Immigration Minister Sean Fraser announced on December 2, 2022 that the Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Affairs Canada (IRCC) will expand the qualification of an Open Work Permit (OWP) to the spouses of the open work permit holder.
What is a work permit?
Work permit allows foreign nationals (i.e. individuals who are neither Canadian citizens nor permanent residents) to work in Canada. Typically, a work permit is issued for a specific job of a specific employer. On the other hand, the open work permit allows foreign citizens to legally work for any employer in Canada, doing any job.
New changes in OWP qualification
Expanding OWP spouse's qualification is an important step in attracting more immigrants to work in Canada and may even settle down. The spouses of international students, Canadian permanent residents and citizens have obtained an OWP guaranteed by their spouse ; however, the expanded qualifications of existing work permit holders' spouses indicate that Canada is willing to accept more new immigrants.
Due to changes in this policy, IRCC expects to have more than 100,000 new work permit applications from spouses of existing work permit holders.
The plan is expected to be implemented in three phases in early 2023 :
• High-paying workers – suitable for spouses of high-income workers with open work permits;
• Provinces and regions – aimed at spouses of low-wage workers;
• Families of agricultural workers – This phase will be dedicated to the families of seasonal agricultural workers, an important source of employment that Canada is trying to expand as part of its economic recovery.
Although the IRCC is keen to implement these reforms to help the economy recover, these dates are temporary. As the Minister of Immigration reports show, most projects in the second and third phases still need to be developed in collaboration with provinces and employers.
Why does Canada need more population?
Canada has long recognized the importance of immigration to the country's finances, population and social health; however, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the demand for immigration.
Canada continues to face record high job openings, low unemployment rates and ongoing retirees. Immigration has become a key focus for economic health and recovery in 2020 and 2021 affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the Immigration Minister pointed out in his December 2 announcement, ten years ago, when each retiree left the workforce, there were at least about seven Canadian workers working. Today, only nearly three workers are available when every retiree leaves the workforce. According to the current development trajectory, this number may drop to 2 in the next 10-15 years. If these numbers don't rise, Canada will not have the necessary skilled workforce to maintain its most important industries such as healthcare and education; let alone economic growth and health.
Policy adjustments such as the above will be a key step in ensuring the sustained health of Canadian society. The IRCC has committed (through the Immigration Level Program for 2023-2025) to welcome more than 1.45 million new immigrants by the end of 2025.
