Work as a co-op student or intern

Eligibility

Some study programs include work experience as part of their curriculum. You can apply for a co-op or intern work permit if you meet all of the following conditions:

• You have a valid study permit.
• You are required to work in order to complete your study program in Canada.
• You have a letter from your school that confirms all students in your program need to complete work placements to get their degree.
• Your co-op placement or internship totals 50% or less of your study program.

Co-op work permits and off-campus work authorization

From November 15, 2022, to December 31, 2023, you may not need to apply for a co-op work permit. You don’t need a co-op work permit to complete your co-op placement if you meet all of the following conditions:

• You have a valid study permit and IRCC received your application for this study permit on or before October 7, 2022.
• Your study permit shows that you’re authorized to work off campus.
• You’re eligible to benefit from the temporary policy change to work more than 20 hours per week while class is in session.
• Your co-op placement ends by December 31, 2023.

If your co-op placement ends after December 31, 2023, or if you aren’t eligible for the temporary policy change, you need to apply for a co-op work permit to cover the period after that date. You can begin your co-op placement during this period before you’re issued the permit. Any other employment you have won’t be affected.

Who's not eligible

You aren’t eligible for a co-op work permit if you’re taking one of the following:

• English or French as a second language (ESL/FSL),
• general interest courses, or
• courses to prepare for another study program.

If you’re not eligible for a co-op work permit, but you want to work in Canada, you need to apply for a work permit.

How to apply

How you apply for a co-op work permit depends on if you already applied for your study permit or not.