Open Work Permit for Spouse

[pamelak]

Hi All,
I wanted to share my experience with any one looking for more details on open work permit.

There is very limited literature available online on this topic and I myself struggled to figure out things as I moved through the process, hence thought of describing the key steps and associated timelines .

You can apply the open work permit online ( your eligibility is well defined on the CIC website) or through paper forms.
My husband came here on a closed WP from his company in Oct 2016 . He applied for our TRV's while we were back in our home country and we decided to come here in August 2017. At the port of entry I tried to get the open work permit but since my husband was not with me , the officer refused to issue the permit( though I had all the documents required). I applied the open work permit online on 28th August after arrival. On 30th oct 2017 I got an email mentioning that my WP is approved and within 5 working days I got it by post on my Canadian home address. So the total process from application to getting the open WP took about 10 weeks.
I assume this waiting period could be avoided had I applied the same when I was in home country which is definitely an option.
Hope this information helps for anyone exploring the OWP application process.

Thanks,
Pam.

 

[scylla]

Hi All,
I wanted to share my experience with any one looking for more details on open work permit.

There is very limited literature available online on this topic and I myself struggled to figure out things as I moved through the process, hence thought of describing the key steps and associated timelines .

You can apply the open work permit online ( your eligibility is well defined on the CIC website) or through paper forms.
My husband came here on a closed WP from his company in Oct 2016 . He applied for our TRV's while we were back in our home country and we decided to come here in August 2017. At the port of entry I tried to get the open work permit but since my husband was not with me , the officer refused to issue the permit( though I had all the documents required). I applied the open work permit online on 28th August after arrival. On 30th oct 2017 I got an email mentioning that my WP is approved and within 5 working days I got it by post on my Canadian home address. So the total process from application to getting the open WP took about 10 weeks.
I assume this waiting period could be avoided had I applied the same when I was in home country which is definitely an option.
Hope this information helps for anyone exploring the OWP application process.

Thanks,
Pam.

FYI - this topic is extensively discussed in the Foreign Workers section of the forum. That's where I would recommend that anyone with questions about the process go.