Who can get an open work permit as the spouse of an international student?

If you are the spouse or common-law partner of an international student, you may be eligible for an open work permit (OWP).

This open work permit authorizes you to work for most employers for most industries in Canada. It can be issued with a validity period up to the expiry of your partner’s study permit.

Schedule a Free Spousal Work Permit Consultation with the Cohen Immigration Law Firm

You may be eligible for an OWP if your spouse or common-law partner is an international student enrolled in one of the following programs:

• A doctoral program.
• A master’s program of 16 months or longer.
• An eligible professional program:
  • Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS, DMD).
  • Bachelor of Law or Juris Doctor (LLB, JD, BCL).
  • Doctor of Medicine (MD).
  • Doctor of Optometry (OD).
  • Pharmacy (PharmD, BS, BSc, BPharm).
  • Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM).
  • Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN, BSN).
  • Bachelor of Nursing Science (BNSc).
  • Bachelor of Nursing (BN).
  • Bachelor of Education (BEd).
  • Bachelor of Engineering (BEng, BE, BASc).

In addition to the above, spouses of international students must be medically and criminally admissible to Canada.

Note that work permits for spouses of international students cannot be issued for longer than the duration of the student's study permit. Spousal work permits cannot be extended if the student is in their last semester of study.

You count as a spouse as soon as you’ve been legally married anywhere in the world. If you haven’t been legally married, you qualify as common law if you’ve been living together in a conjugal relationship for at least 12 months, with minimal and temporary time spent apart from one another.

Additional eligible programs

Lastly, spouses and partners of certain international students in eligible programs may qualify for an OWP, provided that the student is studying in one of the following programs, and the spouse applies after the relevant eligibility period begins:

Program name	Province or territory	Eligibility period
Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot (FMCSP)	Outside Quebec	From August 26, 2024
Le projet de reconnaissance des compétences d’infirmières et d’infirmiers recrutés à l’international	Quebec	From April 30, 2024
Projet de reconnaissance des compétences d’inhalothérapeutes formés à l’étranger	Quebec	From January 21, 2025
Projet de recrutement et reconnaissance des compétences de technologistes médicaux formés à l’étranger	Quebec	From January 21, 2025
Supervised Practice Experience Partnership	Ontario	From January 21, 2025
Nurse Re-Entry (Red River College Polytechnic)	Manitoba	From January 21, 2025
Internationally Educated Midwives Bridging Program (The University of British Columbia)	British Columbia	From January 21, 2025
Canadian Pharmacy Practice Program (CP3) (The University of British Columbia)	British Columbia	From January 21, 2025
Post-Degree Diploma: Nursing Practice in Canada (Langara College)	British Columbia	From January 21, 2025

How to apply

To apply for a work permit as the spouse of an international student, you can

• Read the instruction guide before completing an application, to know how to answer each field of the application form;
• Use IRCC's tool to create a personalized document checklist:
  • Note that technical issues require that some questions within the tool be answered in a specific manner;
• Create an account through IRCC’s portal, or sign in to an existing account;
• Pay the associated fees and apply online:
  • You can use this webpage to get an idea of what fees you may need to pay.

To apply for an OWP, the spouse or common-law partner must provide proof that the international student they are married to or partnered with is enrolled in a study program that leads to a degree. These documents include

• Proof of full-time enrollment at an eligible school, such as
  • A letter of enrollment from the student’s Designated Learning Institution (DLI); or
  • Transcripts from the student's current study program; and
• A copy of the student’s study permit.

Extending a work permit

A spouse or common-law partner of an international student may qualify to extend their current open work permit under this stream if the following conditions are met:

• The student holds a valid study permit;
• The student is physically present in Canada, or will be physically present in Canada while studying;
• The student is enrolled full-time in a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP)-eligible program at a DLI; and
• The student is not in the final term of their program of study.

Schedule a Free Spousal Work Permit Consultation with the Cohen Immigration Law Firm