CIMM – Open Work Permits for Spouses of International Students – February 28, 2024

Key Facts and Figures

Open work permits issued to spouses of international students have risen significantly over the past five years. In 2017, 11,665 spouses of students became open work permit holders under this stream, compared to 72,405 in 2023, representing a rise of 521%.
In 2024, 4,150 spouses of students became open work permit holders under this stream, as of January 31.

The Government of Canada is committed to recalibrating the number of temporary residents admitted to the country to ensure that communities have the capacity to sustainably welcome and support them.
To complement recently announced caps to the International Student Program, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is similarly tapering the open work permit stream for spouses of international students.
In the coming weeks, only the spouses of international students in master’s and doctorate degree programs, as well as certain professional degree programs, will continue to be eligible for an open work permit. This recognizes their increased likelihood of successfully transitioning to permanent residence, as well as the particular potential of the international students they are accompanying.
To minimize the impact on families who are already in Canada, spouses and common-law partners of international students who are already in Canada may renew their existing open work permit under this stream.

Even with recent changes, Canada’s approach to open work permits for spouses of international students remains facilitative and is generally in line with comparable English-speaking countries.
- No spouses of students are authorized to work in the United States, while the United Kingdom and Australia allow only the spouses of master’s and doctorate students to work full-time. No other spouses are authorized to work in the United Kingdom, while Australia authorizes spouses of other students to work solely on a part-time basis.
Other work permit pathways remain available for spouses of international students to work in Canada. These include the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, if they are being hired by an employer with a valid Labour Market Impact Assessment, or other streams under the International Mobility Program.

2024-06-27