As of January 21, 2025, Canadian immigration is changing eligibility for open work permits (OWP) for family members of international students and foreign workers.
- International Students
OWP for family members will only be available to spouses of international students enrolled in:
- Training programs lasting 16 months or more;
- Doctoral programs; or
- Professional graduation programs at universities in the following areas:
- Dental Surgery (DDS, DMD)
- Direito (LLB, JD, BCL)
- Medicine (MD)
- Optometry (OD)
- Pharmacy (PharmD, BS, BSc, BPharm)
- Veterinary Medicine (DVM)
- Enfermagem (BScN, BSN, BNSc, BN)
- Education (BEd)
- Engineering (BEng, BE, BASc)
- Participants of the eligible pilot program for Students from Francophone Minority Communities outside Quebec.
- Foreign workers
OWP for family members will only be available to spouses of foreign workers employed in:
- Occupations classified as TEER 0 or 1; ou 3
- Specific occupations in TEER 2 or 3 related to sectors with labor shortages or government priorities.
- This includes areas such as natural and applied sciences, civil construction, health, natural resources, education, sports and armed forces.
- The complete list will be available on January 21, 2025.
For more official information, Click here.