What kind of interruption are you considering?
Before changing your enrolment, ask your designated learning institution, or DLI, how your situation should be recognized. Medical reasons, pregnancy or a family emergency may, for example, justify an authorized leave. By contrast, stopping classes on your own initiative does not automatically constitute an approved leave.
| Situation | First check |
|---|---|
| Personal or medical leave | Who must authorize it, and what dates will appear in the confirmation? |
| Stopping classes without authorization | What possible consequences could there be for your permit conditions? |
| Scheduled breaks in the academic calendar | What separate rules apply to working during this period? |
| Reduced course load | Are you enrolled part-time, and what consequences could this have for work and the PGWP? |
Unless an exemption applies, permit holders must, among other things, actively pursue their studies. If you have already stopped without authorization, contact the international student services office promptly to have your situation reviewed. These immigration rules apply to people subject to study permit conditions; they do not apply in the same way to Canadian students.
The 150-day limit is not an automatic entitlement
In eligible cases, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, or IRCC, may consider a person to be actively pursuing their studies during an authorized leave of no more than 150 days. For an authorized leave during a program, the period starts on the leave’s start date: studies must resume within 150 days of that date.
Get written confirmation of the start date and expected return date. Do not simply count academic terms: the period is expressed in days. Other situations, such as a deferral of enrolment, may be calculated differently. Also check when your permit expires, as a leave does not automatically extend it.
Nor are the 150 days an annual allotment that can be used freely. When a program includes multiple leaves, IRCC may examine their reasons and overall progress towards completing the program. The assessment depends on the situation.
Can you work during your leave?
During an ordinary authorized leave, you cannot work on or off campus under your student work authorization. A note on your permit indicating that you can normally work is not enough if the conditions are no longer met. For off-campus work, IRCC says to wait until you resume your studies before starting again.
Scheduled academic breaks follow a separate framework: they permit you to work only if the applicable conditions are met. If you hold a work permit that is independent of your studies, check separately what it authorizes you to do.
Plan your budget for the break without assuming your student income will continue. Discuss the relevant dates with your employer and check with the organizations concerned about any possible effects on your insurance, funding and housing. For general information, also see the StudyCanada guide to working while studying in Canada.
If your absence may exceed 150 days
Seek advice before the deadline. A university may approve a longer absence for its own administrative purposes, without the entire period necessarily being compatible with the conditions of your study permit.
Depending on your situation and eligibility, options to consider may include resuming your studies, applying for a visitor record, obtaining a work permit independent of your studies, or leaving Canada. None of these options is automatic: an application does not guarantee approval, and a visitor record does not, by itself, give you the right to work.
If your leave also overlaps with scheduled academic breaks, have each period assessed using your program dates. Do not assume that a personal leave and a scheduled academic break are always calculated or treated in the same way.
Your future post-graduation work permit
Graduating does not guarantee a post-graduation work permit, or PGWP. IRCC generally requires full-time student status for every semester of the program, with, among other things, the possibility of studying part-time in the final semester. Other exceptions and requirements apply.
An unauthorized leave or one that does not comply with your permit conditions may jeopardize your eligibility. In the situations provided for, an authorized leave of no more than 150 days may be compatible with the requirements, provided, among other things, that you can provide proof of it.
Less than 150 days does not mean “PGWP guaranteed.” Keep the official confirmation, dates and relevant supporting documents, then check all the criteria that apply to your situation when you apply.
In Quebec: also check your CAQ
If you are studying in Quebec, check your obligations related to the Quebec Acceptance Certificate, or CAQ, separately. The province generally requires studies to be your principal activity and to be pursued full-time, subject to the exceptions provided for. It also requires you to maintain health and hospitalization insurance during your study period.
For an extension application, the province may request documents explaining your academic history. For example, when a transcript is not enough to explain a session without studies for medical reasons, it requires an explanatory letter and a document from a health-care professional, dated during the relevant period, confirming that you were unable to study. The documents required depend on your file, and submitting them does not guarantee a favourable decision.
If the break extends your program, check the dates on your authorizations. Quebec recommends beginning their renewal at least three months before the CAQ and permit expire. This is a guideline for planning ahead, not a guarantee that processing will be completed within that period.
Universities: two examples of procedures
The leave procedure depends on the institution and sometimes on the level of study. These two examples illustrate why you should contact the appropriate offices before suspending your classes:
- At the Vancouver campus of The University of British Columbia, the instructions describe, among other things, a process for obtaining a leave letter when the conditions are met. The steps depend on the level of study and the situation. Students at another campus should consult their own services.
- At the University of Ottawa / Université d’Ottawa, the institution asks students to consult its immigration advisory team before applying. At the undergraduate level, the application covers one term at a time; graduate students follow a separate process.
These StudyCanada profiles are starting points for exploring institutions. For your leave, follow the official instructions and consult the appropriate services at your own institution: the examples above do not constitute a single national procedure.
Prepare your documents and your return
Keep the official authorization, start and return dates, transcripts and useful supporting documents together. Ask your faculty how to resume your course sequence and what enrolment formalities will be required. Also check your insurance coverage during your absence and when you return.
If your permit may expire before you finish your studies, IRCC says that, to continue at the same institution, you should apply to extend it at least 30 days before it expires. Applying on time does not exempt you from complying with the other applicable conditions. If you plan to travel, separately check which documents you need to return to Canada.
Before changing your enrolment, get answers to these five questions:
- Who authorizes the leave, for what reason and for which dates?
- When must you stop working under your student status?
- What will you need to do if your leave is extended or your documents expire?
- What evidence should you keep to document the interruption, particularly for a possible PGWP application?
- What steps will you need to take to resume your studies?
Failing to comply with permit conditions may affect your stay and future applications. The goal is not to give up a necessary break, but to organize it with the right people. For an assessment of your file, contact the international student services office or an authorized professional.