Students > International students > Working in Canada > Applying for a Social Insurance Number (SIN)

Applying for a Social Insurance Number (SIN)

A social insurance number allows your employer to pay you a salary. It is also required for filing your tax returns.

Your SIN will remain valid until your study or work permit expires, or for a maximum of five years. It is also renewable.

To obtain or renew a SIN

You can get your SIN in two ways.

Online SIN application: it is quick and easy!

The application is processed within five days plus postal delivery.
You do not need to visit to a Service Canada Centre.
Visit the Government of Canada website to apply.

In person

Make an appointment by completing the eServices request.
Find a Service Canada Centre.

To find out which documents are required to apply for a SIN, check out Social Insurance Number: Required documents - Canada.ca.

We invite you to learn more about how your rights are protected: Temporary foreign workers: Your rights are protected - Canada.ca.

Conditions

To obtain a SIN, one of the following conditions must be mentioned in your study permit:

"May accept employment on or off campus if meeting eligibility criteria as per paragraph R186(f), (v) or (w) and must cease working if no longer meeting these criteria."
Off-campus employment: "May work 20 hours per week off campus or full time during regular breaks if meeting criteria outlined in paragraph 186(v) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations."
On-campus employment: “May accept employment on the campus of the university or college at which they are a full-time student.”

If your permit does not mention any of these conditions

FIRST SCENARIO

Your study permit states that

“This permit does not permit the holder to engage in off-campus employment in Canada.”

If there’s a change in your schooling:

Request a change of status for your study permit.
Pay the necessary fee.

SECOND SCENARIO

You’ve been following the criteria described in Article 186 of the IRPR, but your study permit does not mention the right to work.

You can apply to have your study permit modified.

Find more information on the Government of Canada website

Implied status and SIN renewal

Implied status means that you may continue working or studying under the conditions you were originally granted. They shall remain the same until a decision is made regarding your status. Afterward, you can get your SIN renewed. Learn more about SIN and the employer’s responsibilities.

Need more information?

Visit the Government of Canada website

Contact Zone Info

This online summary, dated February 27, 2019, holds no official standing. Changes may occur without notice. Quebec laws and regulations, as well as information emanating from the Quebec Ministry of Immigration, Diversity and Inclusion, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, take precedence over this document.