Spousal Open Work Permit
A spousal open work permit lets the partner of a worker or student work for almost any employer in Canada. Eligibility was narrowed substantially on 21 January 2025 and adjusted again in 2026 — many couples who would have qualified two years ago no longer do, and the rules differ depending on whether the principal is working or studying.
If your partner is a worker
The principal worker's occupation decides it.
- ● Any TEER 0 or TEER 1 occupation qualifies.
- ● Only selected TEER 2 and 3 occupations qualify — technicians, nurses, trades supervisors, certain operators — from IRCC's published list.
- ● Any TEER level qualifies if the principal is employed on a Significant Investment Project in British Columbia, added on 23 March 2026.
- ● The principal's work permit must have at least 16 months of validity remaining when the application is received. Foreign-trained healthcare professionals in Quebec were exempted from this in May 2026.
If your partner is a student
Since 21 January 2025 the student must be enrolled in one of a short list of programmes:
- ● A master's degree of 16 months or longer — a 12-month master's does not qualify.
- ● A doctoral degree.
- ● An eligible pilot programme, which varies by province.
- ● Certain professional degrees: dentistry, law, medicine, optometry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, nursing, education or engineering.
- ● Spouses of college and diploma students are not eligible.
Who is excluded
- ● Dependent children — they lost eligibility on 21 January 2025.
- ● Spouses of people who themselves hold a spousal open work permit.
- ● Spouses of refugee claimants referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board.
- ● Cases where the principal is subject to an unenforceable removal order.
This is separate from the open work permit available to a spouse being sponsored for permanent residence from inside Canada — that route has its own rules and is still available.
Getting it right the first time
Most of the refusals we see in this area are avoidable: the principal's occupation was assumed to qualify when it sits outside the TEER 2 and 3 list, or the application was filed when the principal's permit had fourteen months left rather than sixteen. Both are checkable in advance in a few minutes.
If you do not qualify, there are usually alternatives worth testing — an employer-supported permit in your own right, a PGWP if you studied here, or a route that starts by improving the principal's position. A licensed RCIC can map that out before you spend a fee on an application that cannot succeed.
Reviewed by a licensed RCIC · Last updated 13 August 2026. Immigration rules change often — confirm anything time-sensitive with us or on canada.ca.
Looking for related services? See our full Work Permits overview or all services.
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Ready to take the next step?
Book an appointment with our licensed RCIC team. We'll review your case, identify your best pathway, and outline the next steps.
Frequently asked questions
My spouse works in Canada. Do I qualify?
It depends on their occupation. Any TEER 0 or TEER 1 occupation qualifies. Only selected TEER 2 and 3 occupations do, from IRCC's published list. There is also a BC-specific route for any TEER level where the principal works on a Significant Investment Project. And their permit must have at least 16 months of validity left when your application is received.
My spouse is studying. Do I qualify?
Only if they are in a master's programme of 16 months or longer, a doctoral programme, an eligible pilot, or one of the listed professional degrees such as medicine, law, nursing, education or engineering. Spouses of college and diploma students have not been eligible since 21 January 2025.
Can my children get open work permits too?
No. Dependent children lost eligibility for open work permits under this measure on 21 January 2025. They can still normally study in Canada as accompanying family members, which is a separate question worth getting right.
What if my spouse's permit expires in less than 16 months?
Then the application will not succeed on that basis. Sometimes the answer is to extend the principal's permit first and then apply — sequencing matters here. Sometimes there is a better route entirely. It is worth ten minutes of advice before filing.
Is this the same as the open work permit for a sponsored spouse?
No. If you are being sponsored for permanent residence from inside Canada, there is a separate open work permit tied to that application, with its own requirements. That route was not affected by the January 2025 restrictions.
Still unsure how this applies to your case? Book an appointment with a licensed RCIC.
More Work Permit services
Other pathways we handle in this area — or talk to a licensed RCIC about which fits your case.
Waymark runs on the Nova System platform — built in Abbotsford, BC by practising RCICs.