Government of Canada considers family reunification its core immigration policy.
Since December 22, 2014, applicants who are in the spouse or common-law partner in Canada (SCLPC) class may obtain open work permits under a pilot program, the duration of which has been extended until the regulatory changes have been completed to permanently implement this policy.
SCLPC class applicants no longer need completion of first stage approvals before applying for an open work permit, rather, applicants may apply for an open work permit with, or any time after the submission of their application for permanent residence in the SCLPC class.
Ensuring that the requirements for the open work permit pilot program are met is responsibility of Case processing centres, which will also run system checks to find any adverse information, on either the applicant or the sponsor, that would make the applicant ineligible for an open work permit. In case there is information that an applicant is inadmissible, their application for an open work permit will be placed on hold until a decision about their permanent residence application and the inadmissibility is made.
In circumstances where a temporary resident permit is issued to the applicant to excuse an inadmissibility? and where the person is an applicant for permanent residence under the SCLPC class, they may be granted an open work permit under this pilot program, or they may comply with the requirements under the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) exemption (see International Mobility Program: Humanitarian reasons [R208]).