Canada student co-op resume: what your study permit allows, and how to write it down
A Canadian co-op resume is a student resume plus one line on your right to work. Since 1 April 2026, post-secondary students need no co-op permit; other off-campus jobs are capped at 24 hours a week in term.1
Written 13 October 2026. CitedCV. How we write our guides
First: read the conditions printed on your study permit
Everything an international student may do at work in Canada hangs on a few lines printed on the initial study permit. IRCC's placement page says you cannot work if the right condition is missing, and its on-campus and off-campus pages say the same for those jobs. Check the permit before you write a word of the resume.
- Find the condition that allows work on campus. A co-op or required internship needs it.
- Find the condition that allows work off campus. Part-time jobs outside the co-op program need it.
- If you are eligible but a condition is missing, ask IRCC to amend the permit; IRCC says there is no fee.
- Apply for a Social Insurance Number once the conditions are right. Service Canada says a temporary resident’s SIN starts with 9 and expires with the immigration document.
- Ask your school for the letter confirming that the work placement is a requirement of your program.
What changed on 1 April 2026
Until that date, students in programs with required placements applied for a separate co-op work permit. IRCC's page, last updated on 1 May 2026, now says post-secondary international students do not need one for co-ops or internships. Existing co-op permits can still be used until they expire, and the University of Waterloo tells students who had applied that they can withdraw or that IRCC may withdraw the application for them.
The five conditions that replace the permit
- Your initial study permit carries a condition allowing on-campus work.
- Your designated learning institution (DLI) has given you a letter confirming the placement is a requirement of your program.
- Your study permit is valid, or you applied to extend it before it expired.
- You study full time at a DLI in a post-secondary academic, vocational or professional training program.
- Work placements total 50% or less of the program.
No weekly limit inside the placement
IRCC says there is no weekly hour limit for a student work placement, and that you may work for any employer your school's placement program accepts, even if that employer is off campus. The 24-hour rule below applies to other off-campus jobs.
Who still needs a co-op permit, and who cannot take part
Secondary school students still need a co-op work permit, which IRCC issues without a fee. Nobody can do a placement while taking only English or French as a second language, general interest courses, courses preparing for another program, or courses at an institution outside Canada.
Work rules for international students, by kind of job
Built from three IRCC pages read on 13 October 2026. This is the table to check before you add a job to your resume or accept one.
| Kind of work | Permit needed | Hour limit | Main conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Required co-op or internship, post-secondary | None beyond the study permit (since 1 April 2026) | No weekly limit | On-campus condition, DLI letter, valid permit, full-time study, placement 50% or less of program |
| Required placement, secondary school | Co-op work permit | Not stated | School letter that all students in the program must do placements; 50% or less of program |
| Job on campus | None beyond the study permit | No cap in term or in breaks | On-campus condition, SIN, full-time at a DLI in an eligible program |
| Job off campus, during an academic session | None beyond the study permit | 24 hours a week, across all jobs | Off-campus condition, SIN, full-time at a DLI, program of at least 6 months leading to a degree, diploma or certificate |
| Job off campus, during a scheduled break | None beyond the study permit | Unlimited | A break your school schedules, such as summer or winter holidays or a reading week |
| Any job before your program starts | Not allowed | None | IRCC: you can only start working when you start your study program |
| Only ESL or FSL studies | Cannot work off campus | None | Once accepted into a full-time program, the no-work condition may be removed |
When the right to work stops
The on-campus page lists the moments to stop: you leave full-time study outside your final semester, your permit expires, you are on authorised leave, or you are switching schools and not studying. The off-campus page adds that working more than 24 hours a week in term breaks your study permit conditions and can cost you your student status.
The 50% ceiling next to the co-op floor
IRCC caps placements at half the program. Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada (CEWIL), which defines co-op for program design, sets a floor: work terms must be at least 30% of the time in academic study for programs over two years, and 25% for programs of two years or less. A co-op program sits between the two.
Sample co-op resume block for an international student
The student is invented: Selin Öztürk, from Bursa, in the second year of a four-year mechanical engineering co-op degree at an Ontario university, applying for her first four-month work term. Each line follows advice from the University of Waterloo's Writing and Communication Centre: newest first, accurate dates and titles, action verbs, numbers, tailoring and campus involvement.
| Section | What it shows | Sample line |
|---|---|---|
| Header | Name, city, email, phone; no photo or date of birth | Selin Öztürk · Hamilton, ON · selin.ozturk@example.com · +1 905 000 0000 |
| Work eligibility | That you may legally do the work term | International student; study permit allows co-op work terms in Canada |
| Education | Program, school, expected graduation, co-op sequence | BEng Mechanical Engineering (Co-op), expected 04/2029; work terms planned for summer 2027, winter 2028, fall 2028 |
| Skills | Tools named in the posting | SolidWorks, MATLAB, GD&T basics, Excel, English (fluent), Turkish (native) |
| Projects | Course and team work with a result | Redesigned a suspension bracket for the student Baja team, cutting its mass by 18% in FEA-checked iterations |
| Experience | Paid work in Canada, inside the legal limits | Library assistant (part-time, on campus), 09/2025 to present: shelved and checked out about 600 items a week |
| Experience abroad | Earlier internships, with country | Summer intern, quality department, automotive parts supplier, Bursa, Türkiye, 07/2024 to 08/2024: logged 1,400 dimensional checks |
| Involvement | Clubs and volunteering | Treasurer, Turkish Students Association, managing a budget of about $3,000 |
No hours, permit numbers or SIN appear on the page. The work eligibility line is enough; if an employer asks for proof, the permit and the school letter answer it.
Sources and the date we read them
- IRCC, Work in a student work placement (page details 2026-05-01): the 1 April 2026 change, the five conditions, no weekly limit, exclusions.
- IRCC, Work off campus as an international student (2026-04-15): 24 hours a week, unlimited in scheduled breaks, eligibility, start date.
- IRCC, Work on campus as an international student (2026-05-01): no cap, what counts as on campus, when to stop.
- Service Canada, SIN eligibility (2026-10-09): a temporary resident’s SIN starts with 9 and expires with the immigration document.
- University of Waterloo, Working legally in Canada as a co-op student; Work term overview; Writing and Communication Centre resume tips (2020).
- CEWIL Canada, Work-integrated learning definitions.
All read on 13 October 2026. Student work rules have changed several times; open the IRCC pages again before you accept a job.
What this page leaves to others
- The content of a first-job resume in general, with no work history, is in the internship resume guide.
- Work after graduation goes through a post-graduation work permit or another permit; IRCC lists it as one of two ways to keep working full time after your program.
- Express Entry: IRCC says co-op terms can count toward the Federal Skilled Worker minimum, but the Canadian Experience Class excludes them, and Canadian work as a full-time student earns no ranking points. The Express Entry guide has the detail.
- Rules at your own school, such as whether a job in a study term earns co-op credit, come from your co-op office. Waterloo, for one, says it does not.
Where to build it and get it checked
- Your school's co-op office and career centre. Waterloo's work term checklist ends each term with revising the resume and suggests showing it to your supervisor.
- Job Bank's Resume Builder, whose youth and recent graduates template is meant for limited paid experience.
- CitedCV, which writes the English resume only from facts you confirm, so the dates of each term and job come from what you entered. It has no Canadian preset; check the result against the Canadian resume guide.
Questions people ask
Do I need a co-op work permit in 2026?
Not as a post-secondary student. Since 1 April 2026, IRCC says a study permit allowing on-campus work and a letter from your school are enough; secondary school students still need the permit.
How many hours can international students work off campus in Canada?
Up to 24 hours a week during an academic session, counting all off-campus jobs together, and unlimited hours during breaks your school schedules.
Is there an hour limit for co-op placements?
No. IRCC says there is no weekly hour limit for a required student work placement, including one with an off-campus employer your school accepts.
Can I work full time in the summer as an international student?
Yes, during a break your school schedules, such as summer or winter holidays or a reading week, IRCC allows unlimited off-campus hours.
Should I put my study permit on my co-op resume?
Add one plain line saying you are an international student whose study permit allows co-op work terms. Leave out permit numbers and your SIN.
Can I start working before my classes begin?
No. IRCC says you can only start working in Canada when your study program starts.
Do co-op terms count for Express Entry?
For the Federal Skilled Worker minimum they can, if paid and continuous. The Canadian Experience Class excludes co-op terms, and they earn no ranking points.
Do I need a SIN for a co-op job?
Yes. IRCC lists a Social Insurance Number among the requirements for on-campus and off-campus work, and Waterloo tells co-op students everyone needs one.
Sources
- IRCC, Work in a student work placementwww.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/study-canada/work/intern.html
- IRCC, Work off campus as an international studentwww.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/study-canada/work/work-off-campus.html
- IRCC, Work on campus as an international studentwww.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/study-canada/work/work-on-campus.html
- Service Canada, Social Insurance Number eligibilitywww.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/sin/eligibility.html
- IRCC help centre, student work experience and Express Entrywww.ircc.canada.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?qnum=394&top=29
- University of Waterloo, Working legally in Canada as a co-op studentuwaterloo.ca/co-operative-education/international-co-op-students/working-legal-canada
- University of Waterloo, Work term overviewuwaterloo.ca/co-operative-education/work-term/overview
- University of Waterloo Writing and Communication Centre, 6 resume tips to land a co-op placementuwaterloo.ca/writing-and-communication-centre/blog/6-resume-tips-land-co-op-placement
- CEWIL Canada, Work-integrated learningcewilcanada.ca/CEWIL/CEWIL/About-Us/Work-Integrated-Learning.aspx
- Job Bank, Resume Builderwww.jobbank.gc.ca/findajob/resume-builder