Canada extends policy to give PNP candidates open work permits

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has extended the policy to offer open work permits (OWPs) to provincial nominee candidates.

Under this temporary public policy, eligible foreign nationals can receive open work permits (OWPs) valid for up to two years.

To be eligible, the foreign national must have a valid profile in an expression of interest (EOI) pool from a participating province or territory and must have a support letter from the province or territory, in addition to meeting other requirements.

This article will cover

Who can apply for an OWP under this policy;
Which PNPs have signed on to this public policy; and
How to submit an OWP application.

This temporary public policy has been extended until 31 December, 2025.

Schedule a Free Work Permit Consultation with the Cohen Immigration Law Firm

Who is eligible to apply for an OWP through this policy?

To be eligible for a work permit under this temporary public policy, you must

Provide a letter of employment from your current employer; and
Provide a support letter from the province or territory you are currently working and living in.

You must also fall into at least one of the following three situations:

Situation 1: Valid work permit.
- You currently hold a valid work permit.
Situation 2: Expired work permit + applied for extension of authorization or restoration of status.
- You held a valid work permit as of May 7, 2024, which has since expired; and
- You’ve applied for an extension of your authorization to remain in Canada as a temporary resident, OR you’ve applied for restoration of your temporary resident status.
Situation 3: Held maintained status + extension application pending or approved.
- As of May 7, 2024, you had maintained status on account of having submitted an application for an extension of your work permit prior to 7 May 2024; and
- That application was approved or remains pending.

To date, three PNPs have implemented this temporary public policy and begun issuing work permit support letters:

Alberta (Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP));
Manitoba (Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP)); and
Yukon (Yukon Nominee Program (YNP)).

Exemptions to Regulations under this policy

Under this temporary public policy, if you fall into situation two you may be exempted from

Being required to apply for restoration of temporary resident status within 90 days of having lost your temporary resident status; and/or
Not being eligible for a work permit on account of having worked without authorization or having failed to comply with the conditions of your work authorization.

How to obtain a provincial or territorial support letter

Before you can apply for an OWP through this policy, you must receive an open work permit (OWP) support letter from a PNP that has signed on to this public policy. This letter confirms that you are in an Expression of Interest (EOI) pool under a participating PNP.

Processes and conditions for receiving an OWP support letter differ from province to province, with these letters being issued at the discretion of provincial immigration authorities.

This public policy applies to PNP candidates who are under consideration for nomination, not to foreign nationals who have already applied for nomination.

How to apply for an OWP under this policy

If you meet all the eligibility criteria, you can follow these steps to apply for an OWP under this policy:

Step 1: Ensure You Have the Required Documents

To apply online, you will will need:

A scanner or camera to create digital copies of your documents; and
A valid credit or debit card.

Step 2: Review the Instruction Guide

Before filling out the application form, you should read the instruction guide. This guide provides detailed explanations on how to complete each field on the form.

Note: If you need to apply to restore your status, you must indicate this on application form IMM 5710. Under question three “I am applying for one or more of the following:” choose the option for “Restore my status as a worker”. You may then provide further details on your situation in the “client information” section on the application page of your IRCC secure account, under “optional documents”.

Step 3: Be Aware of the Fees You Need to Pay

In most cases, the fees will include processing costs for both you and anyone included in your application.

The following fees may be applicable:

Fee type	Fee amount
Work permit fee	$ 155 CAD
Open work permit holder fee	$ 100 CAD
Restoration of status fee (if applying to restore temporary status in Canada)	$ 239.75 CAD

You will be prompted to pay these fees at the end of your application.

Step 4: Create or sign in to an IRCC Secure Account online

You need an account to apply online. Through this account, you can:

Pay needed fees;
Submit your application; and
Check your application status.

Click here to register or sign-in to an IRCC Secure Account.

Step 5: Obtain the correct document checklist

After signing in or creating an IRCC secure account, you will be prompted to answer a few questions to receive a personalized document checklist.

This checklist will include most of the documents that need to be uploaded.

If you are using an Authorized Paid Representative (APR), you may have your representative submit the application on your behalf through the APR Portal. You must declare your use of a representative. If you fail to declare your use of a representative, you risk your application being denied.

When applying for an open work permit through this policy you should answer “yes” to the following question when prompted. The bolded option applies to anyone applying through this public policy:

Does one of the following apply to you?

I am the subject of an unenforceable removal order.
I applied for a study or work permit before entering Canada that was approved but not issued at a port of entry.
I am a student in primary or secondary school or a visiting/exchange student in Canada with visitor status.
I am applying for an open work permit under an active public policy or pilot program announced by IRCC.
I am a student who has completed a prerequisite program of study for enrollment at a designated learning institution with visitor status in Canada.
I applied for permanent residence and was found eligible (first stage approval) under one of the following categories:
- Spouse or common-law partner in Canada
- Humanitarian and compassionate cases
- Protected persons in Canada
- Live-in caregiver in Canada

Step 6: Complete the application forms

Once you have generated your document checklist, you must follow the on-screen instructions to fill out your application and pay the necessary fees.

When completing the work permit application form, provide the following information in the “Details of Intended Work in Canada” section:

Box 1 – What type of work permit are you applying for?
- Choose “Open Work Permit.”
Box 4 – Job title and Brief description of duties
- Enter the correct provincial code in both the Job title and Brief description of duties fields.

Provincial and Territorial Codes:

For Alberta: Use the code ABEOI2024.
For Manitoba: Use the code MBEOI2024.
For Yukon: Use the code YKEOI2024.

Step 7: Upload documents

The document checklist will contain most of the documents required. Here are the additional documents you must upload in support of your OWP application:

A copy of your valid passport;
Family Information form [IMM 5707];
A digital photo;
A support letter issued by the province or territory where you reside and work (Alberta, Manitoba, or Yukon);
A copy of your current work permit (if applicable); and
A letter of employment from your current employer.

To meet upload requirements for the following documents, IRCC advises newcomers applying under the OWP policy to upload a page that states “not applicable”:

Employment reference letter;
Employment records; and
Employment contract.

Rationale for the temporary public policy

This temporary public policy supports the federal government's goal of reducing the number of temporary residents as a percentage of Canada's overall population, by helping to provide work status to foreign nationals attempting to transition to permanent residence through PNP programs.

Benefits of an (OWP)

OWPs in Canada provide the flexibility for newcomers to work for most employers across most industries throughout the country.

Moreover, the validity of an OWP is typically pre-determined and not dependent on a specific job, unlike employer-specific work permits, which are often referred to as “closed” work permits.

As a result, OWPs are generally more desirable to newcomers compared to closed work permits.

Schedule a Free Work Permit Consultation with the Cohen Immigration Law Firm