Work Permit Types

Open vs employer-specific permits

An open work permit (OWP) lets you work for almost any employer, in most locations, without a job offer or LMIA — maximum flexibility, but only available to specific categories of people. An employer-specific (closed) permit ties you to one named employer, job, and location, and usually needs a job offer plus either an LMIA (TFWP) or an LMIA exemption (International Mobility Program).

Key open work permit categories

• Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP): for eligible graduates of designated learning institutions, valid up to 3 years. Since November 1, 2024, applicants must meet language requirements (CLB 7 for university graduates, CLB 5 for college graduates). Degree graduates (bachelor's, master's, doctoral) have no field-of-study requirement; non-degree graduates whose study permit was applied for on or after November 1, 2024 must have studied in an eligible field tied to long-term shortage occupations (healthcare, STEM, agriculture, skilled trades, transport, natural resources).
• Spousal/common-law open work permit: for partners of certain workers or students — significantly narrowed on January 21, 2025 (see below).
• International Experience Canada (IEC) – Working Holiday: an open permit for youth (about 18–30 or 18–35 by country) from countries with a youth-mobility agreement.
• Bridging Open Work Permit (BOWP): lets eligible PR applicants (Express Entry and most PNP streams) keep working while IRCC processes their PR application, after it passes completeness.
• Vulnerable-worker open work permit: a short-term open permit so workers experiencing or at risk of abuse can leave an abusive employer.

Employer-specific: LMIA-based

Under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), the employer obtains a positive LMIA (see our LMIA Process Guide), then you apply for a work permit tied to that employer and job. This is the standard path when no LMIA exemption applies.

Employer-specific: LMIA-exempt (International Mobility Program)

The International Mobility Program (IMP) covers employer-specific permits that do NOT need an LMIA because they serve broader Canadian interests. Key categories: intra-company transferees (executives, senior managers, specialized-knowledge staff); CUSMA/USMCA professionals (eligible US and Mexican citizens in listed professions); significant-benefit and free-trade-agreement categories (e.g., CETA, CPTPP); and reciprocal exemptions. The employer must still submit an offer of employment through the IRCC portal and pay the employer compliance fee.

Spousal open work permits — 2026 update

Effective January 21, 2025, spouses of foreign workers generally qualify for an OWP only if the principal worker is in a TEER 0 or 1 occupation (or a select TEER 2/3 occupation on IRCC's list in priority sectors) and has at least 16 months of work authorization remaining. Dependent children are no longer eligible for a family OWP under this measure. Spouses of students are limited to partners of students in specific programs (e.g., master's, doctoral, and certain professional programs). In 2026, IRCC added exemptions to the 16-month rule (for example, spouses of Quebec-recruited healthcare professionals, and workers on a significant investment project in British Columbia). These rules are evolving — verify the current eligibility list with IRCC.

Work permit types at a glance

How permits build toward PR

Skilled Canadian work experience (NOC TEER 0–3) gained on most of these permits can count toward the Canadian Experience Class and many PNP streams. The PGWP is a common way graduates build that experience; TFWP and IMP permits let you accumulate skilled experience; and a BOWP lets you keep working while your PR application is processed. Note: as of mid-2026 a job offer no longer adds CRS points (removed March 25, 2025), but it can still support PNP eligibility.