Canada slashes spousal work permits for international students by 50,000 over next three years

Canada’s spousal open work permit (SOWP) scheme has recently made changes that will lead to 50,000 fewer permits being issued over the next three years to spouses of international students.

This affects spouses of students enrolled in doctoral and certain master’s programmes, select professional courses and specific pilot programmes.

Canada’s immigration minister, Minister Miller, recently announced this saying that the changes apply only to those whose programme lasts at least 16 months.

Additionally, the decision by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to include master’s and doctoral students in the cap on study permits issued in 2025 will further impact these permits.

The IRCC has allocated 12% of the 437,000 study permits for 2025 to these students, while master’s and PhD students remain exempt from the 2024 cap.

Temporary foreign workers also affected

Changes are also being introduced to Spousal Open Work Permits (SOWPs) outside of the international student programme.

The IRCC has announced plans to limit eligibility for these permits to spouses of highly skilled and specialised workers.

This includes roles such as C-suite executives, scientists, engineers, lawyers, professors, and technicians, as well as spouses of workers in industries facing significant labour shortages.

These adjustments are expected to result in 100,000 fewer SOWPs being granted over the next three years.

Essentially, this means that only spouses of individuals in high-demand, specialised professions will be eligible for work permits, reducing the overall number of permits issued.

Eligible course programs for SOWP

As of 30 April this year, spouses of international students became eligible to apply for a Spousal Open Work Permit (SOWP) if the sponsor is an international student enrolled in a master’s or doctoral programme or one of the following professional degree programmes:

1. Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS, DMD)
2. Bachelor of Law or Juris Doctor (LLB, JD, BCL)
3. Doctor of Medicine (MD)
4. Doctor of Optometry (OD)
5. Pharmacy (PharmD, BS, BSc, BPharm)
6. Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM)
7. Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN, BSN, BNSc)
8. Bachelor of Education (B. Ed.)
9. Bachelor of Engineering (B. Eng., BE, BASc)