Blue Bird Blog

Canada family sponsorship: Open Work Permits now also available for outland applications

Family reunification is a core pillar in Canada’s immigration strategy and a new measure by Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) aims to make it possible for more families to be together. Spouses, partners, and dependents of permanent residents, Canadian citizens, temporary workers, and students already in Canada may now be eligible for an Open Work Permit.

Previously, open work permits were only available to applicants through inland sponsorship, or those who were already living in Canada on a Temporary Residence Visa (TRV). The new measure means those who are applying from outside of Canada (outland sponsorship) are now eligible for open work permits.

Family members are defined as spouses, common-law partners, conjugal partners, and dependent children over 18 years old.

IRCC aims to process all spousal sponsorship applications within 12 months.

Eligibility for open work permits

According to IRCC, family members who have a valid temporary resident status, maintained their status or are eligible for and have applied to restore their status, and have the same residential address as their sponsor in Canada when they apply for an open work permit, may be eligible for an open work permit.

IRCC public policy says that officers may grant an open work permit to foreign nationals who meet either one of the following conditions:

The foreign national is:

A principal applicant who has submitted a permanent residence application under the spouse or common law partner in Canada or as a spouse, common-law or conjugal partner under the family class that has been accepted for processing by IRCC
Has submitted a work permit application, where the duration of the work permit requested is a maximum of two years
Is the subject of a sponsorship application submitted by their Canadian citizen or permanent resident spouse, common law or conjugal partner
Has the same residential address as their sponsor in Canada at the time of the application, and
Has valid temporary resident status in Canada or is eligible for and has applied for restoration of status

The foreign national is:

A dependent child that has been included as an accompanying family member in the application for permanent residence
Has submitted a work permit application where the duration of the work permit requested is for a maximum of two years
Has the same residential address as the principal applicant and their sponsor in Canada at the time of the application, and
Has valid temporary resident status in Canada or is eligible for and has applied for restoration of status

Canada’s ongoing commitment to family reunification

The above measure was announced on May 26 by Immigration Minister Sean Fraser.

The introduction of open work permits for outland spousal sponsorship came along with other family reunification measures such as:

Faster temporary resident visa (TRV) processing times for spousal applicants
New and dedicated processing tools for spousal TRV applicants
Open work permit extensions for open work permit holders expiring between August 1st and the end of 2023

Fraser said IRCC is committed to reuniting families faster and allowing them to work and support themselves more quickly once they are here. He said by doing so, Canada is helping newcomers achieve their true potential, while also strengthening Canada’s economy and social fabric.

Source: cicnews.com

Family Sponsorship

How long will it take to become a permanent resident of Canada in 2024?

Foreign nationals seeking permanent residence (PR) in Canada often look for the fastest pathway to achieving their goal and starting a new life in this country.
On a basic level, Canada has four primary immigration classes: economic immigration, family-class sponsorship, humanitarian/compassionate immigration and immigration for refugees/protected persons.
However, within those four general classifications, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) provides foreign nationals with more than 100 ways to immigrate to Canada.

Canada’s commitment to reuniting families and keeping them together

Canada recently renewed its commitment to keeping families together, a central goal of the country’s current immigration system.
Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has put into practice new procedures intended to accelerate family reunification, ensuring that dependants and spouses who may not otherwise be eligible to come to Canada, now have a pathway to reunite with their families.

Canada’s new immigration minister is Marc Miller

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced major changes to his cabinet this morning at 10:30 AM Eastern Time.
Canada’s new immigration minister is Marc Miller, a Member of Parliament from Quebec. Miller recently served as Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, a role meant to support the self-determination of Canada’s Indigenous peoples. Canada’s most recent Immigration Minister, Sean Fraser, will now become Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities.

IRCC processing spousal TRVs in 30 days with a 90% approval rate

Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) now has a processing time of 30 days for Temporary Resident Visas (TRVs) for spousal applicants.
The measure applies to spousal applicants who have already applied for permanent residency in Canada. Rather than require applicants to remain in their home countries while awaiting IRCC’s decision, they can now come to Canada while they wait for their application to be processed.

Open-work permits available for spouses, partners and children of sponsors

During the processing of a family class sponsorship application, some sponsored spouses, partners, and their dependent children, will come to Canada as temporary residents to be with their sponsor. Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced at the end of May a temporary public policy allowing these individuals to work in Canada while their application is being processed.

Facing delays in your immigration application? Here are some steps you can take

When applying to work, study or immigrate to Canada, a foreign national must submit their application to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). IRCC has service standards that provide the usual processing times for applications. However, there can be delays to these processing standards, causing the processing time of the application to be much longer than IRCC’s service standard.