New hours aim to balance work opportunities and academic success, puts some in a double-bind
Photo by Priscilla du Preez via Unsplash
The interim federal policy which granted international students unlimited weekly working hours as a “post-COVID recovery” measure ended on April 30 and will not be extended. A new permanent policy, which limits international students to 24 hours of work per week, will replace the previous temporary policy and will take effect in September.
The reinstatement of the cap on work hours is now proving challenging for international students in light of increasing living costs. However, Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship maintains a strong stance against unlimited work hours for international students.
“[F]irst and foremost, people coming to Canada as students must be here to study, not work,” he said in a recent press release.
Miller’s sentiment is echoed by social media users. A post on the sub-Reddit r/Canada discussing the new policy has accumulated multiple comments arguing that international students shouldn’t be allowed to work at all. “You shouldn’t need a job to support yourself as an international student,” said a Reddit user by the name of herolyat, “If you can’t afford to study here without a job, you can’t afford to study here.”
However, according to the Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, international students are “an industry” that generates essential revenue and fills jobs for many sectors in Canada.
“International education accounts for more than $22 billion in economic activity annually,” reads a statement from the Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada in a release. This revenue is “greater than Canada’s exports of auto parts, lumber or aircraft, and supports more than 200 000 jobs in Canada.”
Statistics Canada reports a significant gap between domestic and international fees. In the 2022/2023 academic year, the average domestic student in Canada paid $6 872 in tuition, while the average international student paid nearly six times that amount, at $35 836.
UVic’s operating budget for the 2024/2025 school year took a $13 million hit due to decreased enrollments from international students.
“Our operating budget is tied directly to student enrolments and associated tuition revenue,” reads the university’s budget statement. “This year, as with last year, we have experienced a further decrease in our international undergraduate enrolments, which are the lowest they have been in 10 years.”
Amidst a housing crisis, university budget cuts, and rising costs of living, the Canadian government has implemented different measures to counteract these issues by capping the influx of international students coming to Canada and revising the existing laws in their immigration.
The Canadian government’s decision to limit work hours for international students directly contradicts their concerns that international students will not be able to face the cost of living crisis in Canada. International students are in a double-bind.
“Everything is working against [international students],” said Lara, a UVic international student who preferred not to share her surname. “It’s hard to get jobs because you don’t have Canadian experience … and most employers won’t hire you if you can’t work at least 35 hours.”
“Most students were expecting the cap to be 30 hours,” said Kaushal, an international student from India who chose not to share his surname. “More importantly, there should be consistency in the policy so that we know what is going to happen. Uncertainty causes stress in the minds of students.”
“I think international students activate the economy,” said Lara. “[International students] leave everything behind. They come to a strange land and they are not stealing or begging. I think they should be treated with more dignity.”
