Part-Time Jobs in Canada for Indian Students (2026): Hours, Minimum Wages, Earnings and Rules

How many hours can international students work in Canada?

The rule since November 2024 is 24 hours a week off campus during regular academic terms. You may split the hours across several employers, and self-employed work such as food delivery or freelancing counts towards the 24 hours, so you are responsible for tracking it. During scheduled breaks, the summer, the winter holiday and reading weeks that appear in the academic calendar, you may work full time with no cap, provided you were a full-time student before the break and will be after it. If your programme has no scheduled breaks, the 24-hour limit applies year round.

To work off campus you must be a full-time student at a designated learning institution, enrolled in a post-secondary programme of at least 6 months that leads to a degree, diploma or certificate, and hold a study permit that carries the off-campus work condition. Part-time study is allowed only in your final semester. You cannot begin working, on or off campus, before your programme starts, and remote work for an employer outside Canada does not count towards the 24 hours as long as you continue to meet your permit conditions.

Older permits still print the former 20-hour condition; IRCC's page states that students holding one may work 24 hours without amending the permit. Breaking the limit is a breach of your study permit conditions: IRCC says you can lose student status and may be refused a study or work permit in future, which for most Indian students means losing the post-graduation work permit they came for. You are responsible for keeping your own records of hours worked, and IRCC can check compliance when you apply for a later permit such as the post-graduation work permit.

Minimum wage in Canada by province in 2026, and what 24 hours earns

Almost every student job pays at or near the provincial general minimum wage. Rates rise on fixed dates each year (Ontario on 1 October, BC on 1 June, Quebec on 1 May, the federal rate on 1 April), so the figures below are the ones in force on 26 September 2026 plus the announced Ontario change.

Can part-time work cover living costs in Canada? Earnings against the IRCC budget

For study permit applications outside Quebec made on or after 1 September 2026, IRCC requires CAD 23,448 a year (CAD 1,954 a month) for a single student's living costs. Quebec-bound students must instead show the amounts set by Quebec's immigration ministry (MIFI) for the CAQ, so check the linked IRCC page. Set the IRCC figure against realistic term-time and summer earnings.

Which part-time jobs do Indian students in Canada actually get?

• On campus: library, residence and dining-hall roles, IT help desks, gym and events staff, and for graduate students teaching and research assistantships. On-campus hours are uncapped and the employer understands your timetable; graduate assistantships are usually the best-paid student work.
• Retail and grocery: large chains hire in September and again before the winter holiday; shifts are predictable and the 24-hour cap is easy to respect.
• Food service and hospitality: cafés, quick-service restaurants and hotel banquet work. Tips lift effective pay in Ontario and BC; Quebec has a separate lower minimum for tipped employees.
• Warehousing and logistics: fulfilment centres and courier depots around Toronto, Brampton, Mississauga, Calgary and Surrey pay above minimum for evening and weekend shifts, and hire in volume before November.
• Delivery and ride-share: allowed as self-employment, but every hour counts towards your 24 and you must keep your own records to prove compliance.
• Tutoring and campus jobs tied to your field: paid peer tutoring, coding or maths tutoring, lab demonstrator posts. These pay more per hour and build the CV that matters for the post-graduation work permit years.
• Co-op and internships: since 1 April 2026 post-secondary students do not need a separate co-op work permit for mandatory work placements. You need a study permit with work conditions, full-time study at a DLI, a letter from the DLI confirming the placement is a programme requirement, and a placement totalling 50% or less of the programme; there is no weekly hour limit. Existing co-op work permits stay valid, and secondary students still need one. Confirm the details with your university before you start the term.

How to start working legally in Canada as an international student

1. 1

   Check the condition printed on your study permit

   It should read "May work 24 hours per week off campus or full-time during regular breaks if meeting criteria outlined in paragraph 186(v) of the IRPR" (or the older 20-hour wording, which IRCC treats as 24). If the permit says you may not work, for example because you were admitted to an ESL course first, you must apply to change the conditions once you are in a full-time programme.

2. 2

   Apply for a Social Insurance Number

   Employers cannot pay you without a SIN. Apply at a Service Canada office or online with your study permit and passport; the permit must carry a work condition. Do it in your first week.

3. 3

   Wait for the programme start date

   No work, on or off campus, is allowed before classes begin. Arriving a month early to work is a breach of conditions.

4. 4

   Open a Canadian bank account and understand deductions

   Pay arrives by direct deposit. Income tax, Canada Pension Plan and Employment Insurance are deducted at source; file a tax return each spring, when students commonly receive refunds and carry forward tuition credits.

5. 5

   Track your hours across every employer

   The 24-hour limit is weekly and cumulative. Keep a simple log; if you are self-employed, keep invoices and delivery-app statements. This record is what you show IRCC if compliance is questioned when you apply for the PGWP.

6. 6

   Switch to full time only in a scheduled break

   Full-time hours are allowed only during breaks that appear in your institution's academic calendar, and only if you were enrolled full time before the break and are enrolled full time after it.

7. 7

   Keep full-time status every term

   Dropping to part time (except in your final semester) ends your right to work off campus and also breaks PGWP eligibility. If you must take a leave, get it authorised by the DLI and keep the paperwork.

Spouses, co-op terms and the post-graduation work permit

Family income changes the picture more than a few extra student hours. Since 21 January 2025 a spouse or common-law partner can hold an open work permit only if the student is in a master's programme of 16 months or longer, a doctoral programme, or a listed professional degree such as an MD, JD, BEng or BScN. A spouse of a college or 12-month master's student is not eligible for that open work permit, though IRCC says they may be able to apply for another type of work permit, and each accompanying family member raises the funds you must show (CAD 29,192 for two people).

After graduation the post-graduation work permit lifts every hour limit: it is an open permit of up to 3 years, and 3 years after any master's of 8 months or more. If you apply before your study permit expires and were eligible to work off campus, you may work full time while the PGWP is processed. That transition, from 24 hours a week to full-time skilled work, is where the real earnings of a Canadian education begin, and it is why the 24-hour rule during study should be treated as a budget supplement rather than a plan.

Do not plan tuition around part-time work

Frequently asked questions

Official sources used on this page

• IRCC — Work off campus as an international student — Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada · checked 26 September 2026
• IRCC — Work on campus as an international student — Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada · checked 26 September 2026
• Government of Ontario — Minimum wage (Employment Standards Act guide) — Government of Ontario · checked 26 September 2026
• Government of British Columbia — Minimum wage — Government of British Columbia · checked 26 September 2026
• Government of Alberta — Minimum wage — Government of Alberta · checked 26 September 2026
• CNESST (Quebec) — Minimum wage — Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail · checked 26 September 2026
• Employment and Social Development Canada — Federal minimum wage rises to CAD 18.15 on 1 April 2026 — Government of Canada · checked 26 September 2026
• IRCC — Student work placements (co-ops and internships) — Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada · checked 26 September 2026
• IRCC — Study permit: Proof of financial support — Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada · checked 26 September 2026
• IRCC — Help your spouse or common-law partner work in Canada — Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada · checked 26 September 2026
• IRCC — About the post-graduation work permit — Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada · checked 26 September 2026
• Wise — CAD to INR mid-market rate — Wise · checked 26 September 2026