Bridging Open Work Permit
The Bridging Open Work Permit (BOWP) allows foreign nationals who are currently working in Canada to extend their work permit while they await a decision on their permanent residency application (APR). The BOWP is only available to those who have already submitted a permanent residency application and are already in possession of a valid work permit. In order to qualify for BOWP the applicant(s) must have submitted an APR under one of the following classes:
- Federal skilled worker class (FSWC)
- Canadian experience class (CEC)
- Federal skilled trades class (FSTC)
- Home Child Care Provider Pilot or Home Support Worker Pilot
- Provincial nominee class (PNC), for applicants for whom there are no employer restrictions on nominations
- Agri-Food Pilot (AFP)
For certain employer-driven streams in the PNC, the nominating province or territory may impose employment restrictions on a successful nominee until the person becomes a permanent resident. If employment restrictions are imposed, IRCC does not issue an open work permit to the foreign national under the BOWP Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) exemption.
Eligibility parameters for BOWP
To be eligible for a BOWP, foreign nationals must:
- Be currently in Canada.
- Have valid status on a work permit that is due to expire within the next 4 months.
- Be the principal applicant on an APR.
- Have completed one of the following APR stages:
- Electronic application for permanent residence (e-APR) submitted under Express Entry has passed the section 10 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR) completeness check.
- Receipt of a positive eligibility assessment on their paper APR submitted by mail under one of the economic classes.
- Have applied for an open work permit.
- Have paid the work permit processing fee and the open work permit holder fee.
- Have provided, as applicable, evidence that their provincial nomination is unrestricted (for example, nomination certificate)
Note: Foreign nationals in the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) are eligible for a BOWP only if they have provided a copy of the nomination letter issued by the nominating province or territory along with their application, and there is no indication that employment restrictions exist as conditions of the nomination.
Who do not qualify for a BOWP?
- Foreign nationals in Canada under section R186 who are exempt from the work permit requirement.
- Foreign nationals who have let their status expire.
- Foreign nationals whose work permits are valid for longer than 4 months or who already have a new LMIA that can be used as the basis for a new work permit application.
- Foreign nationals applying for a BOWP at a port of entry (POE) or visa office.
- Spouses and dependants of principal permanent resident applicants.
- Foreign nationals who are inadmissible to Canada.