Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada issues new updates regarding spousal open work permits (SOWP). IRCC announced on 20 January 2024 that undergraduate students at colleges cannot now sponsor their partners and spouses for open work permits. As of 19 March 2024, partners and spouses of students can only apply for open work permits if he/she is enrolled in a master’s or doctoral degree program at a university.
The partners and spouses of the undergraduates will still be able to apply for an open work permit if the main applicant studies the following professional programs at a university:
- Bachelor of Education (B. Ed.)
- Bachelor of Engineering (B. Eng., BE, BASc)
- Doctor of Medicine (MD)
- Doctor of Optometry (OD)
- Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS, DMD)
- Bachelor of Law or Juris Doctor (LLB, JD, BCL)
- Pharmacy (PharmD, BS, BSc, BPharm)
- Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM)
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN, BSN, BNSc)
The applicants of the Spousal Open Work Permit will have to prove their relationship with the main applicant (the student). They will also have to present proof of enrolment at a Designated Learning Institution. The accepted documents are:
- Letter of acceptance from a DLI,
- Letter of enrollment from a DLI,
- Transcripts from the currently enrolled program.
If the partners or spouses of the main student have already applied for the work permit before 19 March 2024, are still eligible if their partner:
- Is a full-time student at one of these types of schools:
- a public post-secondary school, such as a college or university, or CEGEP in Quebec
- a private college-level school in Quebec
- a Canadian private school that can legally award degrees under provincial law (for example, a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree)
- Holds a valid study permit and is eligible for a post-graduation work permit.
These requirements are the same for current SOWP holders who apply to extend their existing permits.
Canada has also announced some study permit changes this year. Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller has announced that 292,000 permits will be approved for college and undergraduate students in 2024. These numbers are indeed less than the previously announced 360,000. These numbers came out when Mr. Miller commented to the newspaper Globe and Mail.
According to IRCC, students will need to possess an attestation letter from the province or territory they are going to study in at the time of applying for a study permit. A study permit application will be returned if an attestation letter is not included in the application excluding of following situations:
- a student applying to extend his/her study permit;
- a student in a master’s, PhD, or other post-graduate program;
- a minor child in a primary or secondary school (kindergarten to grade 12).