New Brunswick lets international students work off campus

Province joins Manitoba, Quebec in pilot project

International students attending any of New Brunswick’s four public universities or any of the campuses of the New Brunswick Community College can now apply for a permit to work off campus.

The pilot project lets international students obtain work permits providing they meet certain eligibility requirements.

The two-year pilot project results from an agreement signed earlier this year between the federal government and New Brunswick. Permits will allow students to work off campus for a maximum of 20 hours a week while registered as full-time students and for a maximum of 40 hours per week during different school break periods.

Currently, full-time international students in Canada are allowed to work only on the campus of the institution at which they are registered, except in Manitoba and Quebec where similar pilot projects are in place.

Education Minister Madeleine Dubé said international students are an “important and growing” segment of the university population.

“I am very pleased that we have been able to accommodate their desire to find employment off campus while living and studying in our province,” she said. “This will not only allow students to earn money toward their education and living expenses, but will also enrich our province by providing greater opportunity for people from different cultures to meet and learn more about each other.”

Yvon Fontaine, president of the Université de Moncton, said the number of international students has been increasing over the past few years.

“This new initiative provides an additional incentive for an even greater number of them to choose to pursue their studies in our region,” said Fontaine. “This measure will make it easier for them to enter the labour market, thus contributing to the dynamism and vitality of our communities, not to mention the growth in influence that will result at the international level.”

The work permits will be issued to eligible international students by Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and are valid for a period of up to one year.

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