The government of Canada announced on January 14, 2025, that it will be restricting Open Work Permit (OWP) eligibility for dependents of foreign workers.
As of January 21, 2025, dependent OWPs will 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 labour shortages or linked to government priorities
- These include occupations in the natural and applied sciences, construction, health care, natural resources, education, sports and military sectors. The full list will be available on January 21, 2025.
Key Changes
- The principal foreign national must have 16 months remaining on their work permit at the time of application, or if applying together, the principal foreign national will be assessed first and must be issued a work permit 16+ in duration.
- Dependent children will no longer be eligible.
- Spouses of workers covered by free-trade agreements and those transitioning to permanent residence will not be impacted by these changes.
- OWPs that have already been approved and not expired remain valid.
- Applications received before January 21, 2025, will be processed under previous eligibility criteria.
- From information published to date, it appears that the new eligibility criteria will apply to principal applicant extension applications, meaning that some spouses who were issued OWPs in the past will no longer be eligible for them on extension.
With regards to OWP eligibility for spouses of students, these changes were previously announced and 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
Erickson Insights & Analysis
Erickson Immigration Group will continue to monitor developments and share updates as more news is available. Please contact your employer or EIG attorney if you have questions about anything we’re reporting above or case-specific questions.