Open work permit – General processing and issuance – International Mobility Program (IMP)

melo Uncategorized January 22, 2026 | 0

An open work permit can only be issued to a foreign national under one of the International Mobility Program (IMP) administrative codes.

The instructions on this page should be reviewed in conjunction with

Conditions and validity period on work permits

An open work permit enables a person to work for any employer in Canada for a specified period of time. An open restricted permit may restrict the occupation or location but not the employer.

Note: Although there are no restrictions on the open work permit concerning the employer name, the foreign national is still subject to the general conditions imposed on all temporary residents under subsection 183(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR), including paragraph R183(1)(b.2), which states that the foreign national cannot work for an employer who is ineligible (see Public list of employers who have been non-compliant).

Open work permit holders also cannot enter into or extend an employment agreement with an employer who, on a regular basis, offers striptease, erotic dance, escort services or erotic massage.

A foreign national may apply for an open work permit outside Canada, at a port of entry or after arrival to Canada, as per program requirements.

Types of open work permits

There are 2 types of open work permits:

unrestricted
restricted, which can mean
- occupational restrictions, for example, depending on the applicant’s medical status [R185(b)] or work permit category
- location restrictions, for example, depending on the work permit category (such as a bridging open work permit under the provincial nominee class)

Work permit issuance in the Global Case Management System (GCMS): Unrestricted

Under the Application screen, enter the following:

Field	Selection or input
Province of destination	Unknown
City of destination	Unknown Note that the name of the city is entered automatically from the IMM 1295 or IMM 5710 form. Officers are required to change it to “Unknown” before imposing any condition on the work permit. Failure to change the “City of destination” to “Unknown” can cause confusion for applicants.
Exemption code	Enter the labour market impact assessment (LMIA) exemption code of the program requested.
NOC	99999 Important: No other code should be used.
Intended occupation	Open
Employer	Open

Medical conditions to be imposed for an unrestricted open work permit

The unrestricted open work permit can be issued to any eligible applicant who has passed an immigration medical examination with a result of M1, M2 or M3 (medical examination passed), or who has failed the medical examination due to excessive demand concerns (M5) but satisfies the criteria of section R206 or paragraph R207(c) or (d).

Note: Medical surveillance must be imposed for persons whose surveillance code is S.2.02 or S2.02U. Remarks on the permit should indicate “medical surveillance required.”

Refer to: Who must submit to an immigration medical exam.

Open work permit issuance in GCMS: Occupation or location restricted

On the Application screen, enter the following:

Location restriction
Field	Mandatory	Selection or input
Province of destination	Yes	Enter the province employment is restricted to as per the requirements of the LMIA exemption category. For example, bridging open work permits issued to provincial nominees under A75 or open work permits issued to Quebec Selection Certificate holders under A76 Do not enter “Unknown.”
Exemption code	Yes	Enter the administrative code of the program requested.
NOC	Yes	If not occupationally restricted 99999 or if there is an occupation restriction, enter the National Occupational Classification (NOC) for the occupation
Conditions	Yes	Not authorized to work at any other location

Occupation restriction
Field	Mandatory	Selection or input
NOC	Yes, when program occupation restriction	NOC code as per the program restriction For example, caregivers [C90]
Conditions	Yes, when program occupation restriction	Not authorized to work in any other occupation
NOC	Yes, when the medical result requires an occupation restriction (M3 or M5)	99999 Important: No other code should be used.
User remarks	Yes, when the medical result requires an occupation restriction (M3 or M5)	The occupational restriction stated in the medical narrative should be imposed under section R185. For example, if the panel physician noted that the person should not be a pilot or work at heights or near open machinery, the officer should impose the condition “Not authorized to work in occupations involving heights or open machinery or as a pilot” in the User remarks field.
NOC	Yes, when no medical examination completed	99999 Important: No other code should be used.
Conditions	Yes, when no medical examination completed	Where a foreign national has not completed an immigration medical examination, conditions must be imposed restricting specific occupational sectors, as per Medical conditions to be imposed for occupation-restricted work permits.

Important: Persons assessed as M4 or M6 (risk to public health or safety) are not allowed to work. If the condition is controlled, a new medical examination is required before a work permit may be issued.

Medical conditions to be imposed for occupation-restricted work permits

If a medical examination was not completed, one of the conditions below must be imposed. The specific occupational sector restriction will depend on whether the person has resided in a designated or non-designated country.

For persons from non-designated countries, the following condition should appear on the work permit:

“Not authorized to work in 1) child care, 2) primary or secondary school teaching, 3) health services field occupations.”

For persons from designated countries, the following condition should appear on the work permit:

“Not authorized to work in 1) child care, 2) primary or secondary school teaching, 3) health services field occupations, 4) agricultural occupations.”

Note: For clarity, “occupations” in the medical condition as written in GCMS means “settings” as per the If the duration of the visit is six months or less instructions. For example, all occupations in a hospital from janitor to doctor require a medical exam, not just those who are in health service occupations, and all employees in a day care require a medical exam, not just the teachers.

Submission of open work permit applications for various International Mobility Program (IMP) categories

In addition to having to meet the requirements of who can apply at the port of entry [R198] and who can apply after entry [R199], some LMIA exemption categories have restrictions on where the person can submit their application for a open work permit.

Note: This list is not exhaustive and only contains examples of exemption categories under sections R204 to R208 and certain public policies.

For further instructions on issuing open work permits under a public policy or a pilot program, see International Mobility Program: Special initiatives and pilot projects, and Service delivery.

Persons whose work permit application is not related to a path for permanent residence

Caption text
Category	Before entry	On entry^{Footnote 1}	After entry^{Footnote 2}
International Experience Canada (IEC): Working Holiday participants [R204(d) –C21] (there are also specific recognized organizations whose participants receive open work permits)	Yes	Refer to Note 1	Refer to Note 2
Professional athletes who are authorized to enter Canada on the basis of paragraph R205(b) –C26 and who require other work to support themselves while playing for a Canadian team (for instance, as part of the Canadian Football League)	Yes	Yes	Yes
Post-graduation work permits [R205(c) – C43]	Yes	N/A	Yes
Post-secondary co-op [R205(c) –C32] and secondary co-op [R205(c) –C33]	Yes	Yes	Yes
Refugee claimants and those under an unenforceable removal order [R206(a) or (b) – S61 or S62]	N/A	N/A	Yes
Vulnerable workers [R207.1 –A72]	N/A	N/A	Yes
Humanitarian reasons [R208(a) or (b) – H81 or H82]	N/A	N/A	Yes

Notes

Note 1

Except in the case of U.S. citizens and permanent residents, the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations do not allow applicants to submit IEC work permit applications at a port of entry. Only U.S. citizens and permanent residents may apply for IEC at the port of entry.

Note 2

IEC participants may extend the period of participation or change employers in specific situations. For example, they may apply for a replacement from within Canada if they received a work permit with incorrect information.

Spouses or common-law partners who are eligible to apply for an open work permit under certain free trade agreements

Note: Spouses or common-law partners who are not eligible to apply for an open work permit (OWP) under the terms of the following agreements may be eligible to apply for an open work permit under subparagraph R205(c)(ii) – C41 (Refer to Eligibility).

Caption text
Category	Before entry	On entry	After entry
Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (CCOFTA) Spouses of Investors or Traders (F10 or F11), Intra-Company Transferees (F13, F14 or F15), and Professionals and Technicians (F12). Spousal OWP: T25	Yes	Yes	Yes
Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement (CKFTA) Spouses of Traders (F30), Investors (F31), Professionals (F32), or Intra-Company Transferees (F33, F34, F35). Spousal OWP: F36	Yes	Yes	Yes
Canada-European Union (EU) Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) Spouses and common-law partners of intra-corporate transferees (T44, T42 or T41) Spousal OWP: T45	Yes	Yes	Yes
Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Spousal OWP: T53	Yes	Yes	Yes

Family members of temporary foreign workers

Caption text
Category	Before entry	On entry	After entry
Spouses of high-skilled workers (NOC TEER level 0 or 1 or select 2 or 3 occupations) TEER 2 TEER 3 For applications under IMP administrative code C41 received by IRCC on or after January 21, 2025, if the principal foreign national is not transitioning to permanent residence	Yes See Family group outside Canada	Yes See Family group at the port of entry	Yes See Family group in Canada
Family members of Military personnel [R205(b) – C20], where a reciprocal agreement exists See spouses of military personnel where there is no reciprocal agreement eligibility [R205(c) – C41]	Yes	Yes^{Footnote 3}	Yes
Family members of foreign representatives [R205(b) – C20]	Yes	Yes	Yes
Spouses of persons who were issued or approved for a work permit under an IRCC public policy, but the spouse is not eligible for an open work permit under the relevant public policy. In such a case, the spouse may be eligible to apply for an open work permit [R205(c) – C41] The principal temporary foreign worker must be working or have a job offer in NOC TEER 0 or 1 or in a select TEER 2 or 3 occupation.	Yes	Yes	Yes
For outside Canada applicants: Spouses of persons who hold an open work permit for vulnerable workers (OWP-V) [A72] are eligible to apply for an open work permit under C41. The principal temporary foreign worker must be working or have a job offer in NOC TEER 0 or 1 or in a select TEER 2 or 3 occupation. In-Canada family members of persons who hold an open work permit for vulnerable workers (OWP-V) [A72] are eligible to apply for an open work permit under A72.	Yes	Yes	N/A
	N/A	N/A	Yes

Persons who are on a path to permanent residence but have not yet submitted an application for permanent residence

Caption text
Category	Before entry	On entry	After entry
Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ) holders currently outside Quebec [R205(a) – A76]	Yes	N/A	Yes
Quebec Investors [R204(c) – T10]	Yes	N/A	Yes
Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) [R204(c) – C18]	Yes	N/A	Yes
Yukon Community Pilot – Open work permits [R205(a) – A75]	Yes	N/A	Yes

Persons who submitted an application for permanent residence

Caption text
Category	Before entry	On entry	After entry
Applicants for permanent residence from within Canada [R207 – A70]	N/A	N/A	Yes
Occupation-restricted open work permit under Home Child Care Provider Pilot or Home Support Worker Pilot – Gaining experience category [Principal applicant: R205(a) –C90] [Family members: R205(a) – C91] Permanent residence pilots closed on June 17, 2024.	Yes	N/A	Yes
Bridging open work permits [R205(a) – A75]	N/A	N/A	Yes
Public policy for spouse or common-law partner in Canada class or family class applicants [R205(a) – A74]	N/A	N/A	Yes
Start-up Visa (SUV) applicants (As of October 3, 2024) [R205(a) – A77]	Yes	Encouraged not to apply upon entry	Yes
Applicants under the temporary resident to permanent resident pathway public policy [A25.2 – R01]	N/A	N/A	Yes

Family members of temporary foreign workers who are transitioning to permanent residence or who are permanent residence applicants

Consult this table (DOCX).

Spouses of students

Caption text
Category	Before entry	On entry	After entry
Spouses or common-law partners of study permit holders [R205(c) –C42]	Yes	Yes	Yes

Open work permit holder fee

Subsection R303.2(1) requires that a fee be payable by a person for the rights and privileges conferred by means of an open work permit only if that person

is intending to perform work under section R204 or R205
is described in paragraph R207(b) and does not have an offer of employment
is a family member of a foreign national referred to in paragraph R207(b)

There are exceptions to the payment of the open work permit holder fee for specific persons. Subsection R303.2(2) provides the list of exceptions.

Important: If the person applying for an open work permit is not as described above, then they do not have to pay the fee. It is not that they are exempt but that the fee is not applicable at all.

If they have paid the fee in error, it must be refunded as the department has no legal authority to collect the funds.

Fee exemption codes

P01: Persons who do not pay a work permit processing fee under the IRPR, with the exception of International Experience Canada participants.

P02: Members of the live-in caregiver class in Canada who have applied for permanent residence under paragraph R207(a), and their family members.

P03: Persons not listed in subsection R303.2(1) as required to pay the fee. They are not “exempt” from the fee as they are not required to pay it at all.

Open work permits issued based on LMIA exemptions under section R206 (S61 or S62) or R208 (H81 or H82) are not subject to the open work permit holder fee. These sections are not included in the regulation applying the fee.
Open work permits issued under section 25.2 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (public policy or special measure) are not subject to the open work permit holder fee.

Work permit application refusals

When the officer’s decision is to refuse the open work permit application, they should clearly state what eligibility or admissibility requirements are not met and why they are not satisfied. Consult Decision making: Standard of review and process for making a reasonable decision.

Previous updates

The instructions were updated on the following dates:

Open work permit – General processing and issuance – International Mobility Program (IMP)