ENROLMENT REQUIREMENTS: STUDYING AND WORKING IN CANADA
Effective April 1, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) updated the requirements for co-op work permits. Eligible international students at post-secondary institutions are no longer required to obtain a separate co-op work permit to complete co-op terms, internships, or practicums. Eligible students may use the on-campus work authorization on their SFU study permit to participate in an SFU-approved work placement.
Work placements must still constitute no more than 50% of the total study program and be an essential component of the program. There is no limit on the number of hours students can work for their work placement. For additional details and eligibility requirements, please visit the IRCC – Work in a student work placement webpage.
Understanding "Actively Pursuing Studies"
As an international student holding a study permit, you are required to actively pursue studies. According to IRCC, this means that you must remain enrolled and make reasonable and timely progress towards completing your program to be compliant with your study permit conditions.
To be considered enrolled at SFU, you must be enrolled in a minimum of 1 unit for credit in a given term (excluding audit courses).
To be considered actively pursuing studies as required by IRCC, you may be enrolled in a full-time or occasionally a part-time unit/credit load.
However, you must be enrolled full time to legally work on or off campus (see Working on campus and Working off campus for more information).
Each institution determines the minimal course load required for a student to be considered full time.
Full-time enrollment is one of the requirements to work on or off campus (see IRCC website). It is your responsibility to ensure that you meet IRCC’s eligibility requirements to work on or off campus.
SFU students are considered full time for immigration purposes in a given term if they are:
Undergraduate Students (including post-baccalaureate programs)
- enrolled in a minimum of 9 units in the Spring, Summer and Fall term
Graduate Students in one of the following categories
- Graduate students enrolled in per term fee programs
- Graduate students enrolled in a thesis, project, capstone course or field exams
- Graduate students enrolled in 6 or more units per term in per unit fee programs
OR any one of the following:
- Undergraduate and Graduate students enrolled in a full time Formal Exchange Program (“FEP”) or Field School (outbound exchange and field school), or
- Undergraduate and Graduate students enrolled in a full-time co-operative education placement (“Co-op”), approved internship or practicum as per program requirements, or
- Undergraduate students enrolled in a total minimum of 9 units as part of the Dual Degree partnerships between SFU and Langara, Douglas and Kwantlen or
- Graduate students enrolled full time under the Western Deans Agreement in any given term, or
- Visiting International Graduate Research Students ( see more information) enrolled in “Grad 800”, or
- Visiting International Undergraduate Research Students (see more information) enrolled in "UG 400", or
- Students for whom the Centre for Accessible Learning has approved full-time equivalency, despite their carrying a reduced load