Canada has made major changes to its Spousal Open Work Permit (SOWP) rules from January 21, 2025 and the new rules mainly affect spouses of international students and foreign workers and along with this the Canadian government is also planning another big change that may make language tests like IELTS important for some open work permit applicants in future.
These steps are a part of Canadian government’s larger plan to reduce the number of temporary residents and focus more on skilled workers who can later become permanent residents (PRs).
Earlier spouses of many international students and foreign workers could easily get an open work permit and this permit allowed them to work for almost any employer in Canada however from January 21, 2025 the rules became much stricter and now spouses of international students can get an open work permit only if the student is studying in:
• A master’s program of 16 months or longer
• A PhD or doctoral program
• Certain approved professional courses like medicine, law, engineering, pharmacy and similar fields
This means spouses of most bachelor’s degree students and college diploma students are no longer eligible for a Spousal Open Work Permit.
This change is especially important for Indian students because many students from Punjab and other parts of India move to Canada for college diploma or undergraduate programs and earlier their spouse could also move to Canada and work full-time through SOWP and that income often helped families manage rent, fees and daily expenses and now in many cases that option is no longer available.
For example:
• If a student is doing a normal bachelor’s degree the spouse may not get an open work permit
• If a student is doing a college diploma course the spouse is mostly not eligible
• Only students in higher-level programs like master’s or PhD can still help their spouse qualify easily
Canada has also changed rules for spouses of foreign workers and now spouses can generally get an open work permit only if the main worker is employed in:
• TEER 0 jobs which are management roles
• TEER 1 jobs which are professional jobs
Some TEER 2 and TEER 3 occupations are still allowed but only in shortage sectors like:
• Healthcare
• Construction
• Natural resources
• Education
• Sports
• Military
The worker must also have at least 16 months left on their own work permit when the spouse applies and dependent children of foreign workers are no longer eligible for open work permits under these rules.
Canada uses TEER system to classify jobs based on skill and training level and examples include:
• TEER 0: Managers
• TEER 1: Professional jobs like software engineers, doctors, accountants
• TEER 2 and 3: Skilled trades and technical jobs like truck drivers, welders, healthcare aides
According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) the goal is to reduce pressure on housing, healthcare and other public services and Canada says temporary resident numbers had crossed 3 million during 2023-24 and the government now wants tighter control over immigration programs while officials also say they want to focus more on workers who can successfully settle in Canada and later become permanent residents.
People who already received a Spousal Open Work Permit under older rules are not losing their status immediately and existing valid permits will continue till expiry while some people may also still qualify for renewals if they continue under same conditions as their original permit.
Another major proposal from IRCC is now creating concern among many future applicants as Canada is preparing possible new rules that may require certain open work permit applicants to submit English or French language test results and this proposal is not active yet but it is moving forward.
The Canadian government has already completed consultations with provinces and private stakeholders and the proposal may be officially published in Canada Gazette during spring or summer 2026 and after publication there will be a 30-day public comment period before any final decision is made.
At present IRCC has not officially confirmed which tests will be accepted or what scores will be needed however experts believe language exams like:
• IELTS General Training
• CELPIP General
• TEF Canada
• TCF Canada
could become part of the process for some open work permits and this is why IELTS and other language tests are becoming an important topic for people planning to move to Canada and Spousal Open Work Permit applicants are expected to be among the groups that may face these language requirements in future though IRCC has not officially confirmed this yet.
The Canadian government has clearly said that no new language test rule is active right now and this means:
• No applicant currently needs to submit IELTS because of this proposed new IMP rule
• No final score requirement has been announced
• No exact implementation date is confirmed yet
People planning to study or work in Canada are now being advised to carefully check:
• Their course type
• TEER category of job
• Spouse eligibility
• Future PR pathways
• Possible language test preparation
Experts say applicants should not panic but should stay informed because Canada’s immigration rules are changing quickly and for many Indian families especially from Punjab these changes may affect financial planning because spouses may no longer automatically get work rights in Canada while at the same time language ability is becoming more important in Canada’s immigration system especially for those hoping to later apply for permanent residence through Express Entry or Provincial Nominee Programs.