IRCC Confirms Expansion of Working Hours for Study Permit Holders and Set New Compliance Standards for Institutions

In the mode of constant alterations, which Canada is now known for, they have introduced new compliances for the institutions and incumbents to follow, which include ( Designated Learning Institutes) DLI’s to report to them twice a year, so that they keep a check on enrolled students who are defaulting and also see whether DLI’s are following the compliance standards set by the IRCC. Also, the off-campus work limit has been extended to 24 hours from 20 hours for international students.

IRCC Canada formally declared on November 15, 2024, that all of those new regulations, including the extension of off-campus work rights to a maximum of 24 hours per week, are effective immediately. At least twice a year, all designated learning institutions will need to file a report to IRCC that reveals whether each study permit holder belonging to that institution remains studying. Since they might be violating the terms of their study permit, students who drop out of school could be looked into and subject to enforcement action.

IRCC is now essentially taking on a larger role for the supervision (and regulating) of Designated Learning Institutions (DLIs) than reinvestigated, which is something that all stakeholders should be aware of.

Provinces and Territories (PTs) and the IRCC share administrative duties concerning the International Student Program (ISP). For its component, the IRCC will oversees establishing rules governing international students' admission, defining the requirements that recipients of study permits must fulfill while in Canada, and determining whether to grant a study permit to an applicant.

Each province or territory must designate DLIs (Designated Learning Institutions) in accordance with a set of criteria [as agreed upon by the province or territory and the IRCC] before they can accept foreign learners to study in Canada. Additionally, PTs establish requirements that DLIs must fulfill in order to be approved by their jurisdiction. When institutions must be added to or removed from the public DLI list, which lists the institutions permitted to accept students within a specific province or territory—PTs notify the IRCC.

With the implementation of the new regulations on 15th November 2024, IRCC effectively gives itself the power to require DLIs to adhere to new reporting guidelines, to impose penalties on DLIs that do not comply (such as suspending the processing of study permits "for a maximum period of 12 consecutive months"), and to require international students studying in Canada to notify the IRCC of any changes to their DLIs.

The IRCC could close the compliance gap in the up-to-date regime by defining the obligation to submit twice a year compliance report. To guarantee that the IRCC can more precisely monitor and evaluate the compliance of learners with conditions outlined in their study permit and identify when they modify DLIs, it would be necessary to require students from abroad to obtain a fresh study permit when moving to a new DLI.

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