Minister Carla Qualtrough on Sver Wala Show/ Connect News

International students are not currently eligible for the newly announced Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB), according to Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough, who spoke in an exclusive interview on Connect FM’s Sver Wala Show.

Qualtrough confirmed international students can work up to 40 hours per week until the end of August – a temporary relaxation of the 20-hour cap normally in place during the school year. She noted, however, that the legislation for CESB is still being finalized and did not rule out the possibility that eligibility rules could change before it passes Parliament. “We hope to have the legislation in place by mid-May,” she said.

The announcement has drawn mixed reaction in Surrey, home to thousands of international students. Amandeep Kaur, a business student at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, told Connect Newsroom she feels left out of the federal support system. “We pay tuition and rent here, but when it comes to emergency help, we are invisible. The extra work hours help, but jobs are hard to find in a pandemic.”

Policy analysts say the issue highlights the broader debate about how temporary residents are treated in Canada’s social safety net. Parliament is expected to debate amendments to CESB over the coming weeks, with opposition MPs pressing for more inclusive eligibility rules.