Spousal Open Work Permit in Canada: 2026 Rules

Spousal open work permits are not one program but several categories, each with its own rules. Which one fits depends on what your spouse or common-law partner (the principal applicant) is doing in Canada: working, studying, waiting for permanent residence, or sponsoring you. An open work permit lets you work for almost any employer, without a job offer or a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).

Permits for spouses of workers and students are issued under subparagraph 205(c)(ii) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR), under Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) codes C41 and C42. Permits for sponsored spouses in Canada come from a public policy. Spouses of some free trade agreement professionals have their own rules under those agreements.

Time the worker's permit must still run

16 months

Plus listed TEER 2 and 3 occupations

TEER 0–1

Minimum length of an eligible master's program

16 months

Permit time left for families of PR applicants

6 months

1. January 21, 2025

   Spousal permits narrowed

   New occupation, time-left and program rules. Dependent children of workers no longer qualify under this measure.

2. March 23, 2026

   Spouses of workers on significant investment projects in British Columbia

   Any TEER level, no 16-month rule.

3. May 25, 2026

   Spouses of health care professionals recruited by Quebec

   No 16-month rule for three occupations.

4. June 5, 2026

   Spouses of Quebec PSTQ applicants

   New public policy for spouses included in a Programme de sélection des travailleurs qualifiés (PSTQ) application.

Spouses of workers: the worker must hold a valid work permit, an approved permit not yet issued (a port of entry letter of introduction), or authorization to work without a permit. They must live, or plan to live, in Canada while working. The occupation is classified by the National Occupational Classification (NOC) and its training, education, experience and responsibilities (TEER) category.

• TEER 0 (management) and TEER 1 (professional): every occupation qualifies.
• Listed TEER 2 occupations include licensed practical nurses (32101), medical laboratory technologists (32120), early childhood educators and assistants (42202), electricians (72200), plumbers (72300), carpenters (72310), welders (72106) and many engineering technologists and trades supervisors.
• Listed TEER 3 occupations include nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates (33102), dental assistants (33100), elementary and secondary school teacher assistants (43100), transport truck drivers (73300), heavy equipment operators (73400) and roofers (73110).
• IRCC's full list of TEER 2 and 3 occupations is on its eligibility page. If the worker's NOC code is not on it, the spouse does not qualify under this route.

Spouses of students: the student must hold a valid study permit and be in one of these: a master's degree program of 16 months or longer; a doctoral program; or a professional degree at a university in dentistry (DDS, DMD), law (LLB, JD, BCL), medicine (MD), optometry (OD), pharmacy (PharmD, BS, BSc, BPharm), veterinary medicine (DVM), nursing (BScN, BSN, BNSc, BN), education (BEd) or engineering (BEng, BE, BASc). IRCC also lists eligible programs, such as the Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot outside Quebec and some health professional bridging programs in Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba and British Columbia.

Families of workers applying for permanent residence: if the worker has applied as principal applicant under an eligible economic program, such as Express Entry, the Provincial Nominee Program, the Atlantic Immigration Program or a CSQ-based Quebec program, their spouse, dependent children and dependent grandchildren may qualify at any TEER level if they are included in that application. The worker's permit must have been issued or approved because of that application, and must be valid for at least 6 months after IRCC receives the family member's application. Workers who hold a permit through an eligible pathway, such as a provincial nominee program, a Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ) or the Atlantic Immigration Program, but have not yet applied for permanent residence, can also qualify their families with the same 6-month rule. For the Rural Community Immigration Pilot and the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot, spouses use a separate pilot permit.

Who is excluded under the worker route: partners whose refugee claim was referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board, partners under an unenforceable removal order, partners who hold a study permit or work as students without a work permit, partners who hold a spousal open work permit, and partners who applied for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) but have no positive decision when your application is decided.

1. 1

   Confirm the route

   Check your partner's NOC code and TEER, the expiry date of their permit, their study program or the stage of their permanent residence application.

2. 2

   Gather relationship proof

   A marriage certificate, or the Statutory Declaration of Common-Law Union (IMM 5409) with evidence of living together.

3. 3

   Gather proof about your partner

   A copy of their work permit, letter of introduction or study permit; for workers, an employer letter with the occupation, duties, NOC code and TEER; for students, an enrolment letter or transcript.

4. 4

   Apply online

   Answer IRCC's questionnaire exactly as its instructions describe so you get the right checklist. Enter a special code in the Job title field if one applies to you. You can apply with your partner or separately.

5. 5

   Pay fees and give biometrics

   Pay the work permit fee and the open work permit holder fee. Give biometrics within 30 days if IRCC asks.

If you and your partner apply at the same time and your partner is a PGWP holder or an employer-specific work permit holder, IRCC's instructions say you do not need separate proof that your partner can or will be authorized to work in Canada.

The live IRCC processing times below show current waits for work permits applied for inside and outside Canada.

An employer letter that gives only a job title is a common weak point. It should describe the duties and name the NOC code and TEER, so the officer can confirm the occupation.

• Your permit usually ends with your partner's authorization. IRCC cannot issue it past your partner's work permit, your passport or your biometrics validity. For spouses of students, it usually matches the study permit.
• If your permit is shorter than your partner's, for example because your passport was expiring, you can apply to extend it before it expires, even after January 21, 2025, if you are in Canada.
• Spouses of students can extend while the student holds a valid study permit, studies full time in a PGWP-eligible program and is not in their last term, but not past the study permit's expiry.
• Sponsored spouses can extend for 2 more years while the permanent residence application is still in process.
• Your own skilled Canadian work experience can later count toward the Canadian Experience Class or provincial programs.