Starting from January 21, 2025, the Canadian Immigration Department, or IRCC, will officially implement a new spouse work permit policy. This change will inevitably have an impact on many foreign workers and international student families who plan to develop in Canada. This policy has significantly increased the application threshold for spouse work visas, especially for low-income families or workers engaged in low-skilled jobs. The difficulty will rise significantly. Well, who will benefit and who will be affected? This article will explain it to you one by one.

1. Application conditions for work permit for spouse of international students

For many international students studying in Canada, the spouse work permit has always been a key immigration measure. With the help of a spouse work permit, many families can achieve a dual-income situation, reduce the pressure on life, and increase the possibility of immigration. However, with the implementation of the new policy, only international students who meet certain conditions can apply for a work permit for their spouse. The specific necessary requirements are as follows:

In a master's program, that is, a program with a study duration of 16 months or more, if international students are studying for such a master's program, then their spouses are eligible to apply for a work permit. For international students in short-term master's programs or other majors that are not in short supply, they no longer meet the conditions for applying for a spouse work permit.

Regarding doctoral programs, the spouse of a doctoral student can still apply for a work permit, and this application is not subject to restrictions on the length of study.

The situation involving specific majors and in-demand industries is that some majors related to Canadian in-demand industries, such as natural science majors, or construction majors, or medical majors, natural resources majors, and education majors, etc., all of which allow international students to apply for work visas from their spouses. The Canadian government will update the specific list of related majors in the future. For those international students whose studies are relatively short, the chances of their spouses applying for a work permit will be significantly reduced. The same is true for international students who are not related to in-demand industries. The opportunities for their spouses to apply for work visas will also be greatly reduced.

What this new regulation shows is that the chances of obtaining a spouse work permit based on the original study abroad status will be reduced, especially for the families of international students whose degree courses are relatively short, and for the families of international students who choose majors that are not in short supply.

New application conditions for foreign worker’s spouse work permit

In addition to international students, other foreign workers may also apply for work visas for their spouses. However, the new policy also provides stricter regulations in this regard. Specifically, whether a work permit holder can apply for a work permit for his or her spouse will depend on the type of job of the main applicant and the validity period of the work permit.

2. Occupational requirements of the main applicant:

TEER 0 or 1 positions, these positions are positions with the characteristics of high-skilled occupations in Canada. TEER 0 is a managerial category, while TEER 1 is a professional category. For workers engaged in TEER 0 or 1 positions, their spouses can apply for a work visa more easily. It is shown that the demand for such positions is relatively large, and most of them are high-paying positions. Therefore, their spouses can also find jobs relatively easily.

TEER Category II or III positions. If the main applicant is engaged in a technical position (TEER Category II), or an entry-level occupational position (TEER Category III), his or her spouse will only be eligible to apply for a work visa if they meet the conditions on the close occupation list. These intensive positions generally include jobs in fields such as health, education, and construction. Specific details will be officially announced on January 21, 2025.

There are requirements for the validity period of the work permit. If the main applicant’s work permit is not valid for 16 months, then his spouse will not be able to apply for a work permit. In other words, the main applicant’s work contract must be at least 16 months before he is qualified to support his spouse’s application for a work permit.

After the new policy is implemented, low-skilled workers in TEER2 positions and workers in TEER3 positions may encounter more obstacles and struggle to apply for a work permit for their spouses. This is undoubtedly a big challenge for many families who rely on spouse work visas to enter the Canadian labor market.

3. Background and practical impact of the new policy

The purpose of introducing this new policy is to improve the quality of spouse work permit applications, thereby ensuring that immigrant groups that meet the needs of Canada’s labor market will receive more support. However, as conditions change and new requirements arise as it is gradually tightened, not all foreign workers and families of international students are located there. In this overall situation, all of them can successfully enter Canada with the help of a spouse work permit in a relatively easy way and thus have their labor market access qualifications.

Especially for spouses of workers in low-skilled positions, their applications will be subject to more restrictions. For example, if the main applicant is engaged in TEER 2 or 3 positions, only the spouse who works in a shortage industry may be able to obtain a work permit. However, for some international students with a shorter education period, their spouses will no longer be eligible to apply for a work permit.

However, the tightening of work visas for spouses does not mean that all application channels will be closed. In fact, if the spouse can find a qualified employer or get a job opportunity with LMIA (labor market impact assessment) support, there is still the possibility of applying for other types of work permits. Therefore, the new policy does not completely block the work visa channel for spouses, but limits it to more stringent standards.

Generally speaking, Canada’s new policy for spouse work visas will be officially implemented on January 21, 2025. This policy will indeed have an impact on many foreign workers and international student families, especially those who regard the spouse work permit as a key way to enter the Canadian labor market. The tightening of policies has made it more difficult to apply, but it has also prompted people to re-examine immigration paths and explore more feasible options.