Since 21 January 2025 a spouse's or common-law partner's eligibility for an open work permit depends on the student's programme rather than on the fact that the student is studying. They may be eligible if the student holds a valid study permit and is studying in a master's programme of 16 months or longer, in a doctoral programme, in one of the listed professional degree programmes at a university (among them medicine, dentistry, law, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, nursing, education and engineering), or is participating in one of the programmes IRCC lists separately by province. A master's programme shorter than 16 months is not on that list, and this is the most common reason a family's arithmetic does not survive contact with the rule. The student themselves may work up to 24 hours per week off campus without a separate work permit, provided they are a full-time student at a designated learning institution and meet the other conditions, and without an hours limit during scheduled breaks. The spouse's permit is normally issued for the same period as the student's study permit.
- The rule changed on 21 January 2025: an open work permit for a spouse no longer follows automatically from the student's status.
- A master's programme counts only if it runs 16 months or longer. A twelve-month programme confers no eligibility, though it is formally a master's as well.
- A doctoral programme qualifies with no condition as to length.
- The list of professional programmes is closed: DDS and DMD, LLB, JD and BCL, MD, OD, PharmD, BS, BSc and BPharm, DVM, BScN, BSN, BNSc, BN, BEd, BEng, BE and BASc.
- A separate list of programmes runs by province, from the Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot to bridging programmes in British Columbia, Ontario, Manitoba and Quebec.
- The student may work up to 24 hours per week off campus; permits issued earlier stating 20 hours are not reissued, and the current rule applies.
- Remote work for an employer outside Canada does not count towards the 24-hour limit.
- The spouse's permit normally runs for the same period as the student's study permit.
- IRCC contacts employers and verifies documents: an open permit does not allow work for an employer on the non-compliance list.
What actually changed
The question used to be simple: the student has been admitted, therefore the spouse may apply for an open work permit. Since 21 January 2025 the question is a different one: which programme was the student admitted to. IRCC frames the entitlement through a list rather than through status, and a family that planned on two incomes may find it is entitled to plan on one.
| The student's programme | Spouse eligible | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Master's of 16 months or longer | Yes | What counts is the length of the programme, not the level as such |
| Master's shorter than 16 months | No | The most common reason a family's arithmetic does not match the rule |
| Doctoral programme | Yes | With no condition as to length |
| Listed professional programmes | Yes | The list is closed; see below |
| Programmes on the provincial lists | Yes | A separate list, each entry with a start date |
| Undergraduate study in general | No | Unless the programme is among the professional degrees listed |
IRCC sets out the list of professional university programmes literally, and it is worth reading as a list of designations rather than as a description of fields: Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS, DMD), Bachelor of Law or Juris Doctor (LLB, JD, BCL), Doctor of Medicine (MD), Doctor of Optometry (OD), pharmacy (PharmD, BS, BSc, BPharm), Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM), Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN, BSN), Bachelor of Nursing Science (BNSc), Bachelor of Nursing (BN), Bachelor of Education (BEd), Bachelor of Engineering (BEng, BE, BASc).
The separate list of programmes by province
Beyond the level and the professional list there is a set of programmes whose participants are eligible in their own right. It is organised by province, and each entry carries the date from which the programme was recognised.
| Province or territory | Programme | In effect from |
|---|---|---|
| Outside Quebec | Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot (FMCSP) | 26 August 2024 |
| Quebec | Recognition of qualifications for internationally recruited nurses | 30 April 2024 |
| Quebec | Recognition of qualifications for foreign-trained respiratory therapists and medical technologists | 21 January 2025 |
| Ontario | Supervised Practice Experience Partnership | 21 January 2025 |
| Manitoba | Nurse Re-Entry (Red River College Polytechnic) | 21 January 2025 |
| British Columbia | Internationally Educated Midwives Bridging Program and the Canadian Pharmacy Practice Program (UBC), Post-Degree Diploma: Nursing Practice in Canada (Langara College) | 21 January 2025 |
How much the student themselves may work
This is the second question whose answer is often out of date. A student studying full time at a designated learning institution and meeting the other conditions of their study permit may work up to 24 hours per week off campus without a separate work permit. More than one job may be held, as long as the total stays within the limit.
- The 24-hour limit applies even where the study permit itself states 20 hours: IRCC says directly that the current rule governs and that the permit need not be reissued.
- During breaks scheduled by the institution — summer and winter holidays, a reading week — the hours limit does not apply.
- Remote work for an employer outside Canada does not count towards the limit, provided the other conditions of the study permit are met.
- The right to work off campus exists only while the conditions of the study permit are met: ceasing full-time study ends it.
What happens after graduation
The post-graduation work permit is a separate matter with rules of its own, and it too has changed in recent years. Since 1 November 2024 most applicants must provide proof of language results when they apply. Graduating from a designated learning institution does not by itself confer eligibility: the programme must be among those that qualify.
- For master's programmes, as of 15 February 2024, a special rule applies: a three-year permit is possible even where the programme ran less than two years, provided it was at least eight months long (or 900 hours for Quebec programmes). This does not extend to certificate or diploma programmes.
- For all other programmes: where the programme ran from eight months to under two years, the permit may be issued for a period comparable to the programme; at two years or more, for up to three years.
- The permit is limited by the validity of the passport: if the passport expires first, the permit is issued only to that date, and an extension is applied for on paper once a new passport is in hand.
- The PGWP is granted once: a second permit after a subsequent programme is not available.
What this looks like in planning
- 01The exact length of the programme
Not the level and not the title, but the number of months in the official description. The sixteen-month boundary runs through the middle of the category called master's.
- 02The designation of the degree
IRCC's list is built on designations: a BEng confers eligibility, while a programme close to it in content but differently designated may not.
- 03The status of the institution
A designated learning institution is a condition both for off-campus work and for the PGWP. Whether the particular programme is PGWP-eligible is checked separately.
- 04Evidence of the relationship
IRCC asks for proof of the relationship and proof of the student's enrolment: a letter of acceptance, a proof of enrolment letter or transcripts.
- 05Passport validity
No permit is issued beyond the validity of the passport. This bears on the PGWP and on the family's planning generally.
The check takes one conversation and is done before the application to the university, because after admission the length of the programme can no longer be changed.
Frequently asked questions
My spouse is starting a one-year master's. Will I be able to work?
Under the rules in force since 21 January 2025, an open work permit for a spouse presupposes a master's programme of 16 months or longer. A twelve-month programme does not meet that condition unless it falls within the list of professional programmes or the provincial lists. This does not mean no work is possible at all: IRCC notes that where this open permit is not available, another type of work permit may be. But it is issued on different grounds and is not open by default.
The student is entering an undergraduate programme. Does that confer eligibility?
In general, no. The exception is the professional programmes IRCC lists, among which at undergraduate level are the Bachelor of Engineering (BEng, BE, BASc), the Bachelor of Education (BEd) and the nursing degrees (BScN, BSN, BNSc, BN), along with the Bachelor of Law or Juris Doctor. What decides it is not the level as such but whether the programme appears on the list.
How many hours a week may the student work?
Up to 24 hours per week off campus, without a separate work permit, while studying full time at a designated learning institution and meeting the other conditions of the study permit. Where a permit states 20 hours, the current 24-hour rule applies and the document does not need to be reissued. During scheduled breaks the hours limit does not apply. Remote work for an employer outside Canada does not count towards the limit.
For how long will the spouse's permit be issued?
As a general rule, for the same period as the student's study permit. Any extension of status is therefore planned for the family as a whole rather than individually.
How does the spouse apply?
In most cases online, and separately from the student. What is needed: proof of the student's enrolment — a valid letter of acceptance, a proof of enrolment letter or transcripts — proof of participation in a qualifying programme where that applies, and documents evidencing the relationship. IRCC notes that because of a technical issue with online applications, separate instructions govern how the form is completed for these permits.
May the holder work for any employer?
An open work permit allows work for any employer in Canada except two categories: employers on the official list of those who have failed to comply with the conditions of the programme, and employers who regularly offer striptease, erotic dance, escort services or erotic massages.
The rules in this area have changed three times in two years, and material written before 2025 describes an arrangement that no longer exists. We recheck them before every recommendation and state the date of checking in the text itself.