Open Work Permit

What is an open work permit for spouse ?
An open work permit for spouse is an allowance for work which is not for any particular job. Through this kind of work permit, your spouse or partner will be able to work in any job with any employer. This open work permit once attained, will remain valid for the same time period as your study period. In order to have the open work permit, your partner or spouse may be required to give a medical exam. However, this may happen in some circumstances.

Eligibility for an open work permit:
Being an international student in Canada, while studying full-time and possessing a valid study permit, your partner according to the law or spouse can apply for an open work permit. Partner or spouse will not need a job offer in order to apply and the open work permit will stay valid till your study permit. As long as you are permitted to study in Canada, your spouse will be permitted to work for any employer and any kind of job without any specification.

When to apply for the open work permit in Canada?
Your partner or spouse are open to apply for the open work permit before or after they arrive in Canada. Normally the work permit will be given with the same duration of time as your study permit. No job offer is required in order to apply for the work permit. This makes it easier for the couple as they won’t have to face the difficulty and frustration of finding a job in order to get the work permit. In some situations, the Canadian visa offices situated abroad will start processing the applications for work permit for your spouse or partner at the same time as the application for your study permit. In such a circumstance, the work permit will cost you an extra fee. After you pay an additional amount for the work permit, you must complete the application for your partner or spouse which is accessible to you on the website of the consulate.

Most partners or spouses visit the country first and then apply for the open work permit after they are in Canada. In case of not requiring a TRV for your partner or spouse, the work permit can be applied for at the airport or at the border where you enter the state of Canada.

Online Application Procedure:
Following steps need to be taken in order to apply online for the open work permit for your partner or spouse while you study.

Logging into IRCC by means of GCKey or a sign-in partner
In case of being a new user, you will be required to register yourself for MyCIC through Sign-in Partner or GCKey. The client ID from your study permit is needed for the completion of registration.

Apply for work or study permit or a visitor visa
You will be asked to enter a personal checklist code. In case you do not have a code, you must click on ‘determine your eligibility’. Here, you will need to answer all the inquiries or questions that will be asked. You can also find a guide on net regarding how to answer those questions.

Filling the application form and collecting the documents
Now, you must fill in the application form for your partner or spouse. You can also have a guide for it too on the net. You must validate and save the form as an unsigned copy. Following important and supporting documents must be gathered.

Marriage certificate/license (translated in French or English)
Digital photo that must be 420×540 pixels
Your study permit (if you are the one gathering the documents)
Your spouse’s passport (only pages with visas, stamps, and photos)
Once all these documents are ready, you must save them in your electronic device in the formats such as word documents, pdfs, or jpegs. They should not be bigger than 4MB.

Application fee
Now you must pay for the application fee online with a credit card.