Canada tightens regulations on working with relatives of international students

UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

Many new tightening, why?

Accordingly, the regulation, which was announced in September 2024 and was completed on January 14, 2025, clearly states that the spouses of master's students will now only be allowed to work if the study program of their accompanying relative lasts at least 16 months, instead of less than 16 months as before. In addition, the spouses of doctoral students and students studying certain "professional and qualified" programs will also be allowed to work.

In an official announcement from the Canadian government, the Canadian Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC) added that the country also only grants work permits (OWPs) to spouses of foreign workers working in TEER 0, 1 or some occupations in groups 2, 3. TEER focuses on requirements for training, education, experience and responsibility for each job, in which TEER 0 is the management occupation group and TEER 1 is the occupations that usually require a university degree.

The Canadian government also emphasized that the foreign worker ’s work permit must be valid for at least 16 months for the spouse to be eligible for an OWP. The foreign worker’s children will also no longer be eligible for an OWP, the regulations state. IRCC also reassured that if the foreign worker already had an OWP and the permit is still valid, the foreign worker can continue to work as usual.

“The Government of Canada continues to strengthen the integrity and quality of its temporary residence programs, while supporting the country’s economic goals and labour market needs,” IRCC said in a statement explaining the changes. The agency said the changes do not affect spouses of workers under free trade agreements, or spouses of permanent residents.

The timing of the announcement of the new rule is considered “the worst” for international graduates, many of whom are preparing to apply for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP), according to Gautham Kolluri, founder of CIP StudyAbroad. “Not to mention, the job market after the holidays is usually bleak. IRCC should have announced it earlier and allowed the new rule to come into effect on May 1, so that international students would have more time to prepare.”

PHOTO: NGOC LONG

Continuously issuing "tight" regulations for international students

From 2025, IRCC has decided to reduce the number of new study permits issued by 10% compared to 2024, only granting 437,000 to international students. The restriction applies to master's and doctoral degrees, instead of only bachelor's degrees as before, and this group is given priority for 12% of the quota. Also from this year, IRCC has stopped the Financial Proof-Free Study Program (SDS) for international students from Vietnam and 13 other countries.

Previously, IRCC also doubled the financial proof requirement for international students, to CAD 20,635 (equivalent to VND 363,000,000), in addition to tuition and travel expenses for the first year. IRCC also said that international students who want to transfer schools while studying in Canada must now apply for a new study permit, instead of simply updating relevant information on IRCC's system.

On a positive note, IRCC a few days ago expanded opportunities for international students to stay and work, including nearly 40 additional programs and a new field in the list of long-term labor shortages. In November 2024, the agency also announced that it would increase the number of hours international students are allowed to work off-campus during their studies, up to 24 hours per week, up from 20 hours previously.

According to a report from IRCC, Canada attracted more than 1 million international students to study in 2023. IRCC statistics also show that the total number of Vietnamese studying in Canada has been on a continuous downward trend, from 21,480 in 2019 to 16,140 in 2022. However, in 2023, Vietnamese students in Canada increased slightly, to 17,175 people and ranked 8th in terms of quantity.