Spousal Open Work Permit

The Inland Spousal Open Work Permit (OWP) is a type of work permit that allows spouses or common-law partners of Canadian citizens or permanent residents who are in Canada and have submitted an application for permanent residence under the Spouse or Common-Law Partner in-Canada (SCLPC) class to work in Canada while they wait for their application to be processed.

To be eligible for an Inland Spousal Open Work Permit, the foreign national must be the spouse or common-law partner of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident who is in Canada, and they must have submitted an application for permanent residence under the SCLPC class.

Eligibility

To be eligible for an open work permit in the SCLPC class, applicants must meet the following requirements:
•     a complete permanent residence application has been submitted under the SCLPC class and is currently being processed, or has been received by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada for processing
•     a Canadian citizen or permanent resident spouse has submitted a sponsorship application on their behalf,
•     the SCLPC class applicant resides at the same address as the sponsor,
•     the SCLPC class applicant has valid temporary resident status or their application for restoration of status with authorization to work has been received and the officer is satisfied that the SCLPC class applicant is eligible for restoration

The open work permit is issued for a maximum of 2 years or until the date the SCLPC class applicant’s passport expires, whichever is the earliest.

It is important to note that the Inland Spousal Open Work Permit is a specific type of work permit and is only available to individuals who are in Canada and have applied for permanent residence under the SCLPC class. Individuals who are outside of Canada or who have applied for permanent residence under other classes will need to apply for a different type of work permit if they wish to work in Canada.