3. Finding Internationally Trained Workers
3. FINDING INTERNATIONALLY TRAINED WORKERS
3.2.3 Temporary Foreign Worker Program and international students
Two Temporary Foreign Worker Programs allow you to hire international students to work in Canada.
Off-Campus Work Permit Program
The Off-Campus Work Permit Program allows certain foreign students to work off campus while completing their studies.
- To qualify, students must be enrolled at participating publicly funded post-secondary educational institutions or in approved programs at eligible privately funded institutions.
- Students must apply for and receive work permits before they can begin to work off campus.
- Work permits authorize students to work up to 20 hours a week during regular academic sessions, and full time during scheduled breaks such as summer holidays and spring break.
Post-Graduation Work Permit Program
Under the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program (PGWPP), employers may hire international students who have graduated from participating Canadian post-secondary institutions.
- They can work up to three years, in jobs related to their fields of study, without the need for the employer to obtain an LMO.
- Graduated students who have worked under the PGWPP may be eligible for permanent residence under the Canadian Experience Class stream of immigration in section 3.2.4.
Note
At a later date, if you choose to support your temporary foreign worker’s transition to permanent residence, you can improve his or her chances of having the application approved by applying for a labour market opinion from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada.