New open work permit for applicants who have applied to the TR to PR pathway
On July 15th, IRCC announced a new open work permit for applicants who have applied to the TR to PR pathway and are awaiting results of their application.
As part of the TR to PR pathway you have to maintain your temporary resident status until a decision is made on your permanent resident application. So this new work permit gives options to essential workers and graduates that have applied to the pathway but have a work permit which will expire before the results of their application come in.
The new open work permit will accept applications from July 26th, 2021.
Work permits issued under this scheme will be valid until December 31st, 2022.
If you apply to extend your work permit before your current one expires, you may maintain your status and have authorization to work without a permit under the same conditions as your original one while the new permit is being processed.
Your (i.e. the TR to PR applicant’s) spouse or common-law partner and dependent children 18 years or older can also apply for the open work permit if they are in Canada.
Keep in mind that you might already qualify to extend your status in Canada under an existing program or under one of the temporary measures put in place due to the pandemic. So you should check which option is best for your situation.
Eligibility criteria for the open work permit
To be eligible for this new open work permit you must meet the following eligibility criteria:
- You must have already submitted an application to one of the TR to PR pathway streams
- Your current work permit is set to expire within the next four months
- You must have temporary resident status, maintained status or are eligible to restore your status when you submit your application for the open work permit
- You have to be in Canada when you submit the open work permit application
These criteria for the open work permit are obviously in addition to the criteria which you already met to apply to the TR to PR pathway in the first place.
How to apply for the new open work permit
Applications are not yet being taken for the new open work permit for TR to PR applicants – it will open on July 26th, 2021.
IRCC have said that applications for the open work permit will be done online but have not released any other information yet. They have said that further details on how to apply will be published on July 26th.
You can get what details they’ve released here.