OLLO – Open Work Permits for Spouses of International Students –November 4, 2024
Key Facts and Figures
Open work permits issued to spouses of international students have risen significantly over the past five years. In 2018, 16,020 spouses of students became open work permit holders under this stream, compared to 72,240 in 2023, representing a rise of 351%.
From January to September 2024, 36,705 spouses of students became open work permit holders under this stream.
Key Messages
The Government of Canada is committed to recalibrating the number of temporary residents entering 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 (IRCC) is similarly tapering the open work permit stream for spouses and common-law partners of international students.
In spring 2024, restrictions were introduced to limit open work permit eligibility to the spouses and common-law partners of international students in master’s and doctorate degree programs, certain professional degree programs in universities, and the Quebec Nursing Pilot Program (le projet de reconnaissance des compétences d’infirmières et d’infirmiers). 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 in college and undergraduate programs were permitted to renew their open work permit under the previous eligibility requirements.
On September 18, 2024, IRCC announced further restrictions. Work permit eligibility will be limited to the spouses and common-law partners of international students in master’s programs exceeding 16 months in duration, doctoral programs, certain professional programs, and select pilot programs, including the Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot.
These changes will be implemented in the coming months, and are designed to ensure that Canada continues to be competitive in attracting global talent to these programs to support research and development, productivity and innovation, and to meet talent needs in in-demand fields such as healthcare.
Supplementary Information
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 and common-law partners 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 (LMIA), or other streams under the International Mobility Program, which does not require an LMIA where there are significant and/or reciprocal benefits to Canada.
