International students made even more welcome

CIC News
Published: April 1, 2005

As one of many initiatives announced on April 18, 2005, the Honourable Joe Volpe, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, declared a two-pronged initiative to improve the situation for international students in Canada.

The first initiative will permit international students at public post-secondary schools to work off-campus during their studies. Previously, Citizenship and Immigration policy has been to restrict the employment of international students to on-campus jobs. The motivation for the change is to allow international students to explore the Canadian labour market and Canadian society more widely.

The second initiative is to extend the maximum duration of post-graduation work permits from one year to two. In all areas of the country except Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver, international students will now be able to work for an extra year after completing their program of study.

These initiatives are based on the success of past pilot projects and agreements by some of the provinces with CIC. The Government of Canada is now investing $10 million a year for the next five to expand these programs nationally. It is the hope of Minister Volpe and CIC that these steps will make studying in Canada a more attractive option.

Share this article
Share your voice
Did you find this article helpful?
Thank you for your feedback.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Did you find this article helpful?
Please provide a response
Thank you for your helpful feedback
Please contact us if you would like to share additional feedback, have a question, or would like Canadian immigration assistance.
  • Do you need Canadian immigration assistance? Contact the Contact Cohen Immigration Law firm by completing our form
  • Send us your feedback or your non-legal assistance questions by emailing us at media@canadavisa.com
Top Stories
Canada to roll out increased settlement supports for Francophone immigrants
IRCC issues thousands of invitations to CEC candidates, with lowest cut-off score since September 2024
Travelling to Canada? Plan ahead to avoid being turned away for a criminal record
Join our free newsletter. Get Canada's top immigration stories delivered to your inbox.
Subscribe
More in Visit
Travelling to Canada? Plan ahead to avoid being turned away for a criminal record
A man with a backpack and a luggage in hand at an airport terminal using a moving walkway.
Travelling to Canada this summer? What you need to know about inadmissibility
A young woman in an airport.
Visitor visa refusals for Canada are on the rise. Here’s how you can avoid them
A man's hand holding a passport, a map and a suitcase.
9 tips to reduce the risk of refusal of your Canada visitor visa
A man looks at his passport and flight ticket in an airport
Link copied to clipboard