How to get a Canadian Bridging Open Work Permit?
Published Date: 3rd November 2021
A Bridging Open Work Permit for Canada has been made more attainable for the skilled workers. This measure was taken because of increasing immigrations to Canada while fighting other global & economical factors. The processing time for permanent residency application of skilled workers has been slow and this is hindering their ability to retain their jobs in the country.
The main purpose of a BOWP is to help the foreign skilled workers currently residing in Canada to give them a chance to retain their jobs while their permanent residency applications are being processed.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has stated the average time to process one application 24 months or so. Many work permits end before the approval of their PR. Therefore the government took this matter into consideration. BOWP will aid these workers in meeting the time gap between the expiry of their Work Permit and application approval for PR by IRCC.
Eligibility for BOWP
Bridging Open Work Permit is not only helpful for the workers but it also helps the Canadian labor market to maintain their economy to a certain level. To be eligible to apply for a Bridging Open Work Permit you must have an application for permanent residency under one of the given programs:
Note: Make sure that you get a completeness check done by an IRCC official that entails the officer approving your documents, form, information, evidence, signature and fees required to apply for BOWP program. Also, you may now be eligible if your status has expired and you are eligible for restoration, or if you are in Canada on “maintained status.” Under the old rules, you were not eligible to apply for the BOWP if your work permit had expired.
Can you include your spouse/partner under BOWP?
Another advantage of applying to Bridging Open Work Permit is that the Spouse/Common-Law Partners of the primary applicant are eligible too to apply for Work Permit if their names have been included in the PR application. It must be noted that their approval of work permit cannot come before your approval for a BOWP. They can apply for their permit from inside/outside Canada but you must be in Canada to apply for your permit.
If you’ve applied for any of the given programs then your spouse must apply for an occupation which comes under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill level O, A or B. The programs are:
- Federal Skilled Worker Program
- Canadian Experience Class
- Caregiver applicants before June 18, 2019
- Agri-Food Pilot
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