Open Work Permit Eligibility in Canada
Open work permit eligibility comes from your situation, not a job offer. The main categories are recent graduates (PGWP), spouses of certain workers or students under the January 21, 2025 rules, PR applicants waiting for a decision (bridging), workers facing abuse, and refugee claimants. Most cost $255 in government fees. An IRCC officer decides.
$255
Government fees for most open work permits
$155
The work permit fee
$100
The open work permit holder fee
$85
Biometrics per person, up to $170 per family
The vulnerable worker permit has no fee at all. The Fee Calculator adds up the fees for your family.
How is an open work permit different from a closed one?
An open work permit (OWP) lets you work for almost any employer in Canada, unlike a closed (employer-specific) permit that ties you to one named employer. You do not qualify for an OWP because of a single job offer. You qualify because of who you are or your situation.
Each category has its own eligibility rules, fees and validity period, and several of them changed in 2024-2025. An IRCC officer decides each application.
| Feature | Open Work Permit | Closed Work Permit |
|---|---|---|
| Employer restriction | Work for any employer | One specific employer only |
| LMIA required? | No | Often yes (or LMIA-exempt) |
| Can you change employers? | Yes, freely | No, must apply for new permit |
| Based on | Personal status or circumstances | Job offer from specific employer |
The rule
An open work permit is granted because of an applicant's situation, not a job offer.
Who qualifies for a Post-Graduation Work Permit?
The PGWP is for graduates of PGWP-eligible Canadian designated learning institutions. It is usually the first OWP a former international student gets.
- Its length depends on the level and length of your program and on your passport’s expiry date. A program shorter than 2 years (and at least 8 months long) gives a permit of up to the length of the program. A program of 2 years or more gives 3 years, and a master’s degree gives 3 years even when the program was shorter than 2 years.
- You must apply within 180 days of when your institution confirms you met the requirements to complete your program, and your study permit must have been valid at some point during those 180 days.
- If you applied for your study permit on or after November 1, 2024 and your program is not a bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree, you must graduate in an eligible field of study. The list is linked to long-term labour shortages and changes over time.
- For PGWP applications made on or after November 1, 2024, you also need CLB or NCLC 7 in all four areas if you graduated from a university program, or 5 if you graduated from a college or other non-university program.
- It lets you work for any employer in almost any occupation, and it is issued only once.
When can a spouse or partner get an open work permit?
Eligibility for spouses and common-law partners of certain workers and students was significantly narrowed effective January 21, 2025.
- Spouse of a foreign worker: the worker must be employed in a TEER 0 or 1 occupation, or in one of the TEER 2 or 3 occupations IRCC lists. Those are in natural and applied sciences, health, education, sports, the military, trades and transport, and natural resources. The worker’s permit must be valid for at least 16 months after IRCC receives the spouse’s application.
- Spouse of an international student: generally limited to spouses of students in a master’s degree program that is 16 months or longer, plus doctoral programs and select professional programs. Many undergraduate and shorter programs no longer make a spouse eligible.
- Sponsored spouse or partner: a spouse or partner being sponsored for permanent residence who lives in Canada with the sponsor may apply once they hold the acknowledgement of receipt. This covers both the spouse or common-law partner in Canada class and the family class.
- A worker’s spouse’s OWP cannot be valid beyond the worker’s permit. A student’s spouse’s OWP is, most of the time, valid for the same period as the study permit.
- Dependent children of workers are no longer eligible for these family OWPs.
Who can get a bridging open work permit?
The bridging open work permit (BOWP) is for foreign nationals already in Canada who have applied for permanent residence and want to keep working while they wait for a PR decision.
- You are the principal applicant in an eligible PR program, for example Express Entry or the Provincial Nominee Program (including the non-Express Entry stream). Your application has passed the completeness check or, for a nominee who applied outside Express Entry, the eligibility assessment.
- You live in Canada when you apply, and intend to live outside Quebec.
- You hold valid status and a valid work permit, have an expired permit but maintained status as a worker, or are eligible to restore your status.
- Your PNP nomination carries no employment restrictions, and you hold your acknowledgement of receipt letter.
- It lets you keep working for any employer during PR processing.
Which open work permits cover vulnerable workers and refugee claimants?
- Vulnerable worker
- For a worker who holds a valid employer-specific permit (or applied to extend it before it expired) and is being abused, or is at risk of abuse, in relation to their job in Canada. The abuse can be physical, sexual, financial, psychological, or reprisal. The criteria are in section R207.1 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR). There is no fee: you apply online, with a letter explaining the abuse or risk of abuse and any supporting evidence. The permit lets you stop working for the abusive employer and work elsewhere in Canada.
- Refugee claimant
- For people whose refugee claim has been found eligible and referred to the Refugee Protection Division (RPD) of the Immigration and Refugee Board, generally after the required medical exam. It lets you work for any employer while you await your hearing. No work permit fee applies to a refugee claimant (IRPR s.299(2)(a)). Check the conditions printed on your permit.
Which free tool checks your own case?
- Pathway ExplorerWhich programs to read about, from a few answers
- Document ChecklistTypical documents by application type
- Fee CalculatorCurrent government fees, itemized
Free, with no account. What you enter in a tool stays in your browser.
What do people ask?
Who is eligible for an open work permit in Canada?
People in specific situations set by IRCC, since a job offer alone never qualifies you. The main groups are PGWP graduates, some spouses of workers and of students, certain PR applicants waiting for a decision (bridging), workers facing abuse, refugee claimants and IEC Working Holiday participants. Each group has its own rules, and an officer decides. Our Open Work Permit Canada guide compares every category and fee.
What are the spouse open work permit requirements in Canada?
Since January 21, 2025, the rules depend on the principal. A worker's spouse generally needs the worker in a TEER 0 or 1 job, or one of the TEER 2 or 3 jobs IRCC lists, with the worker's permit valid for at least 16 months after IRCC receives the spouse's application. A student's spouse generally needs the student in a master's program of 16 months or more, or a doctoral program or certain professional programs. Our Spousal Open Work Permit guide covers the evidence.
Can I apply for an open work permit from inside or outside Canada?
It depends on the category. IRCC says most people applying from outside Canada cannot get an open work permit, and most applicants must apply in Canada. A PGWP can be applied for from inside Canada, or from outside Canada after you leave, but never at a port of entry. For the bridging open work permit you must live in Canada when you apply, and refugee claimant permits exist only inside Canada. The sponsored spouse's permit is for partners who live in Canada with the sponsor, under either class, once they hold the acknowledgement of receipt. Our PGWP guide covers the most common in-Canada application.
How do I know if my work permit is open or employer-specific?
Read the permit itself: it states the employer you can work for, the type of work and where. An employer-specific (closed) permit names one employer, and a change of employer generally needs a new permit. Also read the conditions printed on the permit, which can exclude some occupations. Our Document Checklist tool lists what to gather for either type of permit.
Can I switch employers on an open work permit?
Yes. An open work permit lets you work for almost any employer in Canada, change industries, or hold more than one job. Two limits apply. Employers on IRCC's list of ineligible employers, who failed to comply with program conditions, are off limits, as are employers who regularly offer striptease, erotic dance, escort services or erotic massages. And a permit issued without a medical exam bars work in child care, primary or secondary school teaching and health services. Our LMIA Process Explained guide covers the employer-specific alternative.
How much does an open work permit cost in 2026?
Most open work permits cost $255 CAD: the $155 work permit fee plus the $100 open work permit holder fee. Biometrics usually add $85 per person, up to $170 per family. The holder fee is what sets an open permit apart from an employer-specific one. The vulnerable worker permit has no fee at all. Our Fee Calculator adds up the fees for your family.
Is the International Experience Canada (IEC) permit an open work permit?
It can be. The IEC Working Holiday category gives an open work permit, while the Young Professionals and International Co-op (Internship) categories are employer-specific. Eligibility depends on your country having a youth mobility agreement with Canada and on annual quotas, so check the IEC pages for your country. IRCC has closed the pools for the 2026 IEC season. A new profile can be created when the pools reopen for the 2027 season. Our Working Holiday Canada 2026 guide explains the pools and fees.
What happens if my open work permit expires before I can renew it?
If you applied to extend before it expired, you generally keep working under maintained status (formerly implied status) until IRCC decides. If it expired first, you generally have up to 90 days to apply to restore your status, paying the work permit fee plus a restoration fee, and you usually cannot work until the new permit is approved. Our Maintained Status and Restoration guide explains both situations.
Part of:Working in CanadaWork permits
- Why Canada Work Permits Get Refused
- LMIA Process Explained: What Employers Need to Know
- CUSMA / USMCA Work Permit Canada: Guide for Americans and Mexicans
The textbook on this subject
Volume 2: Immigrating to Canada $79
The economic and family pathways to permanent residence, explained from the published criteria.
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This page is based on law and policy published by the Government of Canada.