Study in Canada: Internships and Co-Op Programs

On This Page, You Will Find:

• What counts as a student work placement
• The April 2026 change to co-op work permits
• Eligibility for post-secondary students
• The 50 per cent rule explained
• Who is still excluded
• Secondary school students and the co-op work permit
• Applying from outside Canada
• Hours, employers and medical exams
• Frequently asked questions

Many Canadian college and university programmes build a mandatory work term into the curriculum. These placements, known as co-op terms, internships or practicums, let international students apply what they are studying in a real workplace before they graduate.

The immigration paperwork behind them changed on 1 April 2026. Post-secondary international students no longer need a separate co-op work permit to complete a required placement. That single change removes the step that used to delay work terms by weeks or months.

This guide covers the placement rules specifically. For the broader picture of on-campus jobs, off-campus hours and the 24-hour weekly cap, see our guide to working and studying as an international student in Canada.

What Counts as a Student Work Placement

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) defines a student work placement as work experience that is required to complete your study programme and approved by your designated learning institution (DLI).

That covers:

• Co-op placements
• Internships
• Practicums
• Mentorship programmes

The list is not exhaustive, but the test is consistent: the work must be a requirement of the programme, not an optional extra you arrange yourself. A summer job you find independently is off-campus work, not a placement, and it falls under the 24-hour weekly limit during academic sessions.

Placements are only for students studying at a Canadian DLI. Students enrolled at institutions outside Canada are not covered.

The April 2026 Change: No More Co-Op Work Permit for Post-Secondary Students

As of 1 April 2026, eligible post-secondary international students do not need a co-op work permit to take part in a required work placement. IRCC described the change as removing an administrative step rather than expanding who is allowed to work.

Two practical points follow from it:

• Students who already hold a co-op work permit can keep using it for its full validity. There is no need to surrender or replace it.
• Applications that were still pending have been withdrawn. IRCC withdrew eligible active co-op work permit applications and issued a letter explaining that no permit is needed. Students who prefer to act themselves can withdraw the application directly.

The change applies only at the post-secondary level. Secondary school students are dealt with separately below.

Who Can Take Part: Post-Secondary Eligibility

To join a required work placement as a post-secondary student, you must meet all of the following conditions:

• Your initial study permit carries a printed condition saying you are allowed to work on campus
• You hold a letter from your DLI confirming the placement is a requirement of your study programme
• Your study permit is valid, or you applied to extend it before it expired
• You are a full-time student at a DLI in a post-secondary academic, vocational or professional training programme
• The work placement totals 50 per cent or less of your study programme

IRCC may also ask for a letter from your institution confirming that every student in your programme must complete a work placement to receive the degree, diploma or certificate. Keep that letter available before your placement starts.

If the placement involves paid work, you will need a Social Insurance Number, and Service Canada will only issue one if your study permit carries the correct work condition. If that condition is missing, request a free amendment from IRCC before you apply for the number.

The 50 Per Cent Rule

The work component cannot make up more than half of the total study programme. A two-year diploma, for example, cannot include more than a year of placement.

Programmes that are mostly work experience with a thin academic wrapper do not qualify, and that is the point of the threshold. If your programme structure sits close to the line, confirm the calculation with your co-op office before you commit, because the consequences of an unauthorised placement fall on you, not the school.

Who Is Not Eligible

You cannot take part in a student work placement if you are enrolled in:

• English or French as a second language courses
• General interest courses
• Courses taken to prepare for another study programme
• Courses at an institution outside Canada

If you are not eligible for a placement but still want to work in Canada, you would need to apply for a work permit through the ordinary routes rather than the student stream.

When you must stop

You must stop your placement:

• On the day you stop studying full-time, unless you are in your final semester
• When your study permit expires
• If you are on an authorised leave from your studies
• If you are switching schools and are not currently studying

You can return to the placement once you resume studying and still meet every requirement.

Secondary School Students Still Need a Co-Op Work Permit

International students at a DLI at the secondary level still require a co-op work permit. Eligibility mirrors the post-secondary criteria: a valid study permit, a work requirement built into the programme, a letter from the school confirming all students must complete a placement to earn the diploma or certificate, and a placement of 50 per cent or less of the programme.

There is no fee for a co-op work permit. Applications are made online in most cases, and IRCC’s Guide 5580 explains how to complete the form. A paper application is only accepted if a disability prevents applying online or the online system fails.

Applying From Outside Canada

If you are applying from outside Canada and need a co-op work permit, you cannot submit that application separately from your study permit application. Your acceptance letter must confirm that the placement is part of the programme curriculum, and IRCC will process the co-op work permit alongside the study permit.

If your study permit application is already in progress, you can use IRCC’s web form to submit a new acceptance letter showing the mandatory work component.

If your study permit has been approved but you have no co-op work permit and still need one, you can complete the placement outside Canada, with your school’s and employer’s agreement, but not inside Canada.

Hours, Employers and Medical Exams

There is no weekly hour limit on a student work placement. The constraint is the 50 per cent rule on the programme as a whole, not a cap on any given week. Placement hours are separate from the 24-hour weekly off-campus limit that applies to ordinary student jobs.

You can work for any employer accepted by your school’s placement programme, including employers located off campus.

If your placement is at a hospital or another workplace where public health must be protected, you need an immigration medical exam, unless you have already submitted one.

Why Placements Matter Beyond Graduation

Paid Canadian work experience gained during a co-op term counts as skilled work experience for several economic immigration programmes, and a placement often converts into a job offer with the same employer after graduation.

Most graduates then move to a post-graduation work permit, which is the usual bridge from study to permanent residence after studying in Canada. Before any of that, check that your institution and programme appear on the designated learning institution and study permit requirements we set out in our study portal.

Frequently Asked Questions