Important – New Rules for SOWP

Hello World! Today, we would like to provide information on significant changes to the Spousal Open Work Permit (SOWP) announced by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in January 2025.

Details of New Restrictions

As part of the measures announced in September 2024, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has significantly restricted Open Work Permit (OWP) eligibility for family members of international students and foreign workers. Effective January 21, 2025, only spouses of certain international students and foreign workers are eligible to apply for a SOWP.

Spouses of International Students:

Only spouses of full-time international students enrolled in the following programs are eligible to apply for a SOWP.

• Master’s programs that are 16 months or longer
• Doctoral programs, or
• Specific professionals such as medicine, law, engineering, nursing, etc. (see eligible programs here)

Spouses of Foreign Workers:

Only spouses of foreign workers in the following occupations are eligible to apply for a SOWP.

• TEER 0 or TEER 1 occupations, or
• TEER 2 (see list of eligible occupations here) or TEER 3 (see list of eligible occupations here) occupations in sectors with labour shortages or linked to government priorities.

Additional Important Notes:

• The foreign worker must have at least 16 months remaining validity on their Work Permit when their spouse applies for an OWP.
• Dependent children of foreign workers are no longer eligible for a family OWP.
• OWPs approved under the previous measures and have not expired will remain valid.
• If the international student needs more time to complete the program, or if family members received a shorter OWP than the principal applicant, the family member in Canada can apply to renew their OWP. The application must be based on the same criteria as the current OWP and the requested duration of the renewal must match the duration of the principal applicant’s current Study or Work Permit.
• Spouses of workers covered by free-trade agreements and those transitioning to permanent residence are exempt from these changes.

For more information on this announcement, please refer to the following government website.

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/notices/changes-open-work-permits-family-members-temporary-residents.html

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As mentioned above, effective January 21, 2025, only spouses of certain international students and foreign workers are eligible to apply for a SOWP.

Going forward, it is more important than ever to carefully gather and submit the required documents to prove eligibility at the time of application.

If you have any questions or concerns about applying for your SOWP, please feel free to contact us here.

“You are one step closer to Canada!”