Hi
Leon said:
No, not for IEC. The spouse would have to apply for their own IEC.
In order to be eligible for an open work permit for your spouse, you must be on a regular (closed) work permit in a skilled job or an international student or on an open post grad work permit in a skilled job.
It changes in 2014. From OB 490A
Work permits for spouses of IEC participants
Spouses of foreign nationals cannot obtain an open work permit under the “Public policy, competitiveness and economy R205(c)(ii)” (Labour Market Opinion (LMO) exemption C41, see FW 1, Section 5.38), unless they can meet the following eligibility requirements:
The principal foreign worker must be doing work which falls within NOC Skill Levels 0, A or B;
The principal foreign worker must hold a work permit that is valid for a period of at least six months;
The principal foreign worker and spouse must physically reside, or plan to physically reside, in Canada while working.
Note: If an IEC participant in the Working Holiday Program category holds only the Letter of Introduction, CIC cannot determine if the participant is employed in a NOC 0, A or B occupation and, therefore, cannot issue an open work permit to the participant’s spouse. O
nce the IEC open work permit holder can prove that they are employed in a NOC 0, A or B position (i.e., letter from their employer and pay stubs), their spouse may then apply under the LMO exemption C41.
