Spouse or common-law partner of full-time student with a valid study or work permit may apply for an open work permit which will allow them to work for any employer in Canada.

Spouse or common-law partner will not require a job offer to apply, and their permit will be valid for the same period as your study or work permit (at least 6 months)

You can apply for your Spouse or common-law partner’s work permit at the same time as you apply for your initial study or work permit outside of Canada.

Minor children can study in kindergartens, primary schools, and secondary schools without a study permit. Please note that children accompanying adults living in Canada who have a work permit or study permit can study in Canada without a permit at the preschool, elementary and high school levels.

The fee for a spouse open work permit is $255 CAD – $155 for the processing fee, and $100 CAD for the open work permit holder fee.

To be eligible to apply for a spousal sponsorship open work permit, a Spouse or common-law partner

• must have a valid status in Canada (visitor, student, worker, etc.) and;
• must have applied for spousal sponsorship permanent residency from inside Canada.

If an applicant is out of status in Canada, they must wait until their permanent residence application has received approval in principle to submit their work permit application.

If you have not submitted your sponsorship application: The sponsorship, permanent residence, and open work permit applications may all be submitted together paper-based in a single envelope. The applications should be submitted to the Case Processing Centre in Mississauga (CPC-M), Ontario.

If your permanent residence application is submitted but has not yet received approval in principle: The open work permit application may be submitted paper-based to the Case Processing Centre in Vegreville (CPC-V), Alberta.

If your permanent residence application has been approved in principle: The open work permit application may be submitted online or paper-based to the Case Processing Centre in Vegreville (CPC-V), Alberta.

Approval in principle: IRCC Letter to let you know that the principal applicant meets the permanent residence eligibility requirements but may still need to pass the medical, security, and background checks. While this means the application has successfully passed through several stages of processing, permanent residency may still be denied after receipt of the AIP.