- On the day the student stops studying full-time
- If the student is switching schools & they aren’t presently studying
Off-Campus
In order to work off campus, international students should be full-time at a DLI, be enrolled in a post-secondary academic, vocational/ professional training program, have a valid study permit, & possess a SIN.
International students should be enrolled in a program which leads to a diploma, certificate, degree, etc., & is six months long.
In any of the following cases, international students have to stop working off campus if:
- Their study permit states that they aren’t authorized to work off-campus while they study.
- They are only enrolled in English/ French as a second language.
- They are only taking general interest courses.
- The situations of students change & they no longer meet all the requirements to work off-campus.
- The student is only taking courses needed to be accepted into a full-time program.
Travel
Many international students express a desire to travel outside Canada. At the same time, they study in this nation, either abroad for a vacation or back to their country of origin to visit family & friends.
Canada allows international students to travel freely outside the nation during the validity period of their study permit. However, international students need to remember the following points about traveling outside the nation.
Re-entering Canada With A Valid Study Permit
Besides Canadian study permit conditions, international students seek to re-enter Canada after traveling. Well, they must:
- Have a valid passport/ travel document, like a visitor visa or electronic travel authorization.
- Attend a Canadian DLI.
- Meet all other re-entry requirements for Canada.
A Study Permit Is Not A Travel Document
In order to travel to & from Canada, international students might need to obtain either a visitor visa or an eTA. In other cases, students might be able to travel using just their passport.
However, this depends upon which nations require an eTA/ visitor visa.
Note: Having an eTA/ visitor visa does not guarantee re-entry into Canada. Moreover, travelers must prove to border services that they have met all re-entry requirements before being allowed back into the nation.
However, an exception to this is that visa holders with an invalid document will still be welcomed in Canada if they only travel to the US, Miquelon, or St-Pierre, & their study permit is still valid.
Students must ensure their visitor visa is valid when returning to Canada. In addition, students with pending study permit extensions will not be able to enter Canada until their extension is approved.
Consequences For Not Meeting Canadian Study Permit Conditions
Failure to meet Canadian study permit conditions might imply that the student will:
- Be asked to leave Canada
- Lose their student status as well as their study permit
- Be required to wait for six months in order to apply for a new Canadian study permit, work permit, or visitor visa.
Note: Future immigration application decisions/ outcomes can be affected by not following Canadian study permit conditions or working/ studying in an unauthorized manner.
Who Is Exempt From Canadian Study Permit Conditions?
Specific study permit holders are exempt from having to prove that they are enrolled at a Canadian DLI or are actively pursuing their studies.
Among the individuals exempt from this condition are:
- People with refugee status in Canada
- Individuals who are dependent children/ spouses of a Canadian study/ work permit holder
- People who are studying in Canada under an exchange agreement between Canada & the other nation
Note: International students exempt from the above conditions still have to meet all other study permit conditions in order to maintain their status in Canada.