The new rule, announced on Nov. 15 by Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC) Marc Miller, is effective immediately.

Students can still work unlimited hours on campus or off-campus during semester breaks.

Miller said the 24-hour cap “strikes the right balance between providing work opportunities and helping students stay focused on their education.”

Previously, international students were limited to a maximum of 20 hours of off-campus work per week during academic terms. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Canadian government temporarily increased the limit to 40 hours a week to address labor shortages. That policy ended in April.

In the same announcement, IRCC stated that international students wishing to transfer schools must now apply for a new study permit.

In previous years, they could use their existing permit as long as they updated their information on their IRCC online account.

“The change is in line with the important work we have been doing to strengthen the integrity of the International Student Program,” the announcement read.

In 2023, Canada had over one million international students, a 29% increase from 2022, according to IRCC data. Among them, more than 17,000 were Vietnamese, ranking eighth in number. The average cost for an undergraduate student is approximately CA$36,000 (US$25,572) per year, including tuition and living expenses.

Since October last year, Canada has introduced stricter policies for international students to curb immigration numbers.

For instance, the financial proof requirement was raised to over CA$20,600, doubling the longstanding requirement of CA$10,000. Additionally, master’s and PhD students must submit study endorsements from their province, territory, or region when applying for a study permit.

In September, Canada announced it would issue only 437,000 study permits in 2025, about 10% fewer than this year. Applicants seeking a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) must now submit proof of English or French proficiency at level B2 or higher for university students and B1 or higher for college students.

Moreover, international students arriving in Canada after Nov. 1 must enroll in programs listed by IRCC to be eligible for a PGWP.

Recently, Canada unexpectedly terminated the SDS (Student Direct Stream) program, which offered expedited visa processing and waived financial proof requirements for students from 14 countries and territories, including Vietnam.