Who can work on-campus?

You may work without a work permit on your school campus where you are studying if you:

• are a full-time post-secondary student at:
  • a public post-secondary school, such as a college or university, or CEGEP in Quebec
  • a private college-level school in Quebec that operates under the same rules as public schools, and is at least 50% funded by government grants, or
  • a Canadian private school that can legally award degrees under provincial law
• have a valid study permit and
• have a Social Insurance Number (SIN).

You must stop working on campus on the day you are no longer studying full time or when your study permit expires.

Social Insurance Number (SIN)

You need a SIN from Service Canada to work in Canada or to get benefits and services from government programs.

To apply for a SIN to work on campus, your study permit must have these conditions printed on it:

• May accept employment on the campus of the institution at which registered in full-time studies
• May accept employment on or off campus if meeting eligibility criteria as per R186(f), (v) or (w). Must cease working if no longer meeting these criteria

If your study permit doesn’t have these conditions, but you meet the criteria, you can ask to have them added so you can apply for a SIN. There is no fee to add these conditions.

Where can you work?

“On-campus” means all the buildings on your school campus. If your school has more than one campus, in most cases, you may work only at locations in the city where you are studying.

There is an exception if you are working as a teaching or research assistant and your work is strictly related to a research grant. In this case, you may work at a library, hospital or research facility associated with your school, even if they are outside the campus.

Who can you work for?

An “on-campus” employer can be:

• the school
• a faculty member
• a student organization
• yourself (self-employed on-campus)
• a private business
• a private contractor that provides on-campus services to the school.