AI agents for business finance: what they can and can't do
What AI agents can do in bookkeeping, close, collections and compliance today, where a person must stay in charge, and how to judge a product.
The short answer
Yes, within limits. IRCC lets eligible students work off campus without a work permit for up to 24 hours a week during regular terms and unlimited hours in scheduled breaks, and its page states that self-employed students must keep track of their own off-campus hours, counting time spent earning, being paid for a service or product, or collecting commissions. Running a business beyond those hours, or while not meeting the eligibility conditions, puts your status at risk.
Many Nigerian students in Canada already run something on the side: braiding hair from home, selling Ankara pieces on Instagram, building websites for clients in Lagos. The question is not whether business is allowed in the abstract but whether the work you do fits the conditions printed on your study permit. IRCC treats self-employment as work, so the same off-campus rules that cover a part-time job at a supermarket cover your own venture.
The off-campus work conditions
IRCC's page on working off campus (modified 15 April 2026) says you can work off campus without a work permit only if you meet all of these requirements:
- You are a full-time student at a designated learning institution (DLI).
- Your programme lasts at least six months and leads to a degree, diploma or certificate.
- You hold a valid study permit.
- Your study permit carries conditions that allow off-campus work.
- You have a social insurance number (SIN).
If any one of these fails, for example you drop to part-time study outside a permitted final term, or you are in a language course that does not lead to a credential, you cannot rely on this authorisation at all, for a job or for your own business.
The hours cap and self-employment
During regular academic sessions the limit is 24 hours a week, and you may combine several jobs to reach it. IRCC notes that a permit printed with a 20-hour condition still allows 24 hours as long as you meet the eligibility requirements. During scheduled breaks set by your school, such as summer or winter holidays, hours are unlimited. Programmes without scheduled breaks stay at 24 hours.
For a self-employed student, IRCC places the record-keeping on you. Its page says you are responsible for tracking the hours you work off campus, and that those hours include:
- time spent earning wages,
- time spent being paid for a service or a product,
- time spent collecting commissions.
In practice that means a timesheet for the business: when you were braiding, delivering, meeting a client or doing paid design work. Keep it weekly, alongside your invoices, so the hours and the income tell the same story if you are ever asked.
What the rules do not say
IRCC's page does not give further guidance on running a business. It does not, for instance, say how it treats time spent on unpaid preparation, owning shares in a company you do not work in, or registering a corporation. Do not read silence as permission. If your plan goes beyond paid hours you can count, take advice from your school's international student office or a licensed immigration consultant or lawyer before you start.
Worked example: a week in October
Example only. Ifeoma studies full time at a DLI in Ottawa on a two-year diploma, has a SIN and a permit that allows off-campus work. She runs a small cake business from a shared kitchen she rents by the hour.
| Activity in the week | Hours she logs |
|---|---|
| Baking and decorating paid orders | 10 |
| Delivering cakes and taking payment | 4 |
| Saturday shift at a pharmacy | 8 |
| Total off-campus work | 22 |
She is under the 24-hour cap for a regular-term week. Over the December break she can take more orders without the weekly limit, then returns to 24 hours when classes resume. If her orders double in term time, she has to turn work down or take on help; the cap does not stretch because the work is her own.
Registering the business
Working within your hours is one question; registering the business is another. Each province sets its own rules for sole traders. In Quebec, for example, a sole proprietor trading under a name that does not include their own first name and family name must register within 60 days of starting activities, according to Québec.ca (updated 30 March 2026). A corporation is formed federally or provincially. See registering a sole proprietorship in Ontario and federal or provincial incorporation. If you graduate and move to a work permit, the position changes again; our guide on running your own business on a work permit covers that.
What to check first
- Read the conditions printed on your study permit.
- Confirm you meet every off-campus eligibility condition this term.
- Start a weekly hours log that counts all paid business time.
- Diary your school's scheduled breaks, when the cap lifts.
- Ask your international student office before forming a company or hiring.
Where Pryme fits
Many student sellers get paid by family or customers in Nigeria. A Pryme Personal Account, opened from any country, holds naira alongside USD, GBP and EUR, and Swap converts only when you choose, showing the rate and fee before you approve. Outside Nigeria these services are provided through regulated partners. See multicurrency accounts.
Questions people ask
Can I do self-employment on a study permit in Canada?
IRCC's page allows off-campus work, including self-employment, if you meet all eligibility conditions, within 24 hours a week in regular terms. You track your own hours.
Do Instagram sales count toward my 24 hours?
IRCC counts time spent being paid for a service or a product, so time spent making, selling and delivering paid orders should be logged.
Can I work unlimited hours in summer as a student?
During scheduled breaks set by your school, IRCC says you can work unlimited hours off campus, if you are eligible to work off campus.
Can an international student register a company in Canada?
IRCC's off-campus page does not address it. Get advice from your school's international office or a licensed adviser before incorporating.
Sources
- IRCC: Work off campus as an international student (modified 15 Apr 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- Québec.ca: Immatriculer une personne physique exploitant une entreprise individuelle (updated 30 Mar 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.