Open Work Permit for Sponsored Spouses, Partners and Eligible Adult Children

## Who can apply You can apply for an open work permit if you’re 1 of the following: * a spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner living in Canada who’s being sponsored for permanent residence * an accompanying dependent child of the principal applicant ### Principal permanent residence applicants When you (the person being sponsored for permanent residence) apply for your open work permit, you must also be * in a genuine relationship with your sponsor * included in an application for permanent residence, and have an acknowledgement of receipt (AOR) letter confirming that your permanent residence application is being processed * The AOR must be for your permanent resident application. It’s the AOR your sponsor receives from IRCC. * living in Canada with your sponsor #### How to recognize the AOR The AOR letter means that an officer has reviewed your application package and confirmed that it’s complete†ircc.canada.ca . The AOR letter contains your application number. The application number is in the top left corner of the letter and starts with an F. #### If you’re an accompanying dependent child To be eligible for an open work permit as a dependent child, you must meet both of these requirements: * The principal applicant you’re accompanying must be * in a genuine relationship with their sponsor * included in an application for permanent residence, and have an AOR letter confirming that their permanent residence application is being processed * It’s the AOR their sponsor receives from IRCC. * living in Canada with their sponsor * You must be living with your family member (the principal applicant) and their sponsor. #### Minimum age to work Before your dependent child†ircc.canada.ca works in Canada, check the minimum age required to work in the province/territory and in the job type they plan to work in. Canadian employers are responsible for meeting the requirements of the provincial labour laws. Open work permit holders must also comply with federal, provincial or territorial labour laws to work. ## Who can’t apply at this time

## Who can’t apply at this time You can’t apply for an open work permit under this public policy if either * your application for permanent residence has been refused, withdrawn or returned * you plan to apply for your work permit at a port of entry ## How to apply for an open work permit

You can sponsor your spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner or dependent child if you Who can sponsor * [Input] are at least 18 years old * [Input] are a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or a person registered in Canada under the Canadian Indian Act†laws-lois.justice.gc.ca * [Input] live in Canada * If you’re a Canadian citizen living outside Canada, you must show that you plan to live in Canada when the people you’re sponsoring become permanent residents. * If you’re a permanent resident living outside Canada, you can’t sponsor. * [Input] commit to supporting the people you’re sponsoring by signing an undertaking and sponsorship agreement * [Input] meet all other requirements under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act†laws.justice.gc.ca and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations†laws-lois.justice.gc.ca ### Income requirement

## Who can apply You can apply for an open work permit if you’re 1 of the following: * a spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner living in Canada who’s being sponsored for permanent residence * an accompanying dependent child of the principal applicant ### Principal permanent residence applicants When you (the person being sponsored for permanent residence) apply for your open work permit, you must also be * in a genuine relationship with your sponsor * included in an application for permanent residence, and have an acknowledgement of receipt (AOR) letter confirming that your permanent residence application is being processed * The AOR must be for your permanent resident application. It’s the AOR your sponsor receives from IRCC. * living in Canada with your sponsor #### How to recognize the AOR The AOR letter means that an officer has reviewed your application package and confirmed that it’s complete†ircc.canada.ca . The AOR letter contains your application number. The application number is in the top left corner of the letter and starts with an F. #### If you’re an accompanying dependent child To be eligible for an open work permit as a dependent child, you must meet both of these requirements: * The principal applicant you’re accompanying must be * in a genuine relationship with their sponsor * included in an application for permanent residence, and have an AOR letter confirming that their permanent residence application is being processed * It’s the AOR their sponsor receives from IRCC. * living in Canada with their sponsor * You must be living with your family member (the principal applicant) and their sponsor. #### Minimum age to work Before your dependent child†ircc.canada.ca works in Canada, check the minimum age required to work in the province/territory and in the job type they plan to work in. Canadian employers are responsible for meeting the requirements of the provincial labour laws. Open work permit holders must also comply with federal, provincial or territorial labour laws to work. ## Who can’t apply at this time

#### Upload your documents The document checklist will include most of the documents you need. Below are the extra documents you must upload for this open work permit. * In the “Client information” part of the document checklist, upload * the AOR that you received that proves the permanent residence application you submitted is complete * If you didn’t receive your AOR and you meet the requirements , upload both of the following instead: * a copy of your work permit, study permit or visitor record, and * proof showing you’ve submitted your permanent residence application (for example, the email we sent you confirming that you’ve successfully submitted your permanent residence application) * proof that you (and your children) have valid temporary resident status (for example, a valid work permit, visitor record or study permit) * You only need to upload this proof if you’ve received your AOR. * In the “Family information” form (IMM 5707) part of the document checklist, upload * the “Family information” form * your marriage licence or certificate or the “Statutory declaration of common-law union” (IMM 5409), and * the birth certificates of your dependent children that show both parents’ names Find out how to upload multiple documents into 1 field†ircc.canada.ca ### Extend your open work permit

#### Who’s eligible to apply for a work permit without an AOR You can only apply for a work permit without an AOR if you meet both of the following criteria: * your work permit, study permit or temporary resident status will expire in 2 weeks or less and * you’ve applied for permanent residence under one of the following classes: * the spouse or common-law partner in Canada class (SCLPC) as a spouse or common-law partner * the family class as a spouse, common-law or conjugal partner (sponsored overseas) ### How to apply for an open work permit

## Who can apply You can apply for an open work permit if you’re 1 of the following: * a spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner living in Canada who’s being sponsored for permanent residence * an accompanying dependent child of the principal applicant ### Principal permanent residence applicants When you (the person being sponsored for permanent residence) apply for your open work permit, you must also be * in a genuine relationship with your sponsor * included in an application for permanent residence, and have an acknowledgement of receipt (AOR) letter confirming that your permanent residence application is being processed * The AOR must be for your permanent resident application. It’s the AOR your sponsor receives from IRCC. * living in Canada with your sponsor #### How to recognize the AOR The AOR letter means that an officer has reviewed your application package and confirmed that it’s complete†ircc.canada.ca . The AOR letter contains your application number. The application number is in the top left corner of the letter and starts with an F. #### If you’re an accompanying dependent child To be eligible for an open work permit as a dependent child, you must meet both of these requirements: * The principal applicant you’re accompanying must be * in a genuine relationship with their sponsor * included in an application for permanent residence, and have an AOR letter confirming that their permanent residence application is being processed * It’s the AOR their sponsor receives from IRCC. * living in Canada with their sponsor * You must be living with your family member (the principal applicant) and their sponsor. #### Minimum age to work Before your dependent child†ircc.canada.ca works in Canada, check the minimum age required to work in the province/territory and in the job type they plan to work in. Canadian employers are responsible for meeting the requirements of the provincial labour laws. Open work permit holders must also comply with federal, provincial or territorial labour laws to work. ## Who can’t apply at this time

## The undertaking In the undertaking, you’ll commit to * financially supporting the people you’re sponsoring for a period of time , called the undertaking period * making sure the people you’re sponsoring won’t need to ask the government for social assistance * If they receive social assistance during the time you’re responsible for them, you’ll have to repay the amount. You won’t be able to sponsor anyone else until you’ve repaid it. ### How long you have to support someone The undertaking period begins once the people you’re sponsoring become permanent residents. Its length depends on who you’re sponsoring. Person you’re sponsoring | Length of undertaking period for all provinces except Quebec^{Footnote 1 } --- | --- Spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner | 3 years Dependent child 22 years of age and older^{Footnote 2 } | 3 years Dependent child under 22 years of age^{Footnote 2 } | 10 years or until the child becomes 25 years of age, whichever comes first Once your sponsored family members become permanent residents, there is no way to cancel or shorten the undertaking period. You’re responsible for them for the entire undertaking period, even if * the people you’re sponsoring become Canadian citizens * your relationship with the people you’re sponsoring changes * you or the people you’re sponsoring move to another province or country * you have financial problems (for example, job loss or debt) * you sent us a request to withdraw your sponsorship application and we processed it after the people you’re sponsoring became permanent residents You can only request to withdraw your sponsorship application before the people you’re sponsoring become permanent residents. ## The sponsorship agreement You and the people you’re sponsoring must agree to certain responsibilities during the undertaking period. We call this the sponsorship agreement. You’ll agree to provide for the basic needs of the people you’re sponsoring. This includes * food, clothing, shelter and other needs for everyday living * dental care, eye care and other health needs that aren’t covered by public health services The person you’re sponsoring will agree to make every reasonable effort to support themselves and their accompanying family members. Exception: Dependent children under 22 years old don’t sign the sponsorship agreement. ## Footnotes

### Work Permits (including extensions) Fees | $CAN --- | --- Work permit (including extensions) – per person | 155.00 Work permit (including extensions) – per group (3 or more performing artists)Maximum fee for a group of 3 or more performing artists applying at the same time and place | 465.00 Open work permit holder | 100.00 Restore your status as a worker Restore your status ($246.25) and get a new work permit ($155) | 401.25 Notes: Work permit maximum group fee: To qualify, you must be a group of three or more performing artists and their staff, and apply at the same time and place. If you also need visitor visas (temporary resident visas), you still need to pay for them individually. For visitor visas, the group fee only applies to families. ## Permanent Residence

### Valid temporary status To have valid temporary resident status, you must either * have a valid temporary resident permit * have a valid visitor record, work permit or study permit * have maintained your temporary resident status or * have applied for and are eligible for restoration of your status as a * visitor * worker or * student ### You have valid temporary resident status Once you get your AOR letter, you can apply for an open work permit. You must apply online in the IRCC secure account. #### Who’s eligible to apply for a work permit without an AOR

#### How to fill out the application form When you fill out your work permit 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 “SCLPC FC OWP” in the Job title box. * Enter “SCLPC FC applicant in Canada public policy” in the Brief description of duties box. Read the guide to find out how to fill out the rest of the form. #### Upload your documents

### Extend your open work permit You can extend your work permit for 2 more years under this public policy if you meet all of the following criteria: * You received your AOR for your permanent residence application. * Your permanent residence application is still being processed. * This means that no decision has been made on your application. ### You don’t have valid temporary resident status If your permanent residence application is being processed under the spousal public policy , you must wait until you’ve received your approval in principle letter to be eligible to apply for an open work permit. You can’t apply for an open work permit under another public policy or pilot program. #### If you’ve received your approval in principle letter and are out of status You need to apply on paper for your open work permit. You must include: * a letter explaining that you can’t apply online because you’re out of status and * a copy of your approval in principle letter ## Who’s eligible to apply for a work permit without an AOR

#### Minimum age to work Before your dependent child†ircc.canada.ca works in Canada, check the minimum age required to work in the province/territory and in the job type they plan to work in. Canadian employers are responsible for meeting the requirements of the provincial labour laws. Open work permit holders must also comply with federal, provincial or territorial labour laws to work. ## Who can’t apply at this time