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Open Work Permits for Canada

Under Canadian Immigration provisions, the spouses or common-law partners of foreign nationals in Canada can apply for an open work permit if they want to come and work in Canada.

An open work permit is not a job-specific or employer-specific permit and doesn’t require obtaining an employment letter. Hence, the holder can work for any Canadian employer.

In accordance with the general policy, common-law partners of international students, workers, may apply for an open work permit if he/she meets the requirement along with the principal applicant.

Eligibility conditions for the skilled worker for the grant of open work permit to their partners-

Must hold a work permit valid for at least six (6) months
Must be employed in a job corresponding to Skill Level 0, A or B of the National Occupational Classification (NOC)
Must reside or expect to reside in Canada while being employed

In the case of an international student, he/she must:

has a valid study permit and be a full-time student at one of these types of school:

a public post-secondary school, such as a college or university, or CEGEP in Quebec
a Canadian private school that can grant degrees, such as Bachelors, Masters or Doctorate, under provincial law
a private college-level school in Quebec

meets the requirements of the PGWP program to get an open work permit for his/her spouse.

However, it must be noted that:

spouse of an international student cannot be a full-time student through this permit
open permits have their validity dates that usually matches with the time period that their spouse is permitted to study or work in Canada.