Canada | Changes to open work permits

The Canadian government announced changes to open work permits (OWP) for family members of temporary residents.

Key Points:

• As BAL initially reported, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada originally announced their intention to change OWP eligibility for family members of international students and foreign workers in September 2024.
• Effective Jan. 21, only spouses of certain international students and foreign workers will be able to apply for a family OWP as part of the broader measures announced last year.
• In addition, the foreign worker must also have at least 16 months remaining on their work permit at the time when their spouse applies for the OWP.
• Dependent children of foreign workers will no longer be eligible to obtain work permits.

Additional Information: Family OWPs will be limited to spouses of international students who are enrolled in master’s programs that are 16 months or longer, doctoral programs or select professional and eligible programs. In addition, family OWPs will also be limited to spouses of foreign workers who are employed in TEER 0 or 1 occupations, or select TEER 2 or 3 occupations in sectors with labor shortages or linked to government priorities. OWPs that were approved under the previous measures and have not expired will remain valid, and spouses of workers covered by free-trade agreements and those transitioning to permanent residence will not be impacted by these changes. The Canadian government continues to implement updates to policies concerning international students and temporary workers to recalibrate the number of temporary resident arrivals.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

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