Canada Announced Changes to Open Work Permits for Family Members of Temporary Residents

Starting January 21, 2025, only spouses of certain international students and foreign workers will be able to apply for open work permits, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced.

The IRCC stated that foreign workers must also have at least 16 months remaining on their work permit when their spouse applies for the OWP and dependent children of foreign workers will no longer be eligible to obtain work permits.

In other words, family OWPs will be limited to spouses of international students enrolled in master’s programs that are 16 months or longer and doctoral programs.

What is an open work permit?

An open work permit lets you work for any employer, except for one that either

• is listed as ineligible on the list of employers who have failed to comply with the conditions, or
• regularly offers striptease, erotic dance, escort services or erotic massages

·       You can only get an open work permit in specific situations.

Open work permits are not job-specific, so your employer doesn’t need

• a labour market impact assessment from Employment and Social Development Canada
• proof that an employer has submitted an offer of employment through the Employer Portal and paid the employer compliance fee

The new policy is not retroactive, meaning all applications received before January 21, 2025, will be processed under the previous eligibility criteria.