Over one-third of international students worked full-time hours off-campus — while Canadian youth unemployment soars
Federal data shows that over 38 per cent of international students clocked more than 30 hours of weekly off-campus work after Ottawa scrapped work-hour limits.
More than 38 per cent of international students worked over 30 hours a week off-campus after the federal government lifted the cap on off-campus work — effectively turning student visas into full-time work permits.
The figures from Order Paper Question Q-484, asked by Costas Menegakis, examined the real-world impact of Ottawa’s “temporary” unlimited work hours policy during the Winter/Spring 2023 semester.
According to IRCC’s response:
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81.4% of international students surveyed were working
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68.5% worked off-campus
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Only 6.3% worked strictly on-campus
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6.6% worked both on- and off-campus
Among off-campus workers:
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73.1% worked more than 20 hours per week
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38.1% worked more than 30 hours per week
While international students were logging full work weeks, Canadian youth unemployment surged past 14% nationally, one of the worst non-pandemic levels in more than a decade.
Sheila Gunn Reid
Chief Reporter
Sheila Gunn Reid is the Alberta Bureau Chief for Rebel News and host of the weekly The Gunn Show with Sheila Gunn Reid. She's a mother of three, conservative activist, and the author of best-selling books including Stop Notley.
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COMMENTS
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Bernhard Jatzeck commented 2025-12-08 20:39:25 -0500It’s all about cheap labour. -
Bruce Atchison commented 2025-12-08 19:47:17 -0500Pierre Poilievre must keep capitalizing on this trend. Liberal lunacy is ruining the country. And it’s why Alberta and Saskatchewan must leave.
