SPOUSAL WORK PERMIT
Spousal Work permit
Are you not sure whether your spouse is eligible to apply for an open work permit? To be an authorised foreign national to work in Canada, you would desire your spouse and dependent children to join you in Canada. This is where spousal open work permit comes to your rescue.
A spousal open work permit enables your spouse to work for any employer in Canada. Besides that it also allows your children to pursue their education in Canadian schools.
Both principal work permit and spousal work permit can be applied simultaneously. However, there are cases where the employer of the spouse might be required to apply for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).
Assessing the type of documents and eligibility criteria required for applying for a spousal work permit is depends upon the status of the principal in Canada.
Types of Spousal Work Permits
-If the principal is a foreign worker
For one to be eligible for the spousal work permit, the principal foreign worker must be working as a skilled employee at a job that falls under the 0, A or B category of skill levels of National Occupational Classification (NOC). These jobs can be managerial, professional, technical or of skilled trading. Also, while applying for a spousal open work permit, one is also required to provide documents proving the principal’s current employment.
Moreover, the work permit of the principal applicant must be valid for at least six months. However, if the principal applicant is authorised to work in Canada without a work permit, then it should be demonstrated that he/she has been working in the country for the past six months.
– If the principal is a student
For the spouse to be eligible for the work permit, the principal must have a valid status of a student in Canada and should be pursuing a full-time course at:
- A college or University;
- Authorized private post-secondary institution; or
- A Canadian private institution provincially recognized to confer degrees
