Who is eligible for Spousal Open Work Permits (SOWP) in Canada after recent policy changes?

Eligibility for SOWP

Students who conscionable the eligibility criteria acceptable by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) tin use for a spousal visa. These criteria see being enrolled successful definite eligible world programmes, specified arsenic PhD programmes, Master’s grade programmes (with a minimum duration of 16 months) and nonrecreational courses similar Doctor of Dental Surgery, Bachelor of Law (LLB), Pharmacy (B. Pharmacy, PharmD), Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM), Doctor of Medicine (MD), Bachelor of Nursing (BN), Bachelor of Engineering (BEng), Doctor of Optometry (OD), BSE Pharmacy, Bachelor of Education (BEd).

In summation to the breathtaking world prospects for students, these programmes supply opportunities for their spouses to use for an unfastened enactment permit. Thus, spouses person the accidental to enactment full-time for the duration of their partner’s survey successful Canada.

The revised guidelines

With the changes introduced by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) past week, planetary students tin present use for a SOWP alongside their survey licence application. If the pupil is already studying successful Canada, their spouse tin use for an unfastened enactment licence if their spouse is inactive successful their location country.

“We urge that eligible students use for their spousal visas on with their ain visa applications, alternatively than filing separately nether different categories similar a visitant visa oregon delaying the application,” said Tirath Singh of Pinnacle Immigration. “Applying for a spousal visa alongside the superior exertion ensures that some visas are assessed simultaneously. Filing separately oregon nether different categories, specified arsenic a visitant visa, could pb to unnecessary delays oregon rejections. Spousal visa support alongside the pupil visa ensures the spouse tin integrate into Canadian beingness sooner, contributing to household income oregon pursuing idiosyncratic and nonrecreational maturation without delays.”

He added that helium simultaneously lodged the pupil visa and SOWP for a campaigner recently, which proved to beryllium a success. Both parties got the visa successful compliance with the revised guidelines.

Conditions for extension

There are usually nary issues if the pupil is already successful Canada connected a survey licence and their spouse is connected a enactment permit. If the duration of the enactment licence is acceptable to expire earlier the survey period, they tin use for an hold to lucifer the remaining duration of the survey period.

However, if the pupil is successful the last semester of their survey period, the spouse volition not beryllium eligible for an hold of their unfastened enactment permit. “Therefore, if you’re nearing the extremity of your studies, it’s important to program up not lone for the completion of your studies but besides for your spouse’s enactment situation,” said Aman Parmar of V Point.

Transitioning from SOWP to a Post-Graduation Work Permit

Once a pupil completes their studies successful Canada, they whitethorn beryllium eligible to use for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP), which allows graduates to enactment successful Canada for up to 3 years, depending connected the magnitude of their programme.

If a pupil transitions from a survey licence to a PGWP, their exertion is treated arsenic a caller file. This means that if you use for a enactment licence aft completing your studies, it volition beryllium processed separately from your erstwhile survey permit. For those who privation to enactment and enactment successful Canada aft their studies, this modulation is simply a important step.

In specified cases, the spouse whitethorn besides beryllium eligible for an unfastened enactment licence nether circumstantial conditions. The spouse’s eligibility depends connected whether the pupil connected PGWP is employed successful definite sectors nether Canada’s Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibilities (TEER) system. Specifically TEER 0 oregon 1 occupations and successful TEER 2 oregon 3 occupations sectors they should take jobs with labour shortages oregon those linked to authorities priorities (e.g., earthy sciences, healthcare, construction, education, etc.).

Alternatives to SOWP

For students who are not eligible nether these circumstantial programmes, their spouse has a fewer different options. The spouse tin use separately for a survey licence oregon a visitant visa and they request to amusement beardown fiscal impervious to beryllium they tin conscionable the surviving expenses successful Canada.

If the spouse secures a visitant visa, they would beryllium permitted to enactment lone for a specified duration, pursuing which they would beryllium required to instrumentality to their location country.

The spouse tin alternately use for immoderate different enactment licence they whitethorn beryllium eligible for nether Canada’s assorted enactment licence programmes.