New federal regulation on international students will limit work hours to 24 per week, sparking debate over financial impacts
A federal law limiting the number of hours international students' are allowed to work to 24 per week was set to come into effect this September. The limit would apply to off-campus work during the academic term and has sparked discussion surrounding academic success, financial stability, and career growth opportunities for international students studying in Canada.
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada announced earlier this year that the proposed cap would apply to off-campus work during the academic term, increasing the limit from the previous 20-hour cap. According to CBC News, the federal government has not yet implemented the new 24-hour cap and has not provided a clear timeline as to when it will.
The proposed change aims to protect students from overworking and support academic success, but many are questioning the effects it will have on international students finances.
The Silhouette spoke with three international students at McMaster about the new cap, whose identities have been anonymized.
Student A is a fourth-year anthropology student. "Living expenses in Canada are really high, even though they assume that international students always come from a very rich and high economic background . . . That is not always the case. Sometimes students save money to get out of their country and then coming here, they need to work to meet their monthly expenses," said Student A.
Living expenses in Canada are really high, even though they assume that international students always come from a very rich and high economic background . . . That is not always the case.
Student A, fourth-year
anthropology student
In a press release, the ministry noted that the cap is intended to help students focus on their studies without the burden of excessive work hours.
However, some students feel that a rigid cap could force them to make difficult choices between covering essential living costs and focusing on their education.
Student B, a third-year international student studying anthropology, acknowledged both sides of the argument about the cap. "I think it could be beneficial for a lot of international students because we do come here to study and at times, working and studying at the same time is pretty difficult . . . But it can be difficult for other students who come here and want to work in Canada. Getting work experience as an international student is already really difficult."
I think it could be beneficial for a lot of international students because we do come here to study and at times, working and studying at the same time is pretty difficult . . . But it can be difficult for other students who come here and want to work in Canada.
Student B, third-year
international psychology student
Student B also expressed frustration at the level of support offered by McMaster's regarding opportunities for work.
"We do have the international student work opportunity, but a lot of the time, international students are not given proper criteria for being eligible . . . The school prioritizes domestic students over international ones when it comes to jobs, which, fair enough, but it's still difficult for us to find jobs through that program," said Student B.
They further explained that they thought on-campus jobs, which are not restricted by the new cap, were hard to come by.
"A lot of us do not have that experience because it's so hard to find jobs, and the time where you would gain that experience is on campus and working with staff. But we aren't being given these opportunities," Student B added.
The new work cap comes alongside additional financial requirements for international students to study in Canada. Marc Miller, minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship Canada, announced in December 2023 that for the 2024-2025 school year, international students wanting to study in Canada would need access to a minimum of $20,635.
Student C, a third-year computer engineering student with campus work experience, shared concerns that while students working on campus may be accommodated, but those seeking off-campus jobs could face difficulties due to a lack of understanding on the part of employers'.
"I think 24 to 30 is a good range if they allow for students, especially because they're paying a lot to institutions and have a lot going on . . . On campus, employers understand your situation. Outside employers wouldn't," said Student C.
Student A shared that many prospective international students come in search of a better quality of life, motivated by the hope of improving their circumstances. They also expressed concerns that a 24-hour work cap could push some students to seek unregulated or unsafe work, especially those unable to meet their financial needs within the time limit.
"If there is a guideline that restricts them from working, we are going to get into low-paid, unsafe, not secure work . . . But they have to get their expenses right; they're gonna do it one way or the other," said Student A.
If there is a guideline that restricts them from working, we are going to get into low-paid, unsafe, not secure work. But they have to get their expenses right; they're gonna do it one way or the other.
Student A, fourth-year
international anthropology student
On April 29th, 2024, IRCC defended the policy in a news release, stating that they developed the new cap after considering student needs, policies in other countries and research showing that excessive work hours can negatively impact academic performance. However, Student B expressed they thought international student's voices need to be considered more.
"There needs to be a better dialogue between the government and international students . . . The government should maybe try [to] speak to their international student demographic a bit more to gain a perspective on how to handle the situation properly," expressed Student B.
There needs to be a better dialogue between the government and international students . . . The government should maybe try [to] speak to their international student demographic a bit more to gain a perspective on how to handle the situation properly.
Student B, third-year
international psychology student
Although the new law is still set to come into effect, it is unclear when exactly this fall the new cap will begin to be enforced.
This is an ongoing story.
By: Grace Kuang
McMaster president Patrick Deane is approaching the end of his second five year-term in his role as president at the university. Over the past nine years, Deane oversaw significant changes at McMaster, such as the addition of new infrastructural developments and interdisciplinary programs at the university.
“It will be extremely difficult to leave McMaster,” said Deane. “I was welcomed here nine years ago and from that first day to this, I have been amazed at the ground-breaking work of our researchers, the commitment of our students to making a difference, and the dedication of the staff, alumni and friends of the university to expanding McMaster’s impact on our community and our world.”
In 2011, Deane penned a letter addressing the McMaster community titled “Forward with Integrity: A Letter to the McMaster Community.” In the letter, Deane emphasized that all of McMaster’s continued success will depend on the cultivation of integrity.
The letter advocated for integrity in four key and interconnected areas: student experience, specifically experiential learning, self-directed learning and interdisciplinary education, research, McMaster’s relationship with the surrounding community and the university’s dedication to internationalization.
“At McMaster, the evidence is that in the category of ‘Enriching Educational Experiences,’ which includes experiential activities, we fare a little better than our sister institutions in Ontario, but not as well as comparable U.S. Peers,” reads part of the letter.
Over the last few years, McMaster has focused heavily on experiential learning, most recently developing an innovation minor for students and partnering with Riipen Networks to create a continuing education project-based learning course.
Another one of Deane’s priorities concerned interdisciplinary education. During Deane’s term, interdisciplinary programs such as the justice, political philosophy and law program and the integrated business and humanities program were created.
In his letter, Deane also stressed his goals for internationalization.
“Internationalization of the university by the presence of foreign students, by faculty involvement in a network of research alliances abroad, by faculty and student travel for research and development purposes, and above all by the adoption of an internationalized perspective in curriculum and program design on our campus: this is not only desirable and appropriate to present circumstances, it is urgently needed,” reads part of the letter.
McMaster’s model for global engagement was solidified in 2017. In addition, last year, tuition was reduced for international PhD students.
As such, it appears that some of Deane’s largest and most controversial initiatives were implemented within the last year.
One of these was the smoke and tobacco-free campus policy, which entailed the university becoming the first one in the province to claim to be 100 per cent spoke-free.
While the policy was praised by some, other students and groups, particularly the McMaster Students Union Student Representative Assembly, cautioned against the policy in an effort to prioritize “considerations of student safety, accessibility and comprehensive access to McMaster University when considering implementation.”
This past year, Deane also helped create and implement McMaster’s free expression guidelines, which evoked mixed reactions from the campus community. The guidelines sought to strike a balance between protecting free speech and the right to protest.
However, a number of students, specifically student activists, expressed concern that the guidelines would stifle dissension and silence marginalized voices.
Deane will be departing for Queen’s University in July 2019. Currently, it is uncertain who will replace Deane as McMaster’s next president.
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The annual State of the Academy address is meant to be an opportunity for the Provost’s office to share information with the rest of the university on the school’s progress over the year. But this time, it was supposed to be different.
The 2012 State of the Academy was promoted for its “new format,” a conversation between university administrators and the greater campus community, rather than a speech. According to current Provost David Wilkinson, it was meant to “engage [McMaster] in a cross-campus dialogue.”
Convocation Hall, equipped with two audience microphones, reflected this change. Wilkinson and university president Patrick Deane, who joined him for the presentation, were seated comfortably in armchairs at the front of the room.
In elaborating on talking points offered by moderator Gord Arbeau, Director of Public and Community Relations, the two administrators made it clear that their impression of McMaster’s current situation was positive.
“When you look at the [McMaster University Factbook], what it would show you is that…as an institution we’re doing very well in difficult times,” said Wilkinson.
“There are lots of great things going on, lots of challenges, but the future really looks rosy at McMaster.”
Although a variety of topics were offered for discussion, the speeches from both Deane and Wilkinson circled back to “Forward with Integrity,” the president’s 2011 letter that offered a set of guiding principles for McMaster as it moves forward.
The emphasis of the presentation, in conjunction with “Forward with Integrity,” was to “rephrase” the goals of McMaster, and to reemphasize the “research-focused, student-centred” nature of Mac.
“We’re at a phase in laying out our sense of the institution’s future in which we need to build on what has been strong historically here and that very close connection between teaching and research, which is part of the Mac culture [and] has been since the beginning,” Deane explained. The president was intent on underlining McMaster’s reputation, reaffirming that “we are an institution devoted to learning through inquiry and discovery.” He encouraged students and faculty to “bring...[the] power of the critical and inquiring mind.”
It was broader ideas like these that made up the bulk of the presentation.
In addition to the university’s culture, Deane and Wilkinson also touched on such initiatives as the “learning portfolio,” a new emphasis on experiential education that was encouraged by “Forward with Integrity.”
“[We want] students [to] actually have a portfolio of experiences that extends beyond what shows up on their transcripts,” said Wilkinson.
The most controversial topic of discussion was the internationalization of McMaster, something the president has admitted to not always being comfortable with.
“I am very much averse to what I regard as an exploitative model of higher internationalized higher education,” Deane said, elaborating further to say that he is “not persuaded, either in terms of the long-term benefits or the ethical compulsions of this model which basically sees the world as a market to be drawn on to subsidize our current operations.”
International students now make up roughly five per cent of McMaster’s student body. The recruitment of these students is seen by many universities to be an economic benefit because of the hefty additional fees they pay. Deane emphasized that true internationalization would involve “being changed by the students who are invited to come here.”
It seemed that the audience, made up primarily of faculty and staff, with only a small representation of students, was not moved by this, or any other topics. When the floor was opened to questions, no one in the audience stepped up. Despite the insistence on dialogue, the new townhall format did not result in the high amount of audience participation that was initially envisioned.
