Canada open work permits: who can get one

IRCC lists the situations: post-graduation work permit applicants, IEC Working Holiday participants, destitute students; family members of permanent residence applicants, family members of work permit holders, spouses of certain international students and sponsored spouses in Canada; refugees, asylum claimants, protected persons, victims of workplace abuse and people in crisis; and some other groups such as permanent residence applicants. Most people applying from outside Canada cannot get an open work permit.

You must have completed a program of at least 8 months at a PGWP-eligible DLI, studied full time each semester (part-time allowed in the final one), and apply within 180 days of confirmation of completion while your study permit was valid at some point in that period. Graduates of university bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral programs need CLB 7 or NCLC 7 in all four skills and have no field-of-study requirement; other college graduates need CLB 5 and a qualifying field of study. Master’s graduates can receive a 3-year PGWP; others get up to the length of their program.

Most open work permits cost CAD 155 plus the CAD 100 open work permit holder fee, and biometrics if required. There is no fee for the open work permit of an eligible asylum claimant waiting for an IRB decision.

Spouses or partners of students qualify only if the student is in a master’s program of 16 months or more, a doctoral program, an eligible pilot or a listed professional degree. Spouses of workers qualify mainly when the worker is in a TEER 0 or 1 occupation, or a listed high-skilled TEER 2 or 3 occupation, with at least 16 months left on the permit. Spouses sponsored from inside Canada can also apply for an open work permit while the sponsorship is processed.