Feds to allow international students to work more to help Canada’s labour shortage
The federal government’s decision to temporary lift a 20-hour per week cap on the number of hours international students can work is welcome news for the Greater Charlottetown Chamber of Commerce.
Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Sean Fraser announced the move on Friday in hopes of addressing what the government calls unprecedented challenges in finding and retaining employees.
The pilot study, which will run from Nov. 15 until Dec. 31, 2023, will allow international students in Canada, who have off-campus work authorization on their study permit, to work an unrestricted number of hours while in school.
Those who have already submitted a study permit application will also be able to benefit from the change, provided their application is approved.
“The Chamber knows this change will assist in addressing our workforce challenge in the province,” said Greater Charlottetown Chamber of Commerce CEO Robert Godfrey, in a release. “We continue to be focused as an organization on encouraging governments at all levels to help the business community fill the many job vacancies that are hindering our economy.”
According to the federal government, Canada currently has more than 500,000 international students who could help address the labour shortage while continuing their studies. However, those who stop studying or reduce course loads to only study part-time are not eligible to work off-campus.
“With the economy growing at a faster rate than employers can hire new workers, Canada needs to look at every option so that we have the skills and workforce needed to fuel our growth. Immigration will be crucial to addressing our labour shortage,” said Fraser in a Friday release.
“By allowing international students to work more while they study, we can help ease pressing needs in many sectors across the country, while providing more opportunities for international students to gain valuable Canadian work experience and continue contributing to our short-term recovery and long-term prosperity.”
Friday’s release from the federal government noted that nearly half of post-secondary international students in Canada reported earning income during their studies.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.