How remote work experience can boost your chance of permanent residency as an international student
Doing part-time remote work for a foreign employer while studying full-time in Canada can make you a more competitive Express Entry candidate and allow you to remain compliant with your study permit conditions.
Not only does this strategy aid in the accumulation of Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points, but it can also help build eligibility for category-based selection.
Discover your options to study in Canada
While studying full-time in Canada, students can only work up to 24 hours off campus (or unlimited hours during scheduled breaks). This work is not eligible for either Express Entry eligibility requirements, nor CRS points, if done in Canada.
The immigration department clarifies, however, that the 24-hour limit for off-campus work does not apply to remote work performed in Canada for an employer based outside the country.
This article will examine the implications of working remotely for a foreign employer on a part-time basis while pursuing full-time studies in Canada.
Using part-time foreign remote work to accumulate CRS points
The CRS used to assess and score your Express Entry profile allots points for both Canadian work experience and foreign work experience (physically present or remote).
To count under Express Entry, the foreign work experience you gain remotely while studying full-time in Canada must be skilled. That is, it must fall under Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibilities (TEER) 0, 1, 2, or 3.
It’s also important to note that work experience points must fall within the window of time defined in the Ministerial Instructions.
Under the CRS, you can gain up to 100 CRS points for foreign work experience through the skill transferability factors section—when combined language proficiency and Canadian work experience.
To gain the full 100 points associated with foreign work experience, however, candidates must 1) meet a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 9 across all first-language abilities and have at least three years of foreign work experience and 2) have at least three years of work experience—Canadian and foreign, respectively.
Here’s how points for foreign work experience combined with each associated factor break down:
Foreign work experience combined with language proficiency
| Years of foreign work experience | Foreign work experience + CLB 7 or more (with one ability under CLB 9) | Foreign work experience + CLB 9 on all language abilities |
|---|---|---|
| None | 0 | 0 |
| 1–2 years | 13 | 25 |
| 3+ years | 25 | 50 |
Candidates must ensure their language tests remain valid, as lapsed language tests can result in pool ineligibility.
Foreign work experience combined with Canadian work experience
| Years of foreign work experience | Foreign work experience + 1 year Canadian | Foreign work experience + 2 years Canadian |
|---|---|---|
| None | 0 | 0 |
| 1–2 years | 13 | 25 |
| 3+ years | 25 | 50 |
Note: If using part-time foreign work experience gained remotely from within Canada to amass skill transferability points, candidates should note that it will take longer than one year to gain each respective “year” of work experience (1,560 hours)—and be able to claim CRS points for it.
Using part-time remote work to build eligibility for category-based selection
Qualifying for category-based selection under Express Entry can lower the needed CRS score a candidate must meet for an invitation to apply (ITA) for permanent residence (PR).
Those working part-time remotely for a foreign employer from within Canada, while studying full-time in Canada, can potentially build eligibility for an occupational category-based draw.
To qualify for one of these, you must have at least 12 months of work experience (full-time or part-time equivalent) within the past three years, in a single eligible occupation (NOC dependent).
Qualifying work experience can be gained in Canada or abroad, and as of February 18, 2026, it need not be continuous—which is good news for those seeking to build eligible work experience through remote part-time work while pursuing full-time studies in Canada.
Before this date, you only needed to have six months of work experience in an eligible NOC, but it needed to be continuous. As such, it was not feasible for full-time students in Canada to work part-time remotely for an employer to qualify for category-based selection.
Category-based draws are held to supplement other draw types (e.g., Canadian Experience Class or Provincial Nominee Program) and tend to have lower CRS score cutoffs—allowing candidates to receive an ITA even with a less competitive score (comparably).
For illustrative purposes, here are the CRS cutoffs for each draw type held by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) since January 1, 2025 (excluding language and Canadian work experience-based categories):
| Draw type | CRS cutoff |
|---|---|
| Provincial Nominee Program | 667–855 |
| Canadian Experience Class | 507–547 |
| Healthcare and social services | 462–510 |
| Education | 462–479 |
| Trade | 505 (one draw) |
There are currently five non-Canadian work experience-based occupational categories full-time students can aim to build eligibility for through part-time remote work for a foreign employer:
- Healthcare and social services (37 eligible NOCs).
- Science, Technology, engineering and math (STEM) (11 eligible NOCs).
- Trade (25 eligible NOCs).
- Education (five eligible NOCs).
- Transport (four eligible NOCs).
Foreign nationals should keep in mind that many of these occupations require specific schooling (study length and level) to break into, as well as licensing and accreditation. As such, it may be wise to research the requirements for different category-eligible occupations before beginning your study program to ensure optimal alignment.
What to consider
It’s important to be aware that IRCC classifies one year of full-time work experience as 1,560 hours a year (or 30 hours per week). Any hours gained throughout a given week beyond this limit do not count toward one year of work experience.
As such, you cannot expedite the length of time it takes to acquire one year of work experience—whether Canadian or foreign, regardless of how many additional hours you work.
The part-time equivalent of full-time work is also 30 hours per week. As such, full-time students engaging in remote work for a foreign employer while studying in Canada must keep a few things in mind, if hoping to build eligibility for category-based selection.
As previously mentioned, to qualify for category-based selection, individuals must have 12 months of work experience (one year) in a single NOC within the past three years.
Due to the busy schooling schedule of a full-time student, it will take them longer to meet work experience requirements through part-time remote work.
If, for example, a full-time student works remotely 15 hours per week for one or more foreign employers, it will take them a total of 24 months (two years) to acquire one year of work experience in their occupation.
If they do not continue working in that occupation and fail to receive an ITA, they will drop out of the three-year work experience eligibility period within one year. If working part-time at 20 hours per week, they would drop out of eligibility in 18 months.
The definition of full-time study varies school-to-school but generally involves regular attendance and taking at least four to five courses. Between lectures, tutorials, homework, labs, tutoring, and extracurriculars, this can occupy anywhere from 20 to 40 hours of a student’s week.
As such, working remotely for more than 15-20 hours per week for a foreign employer while a full-time student in Canada can be difficult as the sole path to gaining foreign work experience—and full-time students working remotely should be aware of eligibility-related time constraints when it comes to category-based selection.
Note: Because foreign remote work while in Canada is considered atypical under the CRS, those who include it in their Express Entry profile and receive an ITA should provide detailed evidence in their PR application to show that the work experience gained maintains alignment with all requirements.
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