CANADA OPEN WORK PERMIT
An open work permit allows a foreign national to work for any Canadian employer he/she wants over a specified period of time.
Some open work permits may restrict the kind of job or place in which the foreign national may work. A worker may apply for an open work permit from outside of Canada, within Canada or at a Canadian port of entry.
Canadian Open work permits are only issued to certain individuals who are also exempt from the LMIA requirement
Who can apply for an open work permit?
You may be eligible for an open work permit if you
- are an international student who graduated from a designated learning institution and are eligible for the Post-Graduation Work Permit Programr
- are a student who’s no longer able to meet the costs of your studies (destitute student)
- applied for permanent residence in Canada
- are a dependent family member of someone who applied for permanent residence
- are the spouse or common-law partner of a skilled worker or international student
- are the spouse or common-law partner of an applicant of the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program
- are under an unenforceable removal order
- are a young worker participating in special programs
NOTE: You can only get an open work permit only on the above specific situations.
General eligibility requirements
No matter where you apply, you must:
- Prove to an officer that you will leave Canada when your work permit expires,
- Show that you have enough money to take care of yourself and your family members during your stay in Canada and to return home
- Not be a danger to Canada’s security
- Be in good health and have a medical exam, if needed
- Not plan to work for an employer listed with the status “ineligible” on the list of employers who failed to comply with the conditions
- Not plan to work for an employer who, on a regular basis, offers striptease, erotic dance, escort services or erotic massages, and
give the officer any other documents they ask for to prove you can enter the country.
Moreover, there are numerous other privileges once your application for a work permit is approved. Generally, the spouse work permit Canada processing time is approximately 60 to 90 days, which is subject to change for certain probable reasons.
Possibly. If you work in Canada for one or more years under a valid work permit, you may be eligible for permanent residence under the Canadian Experience Class or another category depending on your job classification and your language proficiency.
Your spouse or common-law partner may be eligible for an open work permit if you:
- have a valid study permit and
- are a full-time student at one of these types of schools a public post-secondary school, such as a college or university, or CEGEP in Quebec a private college-level school in Quebec
- a Canadian private school that can legally award degrees under provincial law (for example, Bachelors, Masters or Doctorate degree
Spouses or common-law partners of skilled workers also eligible if they met the below parameeters
- a spouse of a skilled worker in an occupation under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill type 0, A or B approved to work in Canada six months or longer
- a spouse of someone applying for the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program in a job under NOC 0, A, B or C