International students in Canada no longer need a separate co-op work permit to complete mandatory internships or work placements, after a regulatory amendment took effect on 1 April 2026. On 9 April IRCC released additional guidance and launched consultations on extending on-campus and off-campus work rights while students await study-permit extensions or Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) decisions. The co-op change removes a long-criticised bottleneck that often trapped students in months-long processing queues. Eligible students—those whose program requires a work component and who have full-time status—may now work up to 50 per cent of their program length without applying for a separate permit. Colleges have welcomed the move, noting that delayed permits previously forced some employers to rescind offers.
![IRCC eliminates co-op work-permit requirement and eyes broader work rights for students]()
For applicants who still need help navigating Canada’s evolving study-and-work rules, VisaHQ’s portal (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) offers step-by-step guidance, document checklists and filing support for study permits, PGWPs and other visa categories, easing the administrative load for both students and HR teams.
IRCC’s discussion paper floats two further reforms: allowing full-time work between the expiry of a study permit and issuance of a PGWP, and creating an online “continuation notice” that institutions can generate to confirm enrolment while a permit extension is pending. The government says these steps would close loopholes that push graduates into unauthorized status and would align rules with labour-market needs. For global mobility teams, the practical effect is faster onboarding of intern-level talent and reduced compliance paperwork. However, employers must still verify that students’ work is integral to their curriculum; work that is purely voluntary or unrelated remains capped at 24 hours per week during academic sessions. Institutions are updating their letters of support to reflect the new regulation, and immigration advisors recommend adding a sentence attesting that the placement is a mandatory component. Stakeholders have until 15 May 2026 to comment on the broader work-rights proposals. If adopted, the measures could take effect as early as autumn 2026—just in time for the next academic intake and the busiest intern-recruitment cycle for tech and engineering firms.
For applicants who still need help navigating Canada’s evolving study-and-work rules, VisaHQ’s portal (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) offers step-by-step guidance, document checklists and filing support for study permits, PGWPs and other visa categories, easing the administrative load for both students and HR teams.
IRCC’s discussion paper floats two further reforms: allowing full-time work between the expiry of a study permit and issuance of a PGWP, and creating an online “continuation notice” that institutions can generate to confirm enrolment while a permit extension is pending. The government says these steps would close loopholes that push graduates into unauthorized status and would align rules with labour-market needs. For global mobility teams, the practical effect is faster onboarding of intern-level talent and reduced compliance paperwork. However, employers must still verify that students’ work is integral to their curriculum; work that is purely voluntary or unrelated remains capped at 24 hours per week during academic sessions. Institutions are updating their letters of support to reflect the new regulation, and immigration advisors recommend adding a sentence attesting that the placement is a mandatory component. Stakeholders have until 15 May 2026 to comment on the broader work-rights proposals. If adopted, the measures could take effect as early as autumn 2026—just in time for the next academic intake and the busiest intern-recruitment cycle for tech and engineering firms.
