Are unpaid internships legal in Canada?

It depends on the jurisdiction. Federally regulated employers can only offer unpaid internships to students whose placement fulfils an educational program requirement. Ontario exempts work done under approved Ontario college or university programs, and B.C. treats a curriculum-required practicum as outside its Act. Otherwise, interns doing real work are generally employees.

Does an Ontario employer have to pay an intern?

Usually yes, unless the work is part of a program approved by an Ontario college, university or registered private career college. Ontario says that being called an intern or trainee does not decide whether someone is an employee.

Can international students do internships in Canada?

Yes, if the internship fits their permit. A post-secondary internship required by the program is a student work placement and, since April 1, 2026, needs a school letter rather than a co-op work permit. An optional internship must fit the off-campus work conditions, including the 24-hour weekly limit during classes.

Does an unpaid internship count as Canadian work experience for PR?

Not for the Canadian Experience Class: the work must be paid, and volunteer work and unpaid internships don't count.

Can a federally regulated employer pay a student intern a stipend?

Yes. Employers may choose to pay a stipend, allowance or expenses, but the Canada Labour Code does not require it for student interns. If you are paid wages for work and meet the criteria of an employee, you are an employee.

Internships · Paid vs unpaid rules

Internships in Canada: Paid vs Unpaid Rules and How to Get One

Short answer

Whether an internship must be paid depends on who regulates the employer and on whether it's part of a school program. In federally regulated workplaces, unpaid internships are allowed only for students whose placement fulfils an educational program requirement. Ontario exempts work done under an approved Ontario college or university program, but says the label "intern" doesn't decide whether someone must be paid. B.C. treats a curriculum-required practicum as outside its Act, while an intern who does work is generally an employee. For international students, an internship is work, so it must also fit your permit. Checked October 2026.

Federal unpaid internships: Students only; Must be part of an educational program
Ontario: Program exemption; Approved Ontario college/university programs
B.C.: Practicum ≠ work; Interns doing work are usually employees
Required placements: No co-op permit; Post-secondary, since April 1, 2026

Who this is for: Students and recent graduates — including international students — weighing an internship offer, and anyone asked to work for free "for experience".

Paid or unpaid? Who sets the rules

Internship pay rules at a glance (official sources, checked October 2026)
Where you work	Unpaid allowed when…	Otherwise
Federally regulated employer (banks, airlines, telecoms, interprovincial transport)	You're a student intern and the placement fulfils an educational program requirement	Interns are employees with full labour-standards protections
Ontario	The work is part of a program approved by an Ontario college, university or registered private career college (or a school-board work-experience program)	Being called an intern or trainee doesn't decide it — trainees are generally employees
British Columbia	It's a practicum required by a post-secondary curriculum	An intern whose duties are "work" is generally an employee
Other provinces and territories	Check the local employment-standards office	Links on each province page

Sources: Labour Program: Federal labour standards for interns and student interns; Ontario: Your guide to the ESA — employee status (interns and trainees); Ontario: ESA policy and interpretation manual — how the Act applies; B.C. Employment Standards: definitions (practicum vs internship) — checked October 2026.

Federally regulated employers (Canada Labour Code)

A student intern is enrolled at a secondary or post-secondary institution or vocational school (including equivalent institutions outside Canada) and has an internship agreement from the institution. A student intern may be unpaid.
Unpaid student interns still get protections such as hours limits, breaks, rest periods and advance notice of schedules. If you also do paid work for the same employer, the combined total can't exceed 10 hours a day or 48 hours a week.
An employer may choose to pay a stipend, allowance or expenses — it isn't required for student interns.
If you're paid wages for work and meet the criteria of an employee, you're an employee, not a student intern.

Source: Labour Program: Federal labour standards for interns and student interns — checked October 2026.

Ontario

Work done under a program approved by an Ontario college of applied arts and technology, an Ontario university or a registered private career college is exempt from the Employment Standards Act for that work.
Ontario's policy manual says this exemption doesn't cover programs of institutions outside Ontario.
Calling someone an "intern" or "trainee" doesn't decide whether they're an employee; a trainee who is trained in a skill the employer's employees use is generally an employee.
Employers can't misclassify employees as interns, volunteers or contractors.

Sources: Ontario: Your guide to the ESA — employee status (interns and trainees); Ontario: ESA policy and interpretation manual — how the Act applies — checked October 2026.

British Columbia

B.C.'s Employment Standards Branch defines a practicum as hands-on training required by a post-secondary curriculum and says it isn't "work" under the Act. An internship is on-the-job training; if the intern's duties fall within the Act's definition of work, the intern is an employee.

Source: B.C. Employment Standards: definitions (practicum vs internship) — checked October 2026.

International students: is your internship allowed?

Required by your program (post-secondary): it's a student work placement. Since April 1, 2026 you don't need a co-op work permit — you need a school letter confirming the requirement. See the co-op guide.
Not required by your program: it doesn't qualify as a student work placement. Check whether it fits your off-campus work conditions, including the 24-hour weekly limit during classes, before you accept.
After graduation: an internship on a PGWP is ordinary work — but unpaid internships don't count toward the Canadian Experience Class.

When in doubt, ask your school's international student advisor — many schools have a Regulated International Student Immigration Advisor (RISIA) — or a licensed immigration consultant (RCIC) before you start.

Sources: IRCC: Work in a student work placement (co-op or internship); IRCC notice: Simplifying the co-op work permit requirement for post-secondary students; IRCC: Work off campus as an international student; IRCC: Express Entry — Canadian Experience Class; IRCC: Learn about immigration representatives — checked October 2026.

How to find a paid internship

Practical advice, not a rule:

Start with your school's career or co-op office — it screens employers and knows which roles fit your permit.
Search "intern", "student" and "summer student" on Job Bank (opens in a new tab) and on company career pages; set alerts for 3–5 target employers.
Use a one-page resume with a projects section — the resume builder for students and the ATS resume checker help.
Send a short, specific cover letter — the cover letter generator drafts one in Canadian format.
Before you accept, ask in writing: is it paid, how many hours a week, and is it part of my program?