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• be enrolled at a designated learning institution (DLI), unless you’re exempt
  
• show you’re actively pursuing your studies, unless you’re exempt, by
  

• tell us any time you change post-secondary schools
  
• end your studies if you no longer meet the requirements of being a student, and
  
• leave Canada when your permit expires
  

• be enrolled at a designated learning institution (DLI), unless you’re exempt
  
• show you’re actively pursuing your studies, unless you’re exempt, by
  

• tell us any time you change post-secondary schools
  
• end your studies if you no longer meet the requirements of being a student, and
  
• leave Canada when your permit expires
  

Self-employment, such as running your own small business, would be considered as “off-campus work”. Starting and running your own small business as an international student, i.e., conducting off-campus work, is possible provided that you have the required authorization and meet all prerequisites.

First, the conditions of your study permit must authorize you to work off-campus during your studies.

An international student is eligible to work off campus without a work permit so long as they:

have an explicit authorization on their study permit authorizing them to work off campus;

are a full-time student at a designated learning institution (a school that is approved by provincial or territorial government to host international students); are enrolled in a post-secondary, academic, vocational, or professional training program OR a secondary-level vocational training program (Quebec only);

are enrolled in a study program that is at least 6 months long and leads to a degree, diploma, or certificate

have started studying and are actively engaged in pursuing their study program; and

have a Social Insurance Number.

If an international student is a part-time student at a designated learning institution, they can only work off campus if they (1) meet all the above requirements, except for the requirement to be studying on a full-time basis because (2) they are only studying part-time because they are in the last semester of their study program and do not need a full course load to complete the program. The international student must have been a full-time student in their program up until their last semester.

If the study permit does not explicitly grant authorization to work off-campus and an international student met all the criteria at the time of the initial study permit application, they can ask to have this authorization added by applying to amend the terms of the study permit. There are no fees involved in submitting the application. However, if a student’s study program has changed and they are now eligible to work off-campus, then they must apply for a new study permit and fees will apply.

Second, you must not work more than the authorized hours of work per week.

During term time, international students can work off campus up to 20 hours a week and full-time during regularly scheduled breaks.

However on October 7, 2022, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced that international students are authorized to work more than 20 hours per week during term time until December 31, 2023 if they hold a study permit that authorized them to work off-campus that was either (1) issued before October 7, 2022 or (2) was applied for before October 2022 and they met all the eligibility criteria to work off-campus noted above.

Third, respecting and tracking compliance with employment authorization

If you are working off campus as a self-employed individual, you are responsible for keeping track of the hours you work off campus and for proving that you are complying with the conditions of your study permit.

Hours are calculated as any time you spend doing any of the following:

• earning wages
  
• being paid wages for performing a service or selling a product
  

• collecting a commission for performing a service or selling a product

Eligibility for a Post Graduate Work Permit (“PGWP”)

Being self-employed should not affect your eligibility for a PGWP as long as you respected the terms of your off-campus work authorization and can submit documentary evidence as such if requested.

One good way to transfer your pension savings into Canada is to have your original bank in your home country electronically transfer the funds to a new Canadian bank account bit by bit. This method allows you to gradually access your savings in Canada without running into issues with daily limits on e-transfers. After that, it is highly advisable that you contact an accountant, a free tax clinic, or a community agency with tax-related services, to determine the taxation on your pension savings accurately. They can also advise you about what taxes you might need to declare in the April of the year after you enter the country. Taxation is a very complex process, especially when it involves foreign assets, so it’s always best to seek professional help to avoid any errors.

The taxes you pay in Canada depend on your tax residency status. Please note that “residency” for tax purposes is not the same as immigration status- some people who live only temporarily in Canada including foreign students or seasonal workers are considered “residents” who have to pay certain kinds of tax! Residents of Canada for tax purposes are people who have established significant residential ties in the country. It’s possible to establish these ties on the day of arrival in Canada, or later on. Residential ties include having a home in Canada, bringing a spouse/common-law partner or children to Canada, or owning substantial personal property in Canada such as a car. Other factors that might contribute to status as a Canadian resident for tax purposes include opening a Canadian bank account, earning a Canadian drivers’ licence, or membership in a Canadian social organisation (recreational or religious). More detailed information about tax residency qualifications can be found here. If you are unsure about your tax residency status once you arrive, you can ask the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) to tell you your tax status. This involves filling out and submitting an NR74 Determination of Residency Status (entering Canada) form.
As you correctly noted, if you plan to bring into Canada financial assets (including stocks, bonds, or bank drafts) with values greater than $10,000 Canadian dollars, it is very important to declare the exact amount of each asset. Failure to declare the amount accurately, or forgetting to declare something could lead to seizure of the asset and financial penalties ranging from $250 to $5000 Canadian dollars. We do not recommend bringing cash into the country in amounts greater than $10,000 CAD.

Whether you have to report money left in your bank back at home may depend on how much you have, how it is stored, and when/how you choose to transfer it to Canada, so we strongly advise that you seek assistance from a qualified accountant, advisor, or clinic to thoroughly explore your financial options. You should be aware that most foreign property worth more than $100,000 Canadian dollars (including international real estate, cash in a foreign bank account, or shares in an overseas company) will need to be reported annually through a T1135 Foreign Income Verification Form, with some exemptions. Please seek personalised assistance from a financial professional to determine how your foreign assets will be taxed once you reach Canada, what you need to report and what tax benefits you qualify for.
We hope that the information we provided was helpful to you. Please let us know if you have any further questions.

• an officer determines you are no longer a PR after an inquiry or PRTD appeal following a refusal
  
• you voluntarily renounce your PR status
  
• a removal order made against you comes into force”
  

Hello, my name is Mykyta. I am looking for help for my mother who come from Ukraine and left everything there. She just got approved with work visa.
I would like to know if Kingston has a place where she can start learning English?
Does she need to complete a medical exam, within 90 days?
Can you help to find work that does not require English for now?
Thank you.

You may need a medical exam to get a work permit if any of these situations apply to you:

You wish to work in any job where it is important to protect public health, such as

• health services
• child care or
• primary or secondary education

You’ll work in an agricultural job, and you have lived in a designated country or territory.

You want to work in Canada for more than 6 months, and you lived in a designated country or territory for 6 consecutive months during the year right before the date you intend to enter Canada.

If you need a medical exam, an officer will tell you so and send you instructions on how to proceed. The officer’s decision is based on the type of job you will have and where you lived in the past year.
Open work permit holdersAn officer may not know if you need a medical exam. You should get a medical exam from a panel physician if any of the 3 situations above apply to you.