IEC Canada – Spouse or common-law partner open work permit 101

We get a lot of questions about International Experience Canada (IEC) work permits, especially from people going to Canada with a Working Holiday or Young Professionals permit.

“I just got my Working Holiday permit, can my partner come to Canada too?” “I’m heading to Canada on a Young Professionals work permit—what about my spouse?”

There’s no single answer, so read on for the different options available.

I’m an IEC work permit holder, can my spouse or common-law partner come with me to Canada?

Is it easier for the spouse or common-law partner of an IEC permit holder to come to Canada?

The rule for the three IEC work permit categories (Working Holiday, Young Professionals and International Co-op—Internship) is simple—each applicant must submit a profile in an IEC pool and applications are assessed separately. There is no guarantee that you will both be invited to apply for a work permit. If you get an invitation to apply, your spouse or common-law partner will NOT automatically get a work permit under IEC to come with you.

That said, your spouse or common-law partner may be eligible for a student visa or a spousal open work permit (SOWP). They could also come to Canada as a visitor.

What’s a common-law partnership?

In the context of immigration, a common-law partnership means that a couple has lived together for at least one year in a conjugal relationship. Evidence to support their cohabitation in a conjugal relationship may be required, e.g. both names on bills, joint lease, bank account, etc. The onus is on the applicant to prove that they have been living as common-law partners for at least one year.

A couple who lives with other roommates or at their parent’s place may not be considered as a common-law partnership.

What’s an open work permit?

An open work permit is a work permit that is not job-specific, i.e. you don’t need to have a job offer and you can work for any employer anywhere in Canada.

Is my spouse or common-law partner eligible for a spousal open work permit (SOWP)?

Your spouse or common-law partner may be eligible for a SOWP if you have at least 16 months left on your permit and:

• you have a valid study permit and are studying in a master’s or doctoral degree program (for more info, read Help your spouse or common-law partner work in Canada).
• you are working in an occupation under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) category 0 or 1. Certain jobs in TEER 2 or 3 (impacted by labour shortages) will also qualify. For more info on the applicable TEER 2 or 3 jobs, see Changes to open work permits for family members of temporary residents.

What are NOC TEER categories 0 and 1?

TEER 0: These occupations are management roles at the top of the organisational hierarchy of workplaces and businesses.

TEER 1: These are professional jobs that usually call for a degree from a university.

Your spouse or common-law partner’s work permit will be valid for the same period of time as your work or study permit. For example, if Mary holds a two-year Young Professionals permit and a TEER 1 job, her common-law partner is eligible to apply for a two-year open work permit. If Mary’s permit only has 16 months left when her partner applies for SOWP, they are now only eligible for a 16-month open work permit. If Mary has less than 16 months on her permit, her partner is no longer eligible for the SOWP.

If you have less than 16 months left on your permit, your partner is not eligible for a SOWP under the rules for 2025.

When can a spouse or common-law partner of an IEC permit holder apply for a SOWP?

Young Professionals permit holders

To apply for a Young Professionals work permit, you must have a job offer in Canada that contributes to your professional development. You must work for the same employer in the same location during your stay in Canada. The job offered in Canada must be classified as a NOC TEER category 0,1, 2 or 3 to be considered as contributing to your “professional development.” A NOC TEER 4 job might be accepted if you can submit a post-secondary diploma, certificate or degree with the work permit application.

For the SOWP:

Your spouse or common-law partner is eligible to apply for a SOWP if your Young Professionals permit:

• is tied to a NOC TEER 0 or 1 job, or a TEER 2 or 3 job that qualifies under labour shortages.
• comes with a job offer that has at least a six-month contract (i.e. not short-term work).
• is valid for at least 16 months (nationalities who are only eligible for 12-month IEC Young Professionals permits can no longer apply for a SOWP).

If the job offer was enough to qualify for a Young Professionals permit but not a SOWP (i.e. a TEER 4 job, a TEER 2 or 3 job that is not considered part of labour shortages, or a permit that is not valid for at least 16 months), your partner will not be able to apply for a SOWP.

Working Holiday permit holders

Things get a bit more complicated for Working Holiday permit holders because most open permit holders travel to Canada without a job offer. The spouse or common-law partner of a Working Holiday permit holder is only eligible to apply for a SOWP when the Working Holiday permit holder secures an eligible job.

The three following requirements must be met before the spouse or common-law partner of a Working Holiday permit can apply for a SOWP:

• The Working Holiday permit holder must have started working in Canada.
• The Working Holiday permit holder must have a minimum six-month contract for a skilled position and at least 16 months left on their permit.
• The Working Holiday permit holder must have received at least three Canadian payslips to prove the job is real.

For Working Holiday permit holders, there are two options for your spouse or common-law partner:

• Enter Canada as a visitor, wait for you to meet all the above requirements, then apply for a SOWP from inside Canada (online applications only, as flagpoling as been removed as an option). Note that your partner cannot work in Canada with a visitor status.
• Stay “home,” wait for you to find a job that will make them eligible for a SOWP, then apply for a SOWP from outside Canada. Common-law partners should know that if they live apart for more than 90 days, Canada may no longer consider them common-law partners!

Once the Working Holiday permit holder finds an eligible job and starts getting payslips, the spouse or common-law partner can apply for a SOWP. The SOWP will be valid for the same period as the Working Holiday permit (again, you can only apply if there is 16 months or more left on the Working Holiday permit).

Who can benefit from a SOWP?

A SOWP is great when a spouse or common-law partner:

• applied for an IEC permit but didn’t receive an invitation to apply.
• isn’t eligible to apply for one of the IEC permit categories because their country of citizenship doesn’t have a reciprocal agreement with Canada.
•  is over the age limit for the IEC permit categories (30 or 35 years old, depending on citizenship).

How can I apply for a SOWP?

Even if you meet all the requirements, you won’t automatically get an open work permit at the border. You must gather several supporting documents and fill out an online application.

What documents do I need?

Proof of relationship: If you’re married, you need to provide a photocopy of the marriage certificate or marriage licence (in English or French, or a certified translation if in another language). If you’re in a common-law relationship, you must fill out the Statutory Declaration of Common-Law Union (IMM 5409) and send proof listed on the form to support your relationship. Acceptable proof includes a joint lease or mortgage, joint bank account, etc. Note that both same and opposite-sex marriage or common-law partnership are recognised in Canada.

A copy of your spouse’s or common-law partner’s work permit (i.e. Young Professionals permit, Working Holiday permit, etc.): You will also have to present evidence of an eligible job (job offer confirmation, contract, recent payslips for Working Holiday permit holders, etc.)

When should I apply for an open work permit?

Provided you’re eligible, you can apply from inside or outside Canada.

Note that if you decide to fly together to Canada to apply from within the country, the spouse or common-law partner must apply for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) before the trip, otherwise they won’t be allowed to board the plane.

For your online application, simply create an account on the Government of Canada website and use the Come to Canada tool to check your eligibility.

Answer “Yes” to the question “Will you be coming to Canada with a spouse or common-law partner who is, or will be, working in Canada as a foreign worker or who is, or will be, a full-time student at a university, community college, CEGEP or other authorised educational institution? (required),” and you should see the following message: “You may be eligible to come to Canada to work with an open work permit.”

Click on “Continue” to get a personal checklist of all the documents you need to submit with your application, after choosing “A work permit for a spouse or common-law partner of a skilled worker or international student” from the drop-down menu.

The tool will walk you through the application (for free!) and all the forms will be available to download.

How much are the fees?

The total price of the open work permit is CA$340.

This is the breakdown of all fees:

What if I’m not eligible for a SOWP?

If you’re not eligible for an open work permit because your spouse or common-law partner does not meet the eligibility requirements or because you can’t prove your common-law status, you could travel to Canada as a tourist.

Most visitors get a six-month stay. However, border services officers may only allow you to stay for a shortened period of time if they do not believe you will leave Canada at the end of your stay as a visitor, or they believe you will work illegally as a visitor. It’s a good idea to bring along a copy of your return ticket, proof of accommodation, bank statements to show you have enough funds for the duration your stay (at least CA$1,000 per month), etc.

Read the basic requirements to enter Canada and take the short interview with the border officer seriously, as they must be convinced you’re meeting all the requirements. Do not travel with documents that suggest you could try to find a job in Canada. For instance, border officers can take a look at your computer or smartphone—Facebook posts like “I hope I can get paid under the table!” or documents like “Canadian resume” will NOT help your case…

Another option is to study in Canada as an international student. You could be eligible for a permit to work on or off campus.

For more info on Canada, read:

• Finding a job and working in Canada
• Finding accommodation in Canada
• Step-by-step guide to IEC Canada work permits

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