As a student visa holder, maintaining the work-hour limit is extremely important.
Unfortunately, not every student grasps just how important it is.
Some end up working more than the allowed hours, and as you’d expect, it never ends well.
Here’s what will happen to you if you work more than 20 hours.
What happens if a student works more than 20 hours?
When you work more than 20 hours a week during term time, you’re breaking the rules of your student visa.
If you get caught, your visa will be cancelled, and you’ll lose your student status.
This means you no longer have legal permission to stay in the country for academic purposes.
Therefore, you’ll be asked to leave the country and possibly be banned from returning.
Without a valid student visa, you won’t be able to continue your studies or stay in the country legally.
Read also: How do authorities find out that you worked over 20 hours per week?
It’s a non-negotiable rule!
Why the 20-hour work rule exists?
The 20-hour-per-week work rule does not exist to hurt students or prevent them from making money.
On the contrary, the rule exists to protect the students.
Most countries limit student’s work hours to ensure that students prioritize their studies over work.
The rule is there to protect you from losing focus on the main reason why you’re in school – to study.
Therefore, the rule tries to :
- Ensure that your studies come first.
- Protect local labour markets by limiting competition for jobs.
- Maintain a work-life balance for students by ensuring that you don’t overwork.
This is why when you violate this rule, it is taken seriously – the consequences are heavy.
Consequences of working more than 20 hours on a student visa
Whether you accidentally or intentionally worked more than 20 hours, the authorities don’t care, you’ll face:
- Immediate visa cancellation: For me, this is the most severe consequence of working more than 20 hours. Immigration authorities take visa compliance seriously. When you’re caught working more than 20 hours, your student visa will be cancelled. This would mean you have to leave the country, often with little to no notice.
- Ban on future visa application: If you don’t want to face all kinds of scrutiny when you apply for a visa, avoid violating your visa conditions which working more than 20 hours is one. If your visa is cancelled due to non-compliance, it will negatively affect your future visa applications.
- Deportation: In some cases, working more than the allowed hours will get you deported. It has happened several times and it won’t stop happening as long as students keep working more than the allowed hours. If you’re caught, you’ll be asked to leave the country willingly. If you don’t leave, you’ll be deported. Don’t be that student deported for working more than 20 hours!
- Fine: Depending on the country, you can be fined for the money you made working extra hours.
- Your studies will be terminated: When your visa is cancelled because you’re caught working 20 hours, you have to abandon your studies and go back to your country. You’ll lose paid tuition fees, and other expenses you already made.
Furthermore, countries share immigration data, and a record of visa cancellation (due to working more than the allowed hours) is not good if you wish to travel around the world in the future.
Moreover, even if you’re not caught, working too many hours will affect your academic performance.
Read also: How long can an F1 student stay in the USA without attending school?
Managing academic activities and working 20 hours is already challenging; exceeding this often means less time and energy for your studies.
What if I accidentally worked more than 20 hours?
If you accidentally worked more than 20 hours, you must take action immediately.
Inform your employer about it and make sure you do not work more than 20 hours again to avoid further complications.
If it is a one-off thing and for a few hours, you’ll be fine.
In this case, you don’t have to report yourself to the authorities because it won’t be a big issue as long as you do not repeat it.
However, if you want to make things right, you should report the excessive hours to the authorities (your institution’s student office), and they’ll counsel you on the best way to handle it.
Read also: Which countries can I visit with a Canadian student visa?
Do not forget that; the immigration authorities do not care whether you worked more than 20 hours by accident or if it’s intentional, you’ll face the consequences when caught.
If you accidentally work more than 20 hours, you’ll face the same consequences as any student who intentionally worked more than 20 hours.
During one of my programs, a mate mentioned that he accidentally worked more than 20 hours in the UK.
When he found out, he reached out to his employer and informed him about the issue.
Being that he was just 3 hours over the allowed time, he only took immediate correction and kept close eyes to his working hours.
Read also: How much bank balance is required for a Canada student visa?
He also later reported himself to his university’s student office and they advised him on ways to avoid repeating what happened.
In some cases, voluntary disclosure will result in a warning rather than immediate visa cancellation or deportation.
Can a student be deported for working more than 20 hours?
Yes, a student can be deported for working more than 20 hours a week while on a student visa.
As I already said, the 20-hour week work limit is an important immigration rule and countries take its violation extremely seriously.
Students have been deported in the past for violating this rule and many more will be deported as long as its violation keeps going on.
Read also: How to cancel a Canadian student visa
The only time you’re allowed to work full-time or more than 20 hours a week as a student, is during scheduled breaks like winter or summer.
If you’re caught exceeding the 20-hour limit during the academic term, it’s against your visa terms and you can be deported.
During my program in the UK, I witnessed a student deported for working more than the allowed hours – that’s how serious the authorities are with this rule.
Read also: What happens if an international student fails a class in Canada?
And, the UK is not alone in this.
Other countries like Canada, Australia, the USA, Germany and many others have this rule and they follow it to the letter.
In addition to my experience in the UK, during a program I did in Canada, it was also a topic in one of our orientation programs.
Working more than the allowed hours is a big deal in many countries – take note of that!
Aside from warning us about the possibility of losing our student status and being deported if we worked more than 20 hours a week, the speaker (during our orientation in Canada) shared his experience with us.
He told us about a student who had it hard with the authorities for the same issue.
In addition to this, years back, an X user shared the news of a student deported for working more than 20 hours.
According to what he shared on his X (Twitter) handle, the student’s visa was cancelled, rendering him out of status and therefore, was deported.
See the picture below.
You can read more about the issue on gistreel.com.
There is evidence of students being deported for working more than the allowed hours everywhere.
And, if you’re a student, ensure you do not add your name to this list – by sticking to the allowed hours.
Deportation is not the only consequence you face when you’re caught working more than 20 hours.
It just happens to be the one many students consider extreme but, it’s not the only repercussion.
Tips to avoid working more than 20 hours
To avoid working more than 20 hours:
- Track your hours: There are many apps you can use to track your working hours. With tracking apps, you can log and check how many hours you work weekly. When I was working as a student, I used Clockify to track my working hours – and it worked fine.
- Inform your employers about your allowed work hours: I did this during my time and it worked very well for me. It should work for you. An employer can help you track your work hours but that’s if they’re aware that you’re not allowed to work more than 20 hours per week. Even though most employers who hire international students are aware of their limited work hours when you get a job, inform your employer about work hours – do not assume that your employer is aware.
- There is no excuse to work more than allowed: Many students who work more than 20 hours path their back with excuses like financial pressure. It’s understandable but it’s not an excuse, the law does not justify it. Instead of using financial pressure as an excuse, go for financial aid programs like scholarships, grants, or student loans.
As a student, it’s your responsibility to ensure you obey your visa terms.
Another X user also shared his experience about a student who was deported for working more than 20 hours.
According to the user, it happened severally during a busy period at the student’s part-time job.
Read also: How to report a student working more than 20 hours.
He lost track of his working hours amidst the hustle and the authorities received a tip-off.
They conducted an investigation, leading to the student’s immediate visa cancellation and subsequent deportation.
Every visa has its terms and as a bearer, you “must” obey these terms.
Don’t wait until it’s too late.
Is it illegal to work more than 20 hours a week as a student?
Of course, it is illegal for a student to work more than 20 hours per week during the academic term if the country’s allowed work hours are 20 hours per week.
You’re allowed to work full-time during breaks but during academic terms, ensure you keep the limited work hours.
While the opportunity to work while studying is great, always follow the rules.
Do not work more than 20 hours!
Many students have been deported for this and the authorities won’t hesitate to add your name to the list if you get caught.
Of course, you’ll be caught!
When caught, your visa will be cancelled and you’ll be asked to leave the country willingly or be deported.