International students in Canada are only allowed 20 hours of work weekly during a regular academic year, which isn’t sufficient for many to support their cost of living. Source: Thomas Samson/AFP
The Canadian Federation of Students has called on the federal government to waive the 20-hour work limit for international students, reports The Pie News. Inflation and spiraling costs have left many international students with the choice of “either not eating or not going homeless,” explained University of Prince Edward Island student union VP of finance and administration Leena Daboo. However, Study International reports that allowing international students to take on additional working hours may “just be a band-aid solution to a much larger and longstanding problem.” The article points to the sharp and steady increase to international tuition across Canada, while minimum hourly wage is only $11 to $16 CAD per hour depending on the province.