Canada Relaxes Open Work Permit Rules for Spouses & Children
The government of Canada announced on December 2, 2022, that they would temporarily relax the Open Work Permit Eligibility Criteria for spouses and working-age children of workers at all skill levels.
Presently, Open work eligibility is only available to spouses and working-age children of workers with jobs in skill levels 0, A, and B (Teer 0, 1,2,3).
To address the labour market shortage, IRCCwill expand the eligibility to all skills levels 0, A, B, C, and D (Teer 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5). This change is temporary for two years, starting from January 2023. It will be a phased approach.
Phase 1 will be for workers whose salary is higher than the median wage of the province or who got their work permit under the International Mobility Program.
Phase 2 aims to expand the eligibility criteria for people with wages less than the median wage of the province
Phase 3 will expand the eligibility criteria for family members of agricultural workers.