Canada Study Permit Rules 2026: IRCC’s June 18 Update & the 150-Day Rule

By Dimple Verma, RCIC-IRB R708308 · VG Immigration Services

Published June 19, 2026 · Brampton, Ontario

Canada Just Tightened the Study Permit Rulebook — In Plain English

On June 18, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) quietly updated the internal manual its officers use to decide whether an international student is following the rules of their study permit. The manual is called “Study Permits: Assessing study permit conditions,” and it is the document an officer opens when they want to check if you should keep your permit, lose it, or be refused on your next application.

Here is what changed, why it matters, and the five things every student in Canada should do this week to stay safe.

The Two Rules Behind Everything

Every study permit in Canada carries two non-negotiable conditions, written into section 220.1(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations:

1. You must enroll at the Designated Learning Institution (DLI) named on your permit, and stay enrolled until you finish.
2. You must actively pursue your studies.

Break either one, and your permit can be cancelled, you can be issued an exclusion order, and your future Canadian applications can be blocked for six months.

What Actually Changed on June 18, 2026

IRCC’s own update notice lists exactly which sections of the manual were rewritten. These are now the areas where officers have fresh, more detailed guidance to use against students:

• Enrolment at a DLI — including changing DLIs or programs of study.
• Actively pursuing studies — including progress toward completion.
• Leave from studies.
• Working during leave from studies.

The rules themselves did not change — the law is the same. What changed is the playbook officers will follow when they decide if you are obeying those rules. Stricter, clearer playbook usually means stricter, clearer enforcement.

1. You Cannot Just Switch Schools Anymore

Since November 8, 2024, the rule has been: if you study at a post-secondary DLI, and you want to switch to a different DLI, you must apply for a new study permit first. The June 18 update reinforces this. Officers are now told to look at students who have changed schools or programs multiple times and ask one blunt question: is this person really making progress toward a Canadian credential, or just buying time?

“In cases where multiple program or institutional changes do not appear to support the expectation that the student is making reasonable progress … the officer may determine that the study permit holder has not fulfilled their study permit condition.” — IRCC PDI, June 18, 2026

Translation: if your transcript looks like a tour of Canadian colleges, expect questions.

2. The 150-Day Leave Clock Is Now a Hard Line

You are allowed to take a break from your studies for illness, family emergency, a delayed program start, or a school closure. IRCC has now clearly written down the limit: 150 days, and the leave must be authorized by your DLI. If you have not resumed studies within 150 days, you must change status (visitor or worker) or leave Canada. If you do neither, you are non-compliant — even if your study permit card still looks valid.

3. Scheduled Breaks vs Authorized Leave — The Distinction That Trips Students Up

This is the section students miss most often, and it is also where well-meaning advice online gets the rule backwards. There are two completely different situations IRCC treats very differently. Mixing them up is the single biggest reason students later lose status or future permits.

A. Regularly scheduled breaks — you CAN work full-time

A regularly scheduled break is a break that is built into your DLI’s official academic calendar — winter holidays, reading week, summer break between semesters, and the gap between terms. You did not choose it; your school scheduled it for every student in your program.

If you are eligible to work off campus and you were full-time before the break and will be full-time after the break, you can work unlimited hours during a regularly scheduled break. On-campus hours are also unlimited during the break. The 24-hour weekly cap only applies during regular academic sessions.

“You can work full-time during scheduled breaks, like over summer holidays and during spring break. You must meet all the requirements for working off campus before you start working. Once your school year restarts, you can only work a maximum of 24 hours per week.” — IRCC Help Centre, updated February 2026

IRCC’s technical rules on scheduled breaks:

Rule	Detail
Minimum length	At least 7 consecutive days. A statutory holiday alone (or a long weekend) is not a scheduled break.
Maximum per break	No single scheduled break can exceed 150 consecutive days for work purposes. If back-to-back breaks create a longer period, only the first 150 days qualify.
Annual cap on full-time work	180 days per calendar year total across all scheduled breaks.
Full-time bracketing	You must be full-time the semester before AND after the break (final-semester part-time exception applies if you maintained full-time status in every prior term).
First or last semester	If a summer term is your very first or very last semester, it is not a scheduled break for work purposes.

B. Authorized leave of absence — you CANNOT work

An authorized leave is different. You stopped your studies, and your DLI formally approved it. IRCC allows you to remain in Canada and keep your study permit valid for up to 150 days during an authorized leave, but your right to work is suspended for the entire leave, even if your study permit otherwise says you can work on or off campus.

“You can’t work on or off campus during an authorized leave from your study program, even if your study permit says you’re allowed to work in Canada.” — IRCC, Your conditions as a study permit holder, updated April 2026

IRCC recognizes a leave as authorized only if it is granted by your DLI for one of these reasons: medical or pregnancy, family emergency, death or serious illness of a family member, any other leave your school formally approves, permanent school closure or strike, a school change, or a deferred program start date. The leave must be no longer than 150 days, and you must be able to prove it was authorized by the DLI if IRCC asks.

Critically: if you simply stop attending or take a term off without your DLI’s written approval, IRCC treats it as a gap in studies — not an authorized leave. That puts your status, your work eligibility, and any future PGWP at risk all at once.

C. The side-by-side that ends the confusion

Situation	Can you work off campus?	Can you work on campus?
Regular academic session	Yes — up to 24 hrs/week	Yes — no IRCC hourly cap
Regularly scheduled break (winter, summer, reading week, gap between semesters)	Yes — unlimited hours if FT before & after	Yes — unlimited hours
Authorized leave of absence (medical, family, school strike, school change, etc.)	No — work must stop	No — work must stop
Self-created break / unapproved term off	No — and you risk losing status	No — and you risk losing status
Final semester, part-time (eligible)	Yes — up to 24 hrs/week	Yes
Between programs (graduated + new DLI starts soon)	Yes — full-time during the gap, if you have a valid SP, an LOA for the next program, and graduation confirmation	Yes

The June 18, 2026 IRCC manual update did not change the scheduled-break rule. What it tightened is the language around authorized leave and the use of co-op/internship work permits during a leave — you cannot use a co-op work permit to work during an authorized leave either.

4. Officers Can Now Ask You to Prove It — Randomly

Under section 220.1(4) of the regulations, an officer can ask for evidence of compliance for two reasons: they suspect you, or they are running a random audit. The June 18 manual reminds officers that the random-audit power is real. They may ask for enrolment letters, transcripts, leave-approval letters from your DLI, a doctor’s note, or a withdrawal letter. Keep these organized — today.

5. What Every Student Should Do This Week

1. Match your permit to your school. Look at your study permit. Is the DLI listed the school you actually attend right now? If not, you may already need a new permit.
2. Document every break. If you have taken any leave from studies, ask your DLI for a letter stating the start date, end date, and reason. Save it.
3. Stop working during breaks. Unless it is a regularly scheduled break (winter holidays, reading week, summer between semesters of a full-time program), do not work.
4. Watch the 150-day clock. If your leave is approaching 150 days, decide now: resume, change status, or leave Canada.
5. Get a compliance check. If anything above raises a question for you, get professional advice before you get a Procedural Fairness Letter from IRCC.

Why This Quiet Update Matters

Most students never read the manual their officer reads. They learn the rules only when something goes wrong — a refused PGWP, a cancelled study permit, or an exclusion order. The June 18, 2026 update is IRCC sharpening its pencil. Sharpen yours first.

And remember: your study permit is not the end of the road. Many graduating students move into the new TR-to-PR pathway for 33,000 workers or apply through one of the eligible smaller cities outside the major TR-to-PR exclusions. Protecting your study permit today protects those PR options tomorrow.

Related Briefs at VG Immigration

• Canada’s New TR-to-PR Pathway for 33,000 Workers (2026–2027)
• TR-to-PR Pathway 2026: Major Cities Excluded — Are You Eligible?
• PGWP Extension Due to Passport Expiry
• PGWP Deadlines Explained: 90-Day & 180-Day Restoration Rules
• PNP Work Permits Made Easier (BOWP vs T13)

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VG Immigration Services Inc. · Brampton, Ontario · Authorized to provide Canadian immigration advice and representation under the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants — Dimple Verma, RCIC-IRB R708308. This article is general information about Canadian immigration policy, not legal advice for any specific file. For advice on your individual circumstances, schedule a consultation. Information current as of June 19, 2026.