Check status before taking leave, withdrawing, reducing courses, or changing institutions
A visa's printed expiry date is not the whole story. Work permission often depends on active study, the course type, and maintained status. Leave, withdrawal, dismissal, or a transfer gap can end or suspend permission. Confirm your particular rules before continuing to work or reducing your course load.
What it takes
Nothing to ask the school's international-student office before changing your studies.
What you may gain
Canada's official guidance prohibits off-campus work during an authorized leave and during a school change where the student is not studying, with work resuming only after the applicable study requirements are restored. US on-campus F-1 work generally requires active SEVIS status and maintenance of the required course load. SEVIS is the student and exchange-visitor information system; “Active” indicates the relevant record status. UK work permission depends on the course and sponsor conditions, with no work permission for part-time Student courses under the cited rule.
Context & considerations
Before dropping classes, ask what constitutes the required course load and whether an authorized exception is available. Academic dismissal or program termination may immediately affect status; seek advice promptly rather than assuming a later letter will preserve it. The original uses a blanket “all gaps mean no work” formulation. The actual analysis is country- and category-specific, including any authorized exceptions, so obtain guidance for the specific situation.
Research & references
IRCC. Work off campus as an international student. https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/study-canada/work/work-off-campus.html; DHS, Study in the States. Working in the United States. https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/students/work/working-in-the-united-states; UK Home Office. Immigration Rules Appendix Student, ST26.1. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-student