New rules now in effect for families of foreign students and workers in Canada

Canada continues to tighten its immigration policies, and new work permit changes will affect some families of international students and foreign workers.

As part of the changes announced last year, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is implementing new eligibility requirements for open work permits (OWP) for some family members of international students and foreign workers.

"Effective January 21, 2025, only spouses of certain international students and foreign workers will be able to apply for a family OWP," reads a news release.

As a result, dependent children of foreign workers will no longer be able to apply for a work permit. These changes won't affect spouses of workers covered by free-trade agreements or those transitioning to permanent resident status.

Spouses of international students are only eligible for a work permit if the student is enrolled in:

• A master's program that lasts 16 months or longer
• A doctoral program
• Select professional and eligible programs

Similarly, work permits will only be approved for spouses of foreign workers employed in:

• Jobs based on the training, education, experience, and responsibilities (TEER) category. Foreign workers must be employed in TEER 0 or 1 occupations. These include management jobs (advertising, marketing and public relations managers, or financial managers) or occupations that require a university degree (financial advisors or software engineers).
• Select TEER 2 or 3 jobs in sectors dealing with labour shortages or linked to government priorities. These include occupations in the natural and applied sciences, construction, health care, natural resources, education, sports, and military sectors.

Foreign workers must also have a minimum of 16 months remaining on their work permits when their spouse applies for a work permit.

Work permits that haven't expired and were approved before January 21, 2025, are still valid. Should a student require more time to finish their program, their spouse and dependent children can apply to renew their work permit as long as they still meet the criteria as the current work permit that they're on and that the requested duration matches the principal applicant's study or work permit.

Alternatively, family members who don't meet the requirements for a family OWP can apply for other types of work permits for which they're eligible.

As Canada aims to cut immigration targets in the next three years, IRCC is set to implement more changes this year.