Open work permit in Canada: How to add dependents

The new open work permit in Canada for essential workers and international student graduates opened on July 26, and will be valid until December 31, 2022. If you currently work in Canada under a temporary visa, you are eligible for the open work permit while your permanent residency application is processed. CIC News reported that applicants to the temporary residence to permanent residence (TR to PR) pathways could also add their family members to the bridging open work permit.

The new open work permit in Canada opened July 26, specifically for TR to PR applicants in the country. It allows them to keep working while they wait on the results of their application for permanent residence if they do not get a decision before their current status expires. According to the report, principal applicants can also include their family members on the work permit. Family members, however, must also be in Canada and meet the work permit’s eligibility requirements.

Eligibility of family members for the open work permit in Canada

The Canadian government notes that family members may be eligible for the open work permit in Canada if they meet all of the following:

• are a spouse/common-law partner or a dependent child of a principal applicant for the PR pathway
• must be 18 years of age or older
• are in Canada
• apply online
• the principal applicant is eligible for an open work permit for this public policy
• the principal applicant included you as an accompanying family member in the PR application

Family members can apply online at the same time as the principal applicant. Depending on the applicant’s situation, they may need marriage certificates, birth certificates, or the Statutory Declaration of Common-Law Union if they are in a common-law relationship. 

Other documents needed include a copy of the generic immigration form, IMM 0008, where the principal applicant listed the applicant as a family member. Bear in mind that immigration officers may ask for additional information if they have any concerns about the genuineness of the relationship.

Previously, Canadian Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marco Mendicino announced that international students in Canada would be among the beneficiaries of the open work permit in Canada on July 15. For more details about the open work permit in Canada, click here.