Canada to reduce Spousal Open Work Permits by more than 1,00,000 over the next 3 years

Plans to significantly reduce Spousal Open Work Permits (SOWPs) by over 100,000 over the next three years, as announced by Immigration Minister Marc Miller. New eligibility restrictions will limit SOWPs for spouses of students in certain master's and doctoral programs, allowing permits only for those in master's programs lasting at least 16 months.

Canada is set to reduce Spousal Open Work Permits (SOWPs) by more than 1,00,000 over the next 3 years. The country's Immigration Minister Marc Miller noted that the department will be introducing further limits on SOWP eligibility for spouses of students in doctoral and certain master’s programs, select professional programs, and certain pilot programs, as per a CIC report.

This includes limiting work permit eligibility to spouses of master’s degree students to “only those whose program is at least 16 months in duration.”

The changes are in addition to Canada's announcement earlier this year that SOWPs would be available only to the spouses of students in specific master’s or doctoral programs at Canadian designated learning institutions (DLIs), with some exceptions for undergraduate degrees in high demand.

This situation is compounded by Canada's choice to count master's and doctoral students toward the cap on study permits for 2025. According to the department, 12% of the 437,000 study permits available for that year are reserved for these students. However, master's and PhD students are not subject to the study permit cap for 2024.