Can I work during a break?

Based on Regulation 186(v)(iii) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, eligible students can work full time during a regularly scheduled break.

According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, to be considered a regularly scheduled break, the break must be part of the designated learning institution's (DLI) academic calendar. Each regularly scheduled break should not be longer than 150 days. The maximum cumulative duration of regularly scheduled breaks is 180 days per calendar year (January - December). Eligible students must hold full-time enrollment during the academic session before and after the regularly scheduled break. For more information about how this impacts you as an SFU student, see our Enrollment Requirements: Regularly Scheduled Break page.

The reading week, breaks between terms* and the summer term (for undergraduate students only) may be considered regularly scheduled breaks for immigration purposes at SFU. 

Definitions, permitted or restricted hours, and eligibility requirements differ between working on and off campus. Some students may be eligible to work only on campus, off campus, or both. Review our detailed handout for more information.

*For the purpose of the policy above, a break between terms begins on the day after the exam period has ended for a given term, and ends on the day before classes begin for the subsequent term. Please refer to the SFU Calendar for a full list of academic dates.