As far as I know, you do not need AOR to apply for a spousal open work permit. If the principal applicant has a work permit, their spouse can apply for an Open work permit. Please see the following links for more information:Hi Everyone,
Please, after the receipt of AOR, can the spouse of the principal applicant(on Tempaorary Resident Permit) apply for an Open Work Permit?
If yes, can we say the same if this spouse(dependent of the main applicant) also doubles as an international student still on study permit(not yet graduated)?
1) Spouses or common-law partners of provincial nominees and
2) the new public policy on spousal work permits starting in 2023 (policy and procedures should be coming out soon about this)
However, if your spouse has a valid student permit, you may not need to worry about getting them an open work permit since they may qualify to work unlimited hours off campus. This may save you the hassle of applying, for and waiting for a new work permit for your spouse. Take a look at the section under the heading: Who can work more than 20 hours per week off campus on working off campus.