Becoming a Destitute Student to gain work experience as a caregiver.

[An0tika]

Hello! So I am an international student and there have been some situations that have caused me to have my undergraduate degree extended by two years. The funds my family had for my initial education plan will not cover this new development. I have two part time jobs as a Caregiver for September and beyond and was wondering if I should apply for an open work permit and become a destitute student due to my situation. My goal is to raise enough money for the remaining years of my education and to get my Permanent Residency Card.
What do you think?

 

[Naturgrl]

Hello! So I am an international student and there have been some situations that have caused me to have my undergraduate degree extended by two years. The funds my family had for my initial education plan will not cover this new development. I have two part time jobs as a Caregiver for September and beyond and was wondering if I should apply for an open work permit and become a destitute student due to my situation. My goal is to raise enough money for the remaining years of my education and to get my Permanent Residency Card.
What do you think?

How will becoming a destitute student help you? It doesn't count as experience but is for you to save money to return to school. Plus you need to be approved as a destitute student.

 

[Buletruck]

Hello! So I am an international student and there have been some situations that have caused me to have my undergraduate degree extended by two years. The funds my family had for my initial education plan will not cover this new development. I have two part time jobs as a Caregiver for September and beyond and was wondering if I should apply for an open work permit and become a destitute student due to my situation. My goal is to raise enough money for the remaining years of my education and to get my Permanent Residency Card.
What do you think?

Good god......

 

[mj1997]

How will becoming a destitute student help you? It doesn't count as experience but is for you to save money to return to school. Plus you need to be approved as a destitute student.

I’m an international student in Canada who is facing genuine financial hardship. My situation became difficult after my sister had to prematurely liquidate a Fixed Deposit in India (where I was the nominee) to pay for my mother’s cancer treatment. Those funds were originally meant to support my living expenses in Canada, and after the FD was released for medical emergencies, I no longer have enough money to continue supporting myself.
I also struggle to find stable part-time work.
Can anyone advise whether I’m eligible to apply for a Destitute Student Open Work Permit, and what steps or documents I should prepare for the application? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

 

[canuck78]

I’m an international student in Canada who is facing genuine financial hardship. My situation became difficult after my sister had to prematurely liquidate a Fixed Deposit in India (where I was the nominee) to pay for my mother’s cancer treatment. Those funds were originally meant to support my living expenses in Canada, and after the FD was released for medical emergencies, I no longer have enough money to continue supporting myself.
I also struggle to find stable part-time work.
Can anyone advise whether I’m eligible to apply for a Destitute Student Open Work Permit, and what steps or documents I should prepare for the application? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

When did you start studying and how long do you have left in your studies? Have you been a full-time student throughout your studies? Are you up-to-date on your payments since you would be nearing the end of a semester. Will being able to work full-time actually allow you to return to full-time studies in a year for example? For most it won’t since you still have to live while saving to return back to school. A part-time job is never guaranteed so you can’t count on that income as a student.

 

[mj1997]

When did you start studying and how long do you have left in your studies? Have you been a full-time student throughout your studies? Are you up-to-date on your payments since you would be nearing the end of a semester. Will being able to work full-time actually allow you to return to full-time studies in a year for example? For most it won’t since you still have to live while saving to return back to school. A part-time job is never guaranteed so you can’t count on that income as a student.

I started in January 2025, and until now I’ve always been up to date with my payments. I’ve never had a part-time job, and now I have nothing left to cover my rent or tuition. I have eight more months left in the program. I’ve almost completed all my core courses, and I’ve remained a full-time student throughout.

 

[scylla]

I’m an international student in Canada who is facing genuine financial hardship. My situation became difficult after my sister had to prematurely liquidate a Fixed Deposit in India (where I was the nominee) to pay for my mother’s cancer treatment. Those funds were originally meant to support my living expenses in Canada, and after the FD was released for medical emergencies, I no longer have enough money to continue supporting myself.
I also struggle to find stable part-time work.
Can anyone advise whether I’m eligible to apply for a Destitute Student Open Work Permit, and what steps or documents I should prepare for the application? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

You can certainly try. You will want to include evidence of your mother's illness and I would also include an affidavit from your sibling stating that the money that was supposed to be used for your education had to be used to cover medical expenses. You would also want to provide bank account statements and hospital bills if you can. The more the better.

 

[mj1997]

You can certainly try. You will want to include evidence of your mother's illness and I would also include an affidavit from your sibling stating that the money that was supposed to be used for your education had to be used to cover medical expenses. You would also want to provide bank account statements and hospital bills if you can. The more the better.

How to apply?

 

[mj1997]

How to apply?

Also how long will it take to get this Open Work Permit?

 

[canuck78]

I started in January 2025, and until now I’ve always been up to date with my payments. I’ve never had a part-time job, and now I have nothing left to cover my rent or tuition. I have eight more months left in the program. I’ve almost completed all my core courses, and I’ve remained a full-time student throughout.

You should be working with your school. There is no specific timeline and also no guarantee you’ll be able to find employment.

 

[scylla]

How to apply?

You apply for an open work permit.

 

[Buletruck]

Also how long will it take to get this Open Work Permit?

Or, you could just go back home....really.

 

[abff08f4813c]

How will becoming a destitute student help you? It doesn't count as experience but is for you to save money to return to school.

I'm guessing that in cases like this, failing to finish school means leaving Canada, possibly for good. So becoming a destitute student allows folks like OP to save enough money to return to school and finish, and from there presumably get a PGWP and apply for PR after three years work experience.

It doesn't count as experience

That makes sense, and granted that it's hard to know how things will look five years from now (the two years schooling was extended by, assuming OP was otherwise graduating this year - plus the three on a PGWP), but I'm thinking that it's the actual finishing of school that helps get the OP to PR.

How to apply?

The advice from the other two members who answered this are both correct. https://www.settler.ca/english/destitute-students-canada/ gives a bit more detail - but basically you need to discuss this with your school first and with their support make the work permit application yourself (more-or-less same way a regular work permit application is made - see https://www.canada.ca/en/immigratio...p/services/work-canada/work-permit/apply.html for step by step instructions)

Also how long will it take to get this Open Work Permit?

I don't know if this would take longer than a more common type of work permit. Assuming it's all under the same bucket, then https://www.canada.ca/en/immigratio...vices/application/check-processing-times.html says 211 days (incidentally, that page only has "Work permit from inside Canada (initial and extension)" suggesting that IRCC at least considers them all under one bucket and doesn't track the processing times separately).

Or, you could just go back home....really.

So I don't quite have the full story of either OP here... I definitely agree that there are cases where this makes sense. An international student who runs out of funds can simply pause their students and go back and earn money in the home country, then reapply as a fresh international student once savings have been bulked up.

However, there's some risk - perhaps this takes so long that, for a significantly older student, it puts them at risk of hitting the age limit for PR.

Even if that's not a concern, keep in mind the new limits announced under https://www.canada.ca/en/immigratio...ocations-under-international-student-cap.html - so trying to finish studies under a current study permit might well be the right call.