Open Work Permits for Spousal, Common-Law, and Conjugal Partners

Overview

The Spousal Sponsorship program is a subsection of the Family Class immigration category, under which a Canadian or permanent resident (the sponsor) may sponsor his or her spouse, common-law, or conjugal partner (the sponsored person) for Canadian permanent residence.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) aims to process applications submitted through the Spousal Sponsorship program within 12 months. The Open Work Permit for Spousal, Common-Law, and Conjugal Partners can help to mitigate the economic and emotional hardships of a long application process by removing the need for a spouse to choose between being with his or her partner and being able to work.

An open work permit is neither employer nor job-specific and it allows the holder to work for almost any Canadian employer, without first having to obtain a confirmed offer of employment. 

Eligibility Criteria

In order to be considered for an open work permit, the foreign national must:

• Be a principal applicant who has submitted a permanent residence application under the Spouse or Common-Law Partner in Canada Class; or, as a spouse, common-law or conjugal partner under the family class that has been accepted for processing by IRCC after meeting a completeness check, and that has not been refused or withdrawn.
• Have submitted a work permit application where the duration of the work permit requested is for a maximum of two years.
• Is the subject of a sponsorship application submitted by their Canadian citizen or permanent resident spouse, common-law or conjugal partner.
• Have the same residential address as their sponsor in Canada at the time of the application.
• Have a valid temporary resident status in Canada or is eligible for and has applied for the restoration of their status.
• The applicant and the sponsor must meet all eligibility requirements under spousal or common-law partner sponsorship.