You’ve just arrived in Canada with a student or tourist visa. You want to volunteer with an organization so that you can meet new people. But is that legal?
In Canada, tourists and international students aren’t always allowed to volunteer for a good cause. Even if you don’t make any money, certain volunteer positions aren’t open to you if you’re visiting the country without a work permit.
Not just a question of money
It’s true that volunteers don’t receive any pay or commission. But this isn’t the only factor taken into consideration when deciding whether a position is open to tourists and foreign students. If it was just about money, it would be legal for tourists to work for Canadian businesses for free. That’s not the case.
Volunteering can’t be the main reason you’re coming to Canada from another country. You can sometimes volunteer part-time, but only if it doesn’t get in the way of your studies or sightseeing adventures.
Creating competition isn’t allowed
By limiting volunteer positions for people who don’t have Canadian citizenship or permanent residence, Canadian laws are trying to make sure that the domestic job market doesn’t face too much competition. Something like an unpaid internship can compete with the job market if it could have been a good opportunity for a Canadian. For example, a volunteer position with a non-governmental organization could be filled by someone working in Canada, and this experience could be a good addition to their resume. All that being said, international students can take certain volunteer positions that Canadians would also do for free. The bottom line is that these volunteer positions can’t compete with the Canadian job market.
Also, tourists and international students can only take volunteering opportunities that don’t require a work permit. Here are some examples:
- Helping a family member or friend for free.
- Working for free on a family farm in exchange for housing for four weeks or less.
- Volunteering to mentor a young person through a “big brother” or “big sister” organization.
More flexibility for student visas
People with a student visa have a couple more options than tourists, even without a work permit. Someone with a student visa can volunteer on their college or university campus. They must be a full-time student at the college or university, and they can only volunteer for the length of their student visa.
International students whose studies are related to health care can also do their internship or practicum in Canada without a work permit. The purpose must be to gain training. The professional organization supervising the student must provide their written approval.