International students struggle as new off-campus work policy leads to job losses
Anureet Kaur sits in her house in Martindale, Calgary on Sunday, May 19, 2024. Kaur is a second-year teacher assistant student at Portage college. She is wearing her Amazon’s uniform, as she used to work there. She is carrying her favourite pen and notebook, which she got from Amazon as a gift. (Photo by Sukhneet Kaur/The Press)
International students in Canada are facing job losses due to a new policy that limits them to work only 20 hours a week.
Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced on April 29 that the temporary policy allowing students to work more than 20 hours per week off-campus will come to an end on April 30, 2024, and it will not be extended. The government intends to change the number of hours students may work off campus per week to 24 hours this fall.
This policy is forcing students to leave their jobs and creating significant financial challenges.
Anureet Kaur, a second-year student at Portage College, used to work full time at Amazon but lost her job due to the new restrictions.
“I had to leave my job because my employer requires all employees to work full-time. The new policy restricts students to work only 20 hours a week, so I could no longer meet the job's requirements, and I had to resign,” said Kaur.
Finding a new job is also challenging for students without experience in other fields.
“I don’t have experience in other fields like food service or grocery stores. I only have experience in warehouses, and most warehouses require full availability,” said Kaur.
The government’s aim is to ensure that students primarily focus on their studies. However, the policy has made it difficult for them to save for tuition fees, groceries and rent. The job losses have increased stress levels among students, making it harder for them to focus on their academics.
“It has given me more time to focus on my studies, which is good. However, the financial stress has also added pressure, making it harder for me to concentrate fully on my academics,” said Kaur.
International students pay four times more tuition than domestic students. They are cutting down on leisure and other social spending to save money, but it is affecting their mental health.
“It affects my academics, and it affects me personally because without work, I am thinking about how I am going to pay for this, and how I am going to pay for that,” said Kalia Gloton, a first-year business student at SAIT majoring in accounting.
This situation has also led some students to seek illegal jobs, such as working for cash, which exposes them to risks like unpaid wages and workplace harassment.
International students play an important role in supporting Canada’s economy. According to the MLT Aikins Immigration team, this policy could lead to a decrease in labour availability, particularly in sectors that have been heavily reliant on student workers, such as hospitality, service, and retail. These sectors, which are already facing labour shortages, may see further challenges as a result of this policy shift.
Students are hoping the government will revise this policy so they can manage their expenses more easily and regain their jobs.
