Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship announced new regulations under the International Student Program on November 15. These changes increase off-campus work hours for students and tighten oversight on study permits and inst

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• International students can now work up to 24 hours/week off-campus, increased from 20 hours, during academic sessions.
• Aim is to balance academic focus with work opportunities.
• Changing designated learning institutions (DLIs) now requires a new study permit application.
• DLIs must submit biannual compliance reports on students’ enrollment status.
• Non-compliance may lead to DLIs’ suspension from enrolling new students for up to a year.
• Quebec DLIs granted a grace period to establish compliance reporting systems.
• New Letter of Acceptance (LOA) verification process detected over 17,000 fraudulent/invalid LOAs since December 2023.
• Measures support Canada’s 2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan, balancing temporary resident numbers with economic goals.
• Changes aim to ensure a positive academic and personal experience for international students.
• Emphasis on safeguarding program integrity while remaining an attractive study destination.

itutions, aiming to balance opportunities and maintain program integrity.