The spouses and common-law partners of some international students may be eligible for an open work permit if your partner is enrolled as full-time student at a Designated Learning Institution (DLI) in an eligible program. You count as a spouse as soon as you’ve been legally married anywhere in the world. If not legally married, you can qualify as a common-law partner if you’ve lived together in a conjugal relationship for at least 12 months (with minimal time apart). An open work permit lets them work for any employer in Canada, except for one that either

• is listed as ineligible on the list of employers who have failed to comply with the conditions, or
• regularly offers striptease, erotic dance, escort services, or erotic massage

For spouses of international students, the permit is generally issued with a validity period up to the expiry of the student’s study permit and/or Post-graduate work permit. Starting January 21, 2025, your spouse or common-law partner may be eligible for an open work permit if you have a valid study permit and you’re either

• studying in a master’s degree program of 16 months or longer
• studying in a doctoral degree program
• participating in an eligible program, or
• studying in one of the following professional degree programs at a university:
  • Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS, DMD)
  • Bachelor of Law or Juris Doctor (LLB, JD, BCL)
  • Doctor of Medicine (MD)
  • Doctor of Optometry (OD)
  • Pharmacy (PharmD, BS, BSc, BPharm)
  • Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM)
  • Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN, BSN)
  • Bachelor of Nursing Science (BNSc)
  • Bachelor of Nursing (BN)
  • Bachelor of Education (B.Ed)
  • Bachelor of Engineering (BEng, BE, BASc)

Note: Spouses of students in shorter programs, diplomas, or non-professional degrees are no longer eligible for SOWPs under the new rules. For Spouses of Foreign Workers Eligibility for an SOWP is now limited to spouses of foreign workers who:

• Are employed in TEER 0 or 1 occupations, which include management and professional roles
• Work in select TEER 2 or 3 occupations within sectors experiencing labour shortages or aligned with government priorities, such as:
  • Natural and applied sciences
  • Construction
  • Healthcare
  • Natural resources
  • Education
  • Sports and military sectors

Additionally, the foreign worker must have at least 16 months remaining on their work permit at the time the spouse applies for an SOWP. For Dependent Children Dependent children of foreign workers are no longer eligible for open work permits under the new regulations. We assist student in confirming eligibility, preparing and submitting spousal open work permit application.