Immigration Minister Sean Fraser announced recently that international students now can work for more than 20 hours per week. Earlier, international students were provided with a social insurance number and had to keep track of their working hours. After Nov. 15, they are free to work for extended hours until the end of next year.
For now, international students are only permitted to work for 20 hours per week, which doesn’t give them much room to earn the amount that is required to survive in Canada.
“With groceries hitting $200 per week, and I’m only talking about the basics, surviving in a country like Canada only on 20 hours of work is something that everyone of us found difficult,” said Aman Singh, a student at Sheridan College.
The announcement specified that this would not only help the students but also help Canada recover from COVID-19 economic losses.
“We all know that this extension wasn’t done for the students in particular but because of Christmas season approaching and to get back all the lost money,” said Amanpreet Kaur, another student at Sheridan College. “If it was for us, it wouldn’t have been implemented from the 15th November but on an immediate effect, and why is it only into effect for a year? Why not always? The Canadian government is trying to play smart but what can we do as students anyway?”
The announcement created quite a stir of opinions, both good and bad. Many students seemed relieved because even if it is for a year, they are happy about the fact that it is happening.
The ministry highlighted a number of reasons for the change, including the dire need of companies for employees. It was said that companies are facing shortages of workers and with the festive season approaching, it’s going to be even worse for them to manage the crowd.
“People have been home for two years, they cannot stay inside anymore. It’s good for us and the economy of the country but I’m glad that it is now benefitting the ones who have been working the hardest as well,” said Stacy Quinn, a restaurant chain owner.
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