Open Work Permit Can Let Eligible People Work For Most Employers

Open work permit can allow an eligible foreign national to work for most employers in Canada without a job offer tied to one specific employer.

However, this permit is not available to everyone who wants to work in Canada.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada issues this type of authorization only in specific situations. Most people applying from outside Canada cannot apply for one.

What Is An Open Work Permit?

This permit is not limited to one named employer or one specific job.

While the permit is valid, the holder can generally change employers and jobs without applying for a new employer-specific work permit.

The employer generally does not need to obtain a Labour Market Impact Assessment, submit an offer of employment through the Employer Portal or pay the employer compliance fee for the worker.

This authorization still has an expiry date and may include conditions.

For example, a medical restriction may prevent the holder from working in certain occupations until the required medical examination is completed. Some permits can also restrict where the holder may work.

These permits do not authorize work for every employer. The permit generally excludes employers on IRCC’s non-compliant employer list and employers that regularly offer striptease, erotic dance, escort services or erotic massages.

A person should read all conditions printed on the permit before starting a new job.

Who Can Apply For An Open Work Permit?

Canada’s categories cover several groups, but each group has separate requirements.

• Eligible international students and graduates, including people applying for a post-graduation work permit.
• Eligible International Experience Canada applicants in the Working Holiday category.
• Some spouses or common-law partners of international students and foreign workers.
• Some family members of permanent residence applicants.
• People being sponsored in Canada as a spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner or accompanying dependent child, where the applicable requirements are met.
• Certain permanent residence applicants, including people who qualify for a bridging permit.
• Refugees, refugee claimants, protected persons and some family members.
• Temporary resident permit holders in qualifying situations.
• Workers experiencing abuse or a risk of abuse in connection with an employer-specific job.
• Other groups identified in Canada’s immigration rules, including certain Indigenous persons and Quebec investors.

Eligibility depends on the applicant’s immigration status, location, family relationship, program and supporting documents.

Being in Canada does not automatically create eligibility for this authorization.

Open Work Permits For International Students And Graduates

The most widely known option for graduates is the post-graduation work permit.

A graduate may qualify if they completed an eligible program at a post-graduation-work-permit-eligible designated learning institution, maintained the required student status and apply within 180 days after receiving confirmation that the program was completed.

The program generally must have been at least eight months long, or at least 900 hours for certain Quebec programs, and must meet the other PGWP requirements.

For many applicants, current PGWP rules also require proof of English or French language ability. Some graduates must also meet field-of-study requirements, depending on their program and when they submitted their study permit application.

Graduates of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs do not generally face the field-of-study requirement, although other PGWP requirements still apply.

Graduating from a designated learning institution does not by itself guarantee a post-graduation work permit. Applicants should confirm that both the institution and the specific program are eligible.

Other students may qualify for this authorization in limited situations, such as when they can no longer meet the cost of their studies.

Spousal Open Work Permit Rules

A spouse or common-law partner may qualify through the principal applicant’s study or work authorization, but the current rules are narrower than the former broad family-work-permit system.

For spouses of international students, eligibility generally depends on the student being enrolled in a qualifying master’s program of at least 16 months, a doctoral program, or a select professional or other eligible program.

For spouses of foreign workers who are not covered by a qualifying permanent-residence pathway or another special measure, the principal worker generally must be employed in a TEER 0 or 1 occupation or a selected TEER 2 or 3 occupation. The worker’s authorization must generally remain valid for at least 16 months after IRCC receives the spouse’s application.

Exceptions and additional measures apply to some workers on pathways to permanent residence, workers covered by certain free-trade agreements, foreign-trained health-care professionals recruited by Quebec and workers on certain significant investment projects in British Columbia.

Dependent children are generally no longer eligible under the standard family-member measure for spouses of high-skilled foreign workers, but family members may qualify under separate permanent-residence pathways or other programs.

Applicants should use IRCC’s current eligibility instructions rather than assume that a spouse’s study permit or work permit is sufficient.

Bridging Open Work Permit For Permanent Residence Applicants

A bridging permit can help an eligible permanent residence applicant continue working in Canada while IRCC processes the permanent residence application.

The permit is not available merely because a person created an Express Entry profile or expects to receive an invitation to apply.

For many Express Entry applicants, the person must have submitted a complete permanent residence application, passed the completeness check and received an acknowledgement of receipt.

The applicant must also generally be the principal applicant, live in Canada when applying, hold valid status or meet the requirements to restore status, and meet the other program-specific conditions.

Provincial nominee applicants and applicants under other permanent residence programs may qualify under separate instructions.

A person whose permit is expiring should not wait for an invitation to apply before reviewing extension options.

If the person is not yet eligible for a bridging permit, the existing employer may need a new Labour Market Impact Assessment, a new offer of employment or another authorization to support a different work permit.

Open Work Permit For Vulnerable Workers

A worker with an employer-specific work permit who is being abused or is at risk of abuse in relation to their job may qualify for a special permit for vulnerable workers.

This measure is intended to help the worker leave the abusive employment situation and look for another job in Canada.

Applicants should provide a clear explanation of the situation and supporting evidence where available.

Evidence may include a report or letter from an abuse-support organization or health professional, an affidavit, an official complaint, pay records, messages, photographs or witness information.

The application must generally be submitted online, and there is no fee for this vulnerable-worker permit.

This permit is temporary and cannot be renewed. An approved worker must apply for another work permit before it expires if they want to continue working in Canada.

Workers facing immediate danger should contact emergency services or a local support organization before dealing with immigration paperwork.

Who Usually Cannot Apply For An Open Work Permit?

Most people outside Canada cannot apply for this authorization unless they fall within a category that allows an overseas application.

A visitor in Canada also does not automatically qualify.

Temporary public policies that once allowed some visitors to apply for work permits from inside Canada should not be assumed to remain available.

People who have a job offer but do not qualify under an eligible category may need an employer-specific work permit instead.

An employer-specific permit can require an LMIA or an LMIA-exempt offer of employment, depending on the program.

How To Apply For An Open Work Permit

1. Identify the specific category that may apply.
2. Review the eligibility requirements and document checklist for that category.
3. Confirm whether the application must be made from inside Canada, outside Canada or, where permitted, at a port of entry.
4. Complete the online questionnaire and select the correct permit type.
5. Upload proof of status, identity, relationship, study, work or permanent residence application information as required.
6. Pay the work permit processing fee and, where required, the holder fee.
7. Provide biometrics or complete a medical examination if IRCC requires them.
8. Monitor the application account and respond to any request for additional information.

The required documents vary considerably between a PGWP, spousal permit, bridging permit and vulnerable-worker permit.

Using the wrong application stream can result in a missing-document request or refusal.

Open Work Permit Fees And Conditions

Most applicants must pay the regular work permit processing fee and the $100 holder fee. Some categories, including the vulnerable-worker permit, have different fee rules.

Applicants should verify the current fee amount on IRCC’s official fee page immediately before submitting an application.

The passport expiry date can limit the length of the permit.

Applicants should also check whether medical, provincial, occupation or location restrictions will appear on the document.

Maintained Status And Open Work Permit Extensions

A person who applies to extend or change a work permit before it expires can generally remain in Canada while IRCC processes the application.

If the application is for another work permit and the original permit expires during processing, the person may be authorized to keep working under the same conditions until a decision is made.

A holder who has maintained status can generally continue changing employers and jobs, provided the person remains in Canada and continues to respect the conditions of the original permit.

The application must be received before the existing permit expires for maintained status to apply.

Applicants should apply early and keep proof that the application was submitted.

International travel requires caution. If a renewal application is still being processed when the person returns to Canada, they may be admitted as a visitor and generally cannot work until the new work permit is approved.

Maintained status does not automatically extend provincial documents such as a health card or driver’s licence.

Key Points For Applicants

• This authorization is not a general work authorization available to every foreign national.
• Most applicants need to qualify through a specific immigration, family, study, permanent residence or vulnerable-worker category.
• A job offer is usually not required, but the applicant must still meet the category’s requirements.
• Permit holders may face medical, occupation, location and expiry-date restrictions.
• Family permit rules depend heavily on the principal applicant’s program, occupation, permanent-residence pathway and remaining authorization.
• Applying before expiry may preserve status and work authorization under the same conditions while an extension is processed.

Because permit rules differ by category, applicants should use the official IRCC questionnaire and program instructions for their exact situation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Fact-Checked: Checked against current IRCC and Canada.ca open work permit, family-member, PGWP, bridging-permit, vulnerable-worker and extension guidance.

Disclaimer: This article provides general information and is not a substitute for individualized immigration advice.