The core requirement for eligibility is “full-time enrollment”: any gap due to suspension, withdrawal, or transfer disqualifies you from working.

4. The core requirement for eligibility is “full-time enrollment”: any gap due to suspension, withdrawal, or transfer disqualifies you from working.

Cost: No cost involved. Before suspending, withdrawing, or transferring schools, contact your school’s international student office to confirm your current status.

In plain terms: Whether you can work depends on whether you are currently enrolled full-time. Once you are suspended, withdrawn, expelled, or not attending classes during a transfer, your right to work ends immediately. Continuing to work in such cases constitutes illegal employment. Many assume that as long as their visa remains valid, they are still eligible, but in reality their status has already been revoked.

Benefit: Canadian regulations explicitly prohibit off-campus work during approved suspension periods, as well as for students who are not actively enrolled during a transfer. Work privileges can only be reinstated after resuming full-time studies. In the U.S., off-campus work eligibility is granted only to F-1 students whose SEVIS record shows an “Active” status — this system tracks valid enrollment for international students, and such students must also maintain full-time coursework. In the UK, work permits are issued based on course type; students on part-time programs are not permitted to work.

Evidence grade: A

Notes: If you are feeling overwhelmed by coursework and considering reducing your course load, first verify exactly how many credits constitute full-time enrollment — falling below that threshold will disqualify you from work eligibility, often even before any work permit issues arise. Students who are expelled or whose programs are terminated typically lose their eligibility status on the same day; do not wait for an official notice from the school before taking action.

Sources: IRCC. Work off campus as an international student. <https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/study-canada/work/work-off-campus.html>; U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Study in the States. Working in the United States. <https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/students/work/working-in-the-united-states>; UK Home Office. Immigration Rules Appendix Student (ST26.1). <https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-student>