Entry Canada News
- Juliana Dueck
- Jan 17
- 2 min read
Open Work Permit News
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced that starting on January 21, 2025, the open work permit eligibility for family members of international students and foreign workers will change. This will not affect spouses of workers covered by free-trade agreements and those transitioning to permanent residence.
Extensions of existing open work permits will not be affected, as long as the applicant is applying under the same criteria as their current work permit.
Spouses of international students will be allowed to work with an open work permit (OWP) when the student is studying in one of the following programs:
master’s programs that are 16 months or longer
doctoral programs
select professional and eligible programs
Spouses of foreign workers will be allowed to work with an open work permit (OWP) when the foreign worker is employed in one of the following occupations:
TEER 0 or 1 occupations
TEER 2 or 3 occupations – only selected occupations that are linked to labour shortages or government priorities - natural and applied sciences, construction, health care, natural resources, education, sports and military sectors. The full list will be available on January 21, 2025.
The foreign worker must also have at least 16 months remaining on their work permit at the time that their spouse applies for the OWP.
Dependent children of foreign workers will no longer be eligible to apply for an open work permit.
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Juliana Dueck is a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant and owner of Entry Canada Immigration Consulting Inc. since 2014.
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