PhD student working off campus full-time during summer

[heisenberg123]

Hi,

I am a 3rd year PhD student on a study permit. My program does NOT have scheduled breaks and does NOT have a mandatory co-op/internship component. I have an offer for a summer internship from a software company in Toronto. My university rules stipulate that I have to take a leave-of-absence (an unscheduled break) if I want to work off campus full time (Using my study permit, I can work upto 20 hours/week off campus, but this is not what I want).

A quick search online tells me that if I take a leave-of-absence, I am no longer a full time student and hence I cannot work off-campus (part-time or full-time) during this period. So the only option I see is that I need to get a work permit but I'm not sure what kind of work permit I need. The only option which looks relevant is the employer specific one and this requires LMIA, which looks notoriously difficult to get. I'm very much puzzled that there are are no easy options for an international grad student, who is in a thesis track, to do summer internships within Canada.

Are there any other options? Anyone else currently/was previously in a similar situation? Thanks in advance.

 

[scylla]

All of your research is pretty much on the ball.

You have to be enrolled in school full time to be able to work full time during school breaks. If you take a leave of absence, you'll no longer be enrolled in school and won't be able to work off campus legally.

Yes - you'll need to obtain a close work permit to work full time off campus. Before you can do that, your employer will need to obtain an approved LMIA. This is quite an involved process that requires the employer to first advertise the job for at least a month (following the LMIA advertising requirements) to prove no Canadian could be found for the role. The employer then has to pay a $1,000 processing fee and submit the application. Processing can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months (several months is more typical) with no guarantee of approval at the end.

 

[heisenberg123]

Damn, that is sad to hear. It seems like it is easier to do an internship in the US (J-1 visa seems easy to get). Who would have thought? :'(

 

[nhong]

I'm on the same boat, which is ridiculous, started to feel it was a mistake going here for a PhD

 

[sunny_guyed]

Hi,

I am a 3rd year PhD student on a study permit. My program does NOT have scheduled breaks and does NOT have a mandatory co-op/internship component. I have an offer for a summer internship from a software company in Toronto. My university rules stipulate that I have to take a leave-of-absence (an unscheduled break) if I want to work off campus full time (Using my study permit, I can work upto 20 hours/week off campus, but this is not what I want).

A quick search online tells me that if I take a leave-of-absence, I am no longer a full time student and hence I cannot work off-campus (part-time or full-time) during this period. So the only option I see is that I need to get a work permit but I'm not sure what kind of work permit I need. The only option which looks relevant is the employer specific one and this requires LMIA, which looks notoriously difficult to get. I'm very much puzzled that there are are no easy options for an international grad student, who is in a thesis track, to do summer internships within Canada.

Are there any other options? Anyone else currently/was previously in a similar situation? Thanks in advance.

1. check your study permit- during summer you can work as a full-time unless if you have some restrictions. it usually states on your study-permit.
2. what a weird rule the school is got- i do not think if you want to work during summer off campus then you need to take a leave of absence... that is so weird and to be honest never heard of it.
3. talk to your supervisor - and find a solution that fits to your and supervisor's interests. i understand as a PhD student during summer you still need to stick to your research and that is a normal thing for all of graduate students unless if you are a self-funded student.
4. good luck!