Permanent residence for Ukrainian nationals with family members in Canada
Apply for an open work permit
If you submitted or were included in an application for the permanent residence pathway for Ukrainian nationals with family members in Canada, you may be eligible for an open work permit under a new public policy.
The work permit authorizes you to work while your permanent residence application is being processed.
Deadline to apply: March 31, 2027
On this page:
Who can apply
To apply for an open work permit under this public policy, you must meet all of the requirements below:
- You’re 1 of the following:
- You’re a national of Ukraine
- You are, or were, the spouse or common-law partner of a national of Ukraine
- You’re the family member of someone who applied for and is eligible for the permanent resident pathway for Ukrainian nationals
- You
- submitted an application for the permanent residence pathway for Ukrainian nationals, or
- were included as an accompanying family member on an application for the permanent residence pathway for Ukrainian nationals
- Your permanent residence application was accepted and is being processed and you’re waiting on a final decision.
- You’re in Canada
- with valid temporary resident status, or
- you lost your status less than 90 days ago and you’ll apply to restore your status as part of this application
- you may be eligible if you lost your status more than 90 days ago and you meet additional requirements.
- You’re in Canada when
- you submit your application
- a final decision is made on your application
Additional requirements if your temporary resident status expired more than 90 days ago
To apply under this public policy, you must also have
- had valid temporary resident status at the time we received the permanent residence application, or
- been out of status for less than 90 days at the time we received the permanent residence application
Deadline If your status expired more than 90 days ago, you must apply on or before March 31, 2026.
Who can’t apply
You can’t apply under this public policy if your application for permanent residence has been refused, withdrawn or returned.
How to apply
Create an IRCC secure account
You must apply online in the IRCC secure account.
If you don’t have an account, you need to create one to apply.
You can use your account to
- submit your application
- check the status of your application
If you’re using an authorized paid representative
Authorized paid representatives (APRs) can submit your work permit application on your behalf through the APR Portal.
Steps to apply
1: Make sure you have what you need
To apply online, you need
2: Fill out the application form
Enter the following details in the “Details of intended work in Canada” section:
- Box 1: What type of work permit are you applying for?
- Select “Open Work Permit.”
- Box 4: Job title and Brief description of duties
- Enter “Ukraine OWP” in the Job title box.
- Enter “Ukraine OWP – APR applicant in Canada public policy” in the Brief description of duties box.
If you’re applying to restore your status
In the first section under question 3, “I am applying for one or more of the following:” make sure you also choose “Restore my status as a worker.”
If you were a visitor or student when your status expired
You must apply to restore your previous status before you apply for an open work permit. To do this you need to:
- Go to “Apply for a work permit, study permit or to extend your stay in Canada as a temporary resident”
- Under “What would you like to apply for?” choose the option based on the status you had when it expired.
- Follow the instructions to apply to restore your status to the one you had when it expired.
- Complete this application for an open work permit.
- When you upload your documents (step 5 of this application), in the “Client Information” field, tell us
- you submitted another application to restore your previous status
- your restoration application number
- Submit your work permit application
If your restoration application is approved, we’ll start processing your work permit application.
Read the instructions under “Complete the form” if you need help filling out the rest of the form.
3: Pay the fees
Pay your fees online using our online e-payment system.
- Select the fees that you need to pay.
Fees include:
- work permit fee – $155 (required)
- biometrics fee – $85 (if you need to give biometrics)
- restoration fee – $246.25 (if you need to restore your status)
- You’ll need to create an account for our e-payment tool before you can pay.
- This is not the same as your IRCC secure account.
- After you pay the fees, we’ll email you a copy of your receipt.
- You’ll need to upload a copy of your receipt to your application.
4: Sign in and get your document checklist
Sign in to your IRCC secure account and answer some questions to get a personalized document checklist.
For your situation, follow the instructions below to answer these 2 questions:
Answer “yes” when you’re asked:
- Does one of the following apply to you?
- I am the subject of a removal order that is unenforceable.
- I applied for a study or work permit before entering Canada that was approved but not issued at a port of entry.
- I am a student in primary or secondary school, or a visiting or exchange student, in Canada with visitor status.
- I am applying for an open work permit under an active public policy or pilot program announced by IRCC.
- I am a student who has completed a program of study that is a prerequisite to my enrolment at a designated learning institution with visitor status in Canada.
- I applied for permanent residence and was found eligible (first stage approval) under one of the following classes:
- spouse or common-law partner in Canada
- humanitarian and compassionate cases
- protected persons in Canada
- live-in caregiver in Canada
When you’re asked “Will you be paying your fees or are you fee exempt?”
- Answer “No, I am exempt from paying fees for this application.”
- This will let you upload your payment receipt to your online application later on.
If you lost your status more than 90 days ago and you’re applying to restore it
When you’re asked “When does your status in Canada expire”
- Select “January 16, 2026”
5: Upload your documents to your document checklist
Your document checklist will have a list of documents that you need to upload to your application.
You need to upload additional documents for this public policy
Under this public policy, you’ll need to give us additional documents that are not listed on the checklist as well as specific documents depending on whether you’re the principal applicant on the permanent resident application or an accompanying family member.
Documents for the principal applicant on the permanent residence application
Provide the below documents if you’re the principal applicant on the permanent residence application.
Upload your documents to the fields indicated in the instructions below.
In the “Passport” field, upload a copy of your passport.
You may experience delays renewing a Ukrainian passport in Canada
Due to a backlog of applications at the Embassy of Ukraine in Canada, you may experience delays renewing a Ukrainian passport.
If you can’t renew your passport in time, submit
- a copy of your expired passport
- a written explanation of the steps you took to try to renew it, such as
- the date you applied to renew it
- the date you expect to get it (if known)
- other evidence you have about why you can’t renew your passport
We’ll assess these applications on a case-by-case basis.
If you get your new passport while we’re processing your application, send us a copy of it as soon as possible using our web form.
In the “Proof of Fee Exemption” field, upload a copy of your payment receipt as proof that you paid the required fees.
In the “Client Information” field, upload
- a short explanation that you’re applying for an open work permit under the “Temporary public policy to facilitate access to temporary residence for certain Ukrainians and their family members who have applied under the Temporary public policy to grant permanent residence to certain Ukrainian nationals with family in Canada”
- If you submitted a separate application to restore your status as a visitor or student, include that in your explanation and include the restoration application number.
- documents that show you’re in Canada
- This could include
- copies of passport pages showing the most recent entry stamp from Canadian authorities
- copies of boarding passes
- copies of a current or recent lease or rental agreement
- a letter from your landlord or property owner confirming where you live and the dates you lived there
- recent utility bills or other bills that show your home address
- a bank or credit card statement that shows your address and regular daily transactions
- employment documents or a personal services contract
- proof that you receive benefits from Canadian government programs
- This could include
- documents that show your temporary resident status
- This could include
- a copy of your most recent work permit, study permit or visitor record
- a visa stamp in your passport
- This could include
- documents that show you are, or were, the spouse or common-law partner of a Ukrainian national (if applicable)
- This can include
- A marriage certificate or a Statutory Declaration of Common-Law Union (IMM 5409)
- a copy of your spouse or common-law partner’s Ukrainian passport
- This can include
- a completed Family Information Form – Visitors, Students and Workers (IMM 5707) (if you included family members in your application)
- proof that the permanent residence application was accepted for processing (optional)
- If you received an acknowledgement of receipt letter for the permanent residence application, include it in your application.
Combine your documents
You can only upload 1 document in the “Client Information” field with a maximum file size of 4 MB. To do this
- reduce the size of each document before you save it
- combine your documents into one scanned file
- save the combined document as “Client information”
Documents for family members who were included in the permanent residence application
Provide the below documents if you were included in the permanent residence application as an accompanying family member.
Upload your documents to the fields indicated in the instructions below.
In the “Passport” field, upload a copy of your passport.
You may experience delays renewing a Ukrainian passport in Canada
Due to a backlog of applications at the Embassy of Ukraine in Canada, you may experience delays renewing a Ukrainian passport.
If you can’t renew your passport in time, submit
- a copy of your expired passport
- a written explanation of the steps you took to try to renew it, such as
- the date you applied to renew it
- the date you expect to get it (if known)
- other evidence you have about why you can’t renew your passport
We’ll assess these applications on a case-by-case basis.
If you get your new passport while we’re processing your application, send us a copy of it as soon as possible using our web form.
In the “Proof of Fee Exemption” field, upload a copy of your payment receipt as proof that you paid the required fees.
In the “Client Information” field, upload
- a short explanation that you’re applying for an open work permit under the “Temporary public policy to facilitate access to temporary residence for certain Ukrainians and their family members who have applied under the Temporary public policy to grant permanent residence to certain Ukrainian nationals with family in Canada”
- If you submitted a separate application to restore your status as a visitor or student, include that in your explanation and include the restoration application number.
- proof of your relationship to the principal applicant of the permanent residence application
- This could include
- a marriage certificate or a Statutory Declaration of Common-Law Union (IMM 5409)
- a birth certificate of a child that shows the name of the parent
- This could include
- documents that show you’re in Canada
- This could include
- copies of passport pages showing the most recent entry stamp from Canadian authorities
- copies of boarding passes
- copies of a current or recent lease or rental agreement
- a letter from your landlord or property owner confirming where you live and the dates you lived there
- recent utility bills or other bills that show your home address
- a bank or credit card statement that shows your address and regular daily transactions
- employment documents or a personal services contract
- proof that you receive benefits from Canadian government programs
- This could include
- documents that show your temporary resident status
- This could include
- a copy of your current work permit, study permit or visitor record
- a visa stamp in your passport
- This could include
If you’re applying for your work permit separately
If you’re submitting your application separately because the principal applicant on the permanent residence application has already applied and been approved for an open work permit, study permit or visitor record, provide a letter that includes the principal applicant’s
- permanent residence application number
- work permit number, study permit number or visitor record number
Combine your documents
You can only upload 1 document in the “Client Information” field with a maximum file size of 4 MB. To do this
- reduce the size of each document before you save it
- combine your documents into one scanned file
- save the combined document as “Client information”
After you apply
We’ll check your application to make sure you included all the necessary documents and paid the required fees.
If it’s incomplete, we’ll return your application without processing it.
We may also ask you to send more information.
If your application is approved
We’ll mail the work permit to the Canadian address you gave us in your application.
If your mailing address changes before we approve your application, you need to give us your new address.