Canada: Details Released for Work Permit Restrictions for Family Members of Students and Temporary Foreign Workers
January 14, 2025
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At a Glance
- Effective January 21, 2025, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada will implement several work permit restrictions for family members of international students and foreign workers.
- These changes were initially announced in September 2024 as part of broader measures to better manage the number of temporary residents entering and remaining in Canada.
- More foreign nationals may face hurdles regarding study or work permit eligibility, which may also reduce flexibility for employers seeking to hire foreign nationals.
The situation
Effective January 21, 2025, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada will implement several work permit restrictions for family members of international students and foreign workers previously announced in September 2024 as part of broader measures to better manage the number of temporary residents in the country.
A closer look
Key changes that will come into effect on January 21, 2025 include:
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Category |
Details |
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Work permit restrictions for spouses of students |
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Work permit restrictions for spouses of foreign nationals hired under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) and International Mobility Program (IMP) |
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Work permit restrictions for children of students and temporary foreign workers. |
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Impact
- Impact on foreign nationals and employers. The new rules may compel spouses of international students and temporary foreign workers to seek alternative work pathways, potentially reducing Canada’s appeal as a destination for foreign nationals. Employers may face challenges filling non-managerial or non-professional roles, relying more on Canadian citizens or those with existing work authorization.
- Impact on current OWP holders. Existing OWPs approved under current measures will remain valid until they expire. Family members in Canada can still apply to renew their work permits, provided they are applying under the same criteria as the current work permit and the requested renewal duration matches that of the principal applicant's existing study or work permit.
- Unaffected spouses. Spouses of workers covered by free trade agreements and those transitioning to permanent residence are not affected by these changes.
Background
In early 2024, the Canadian government introduced a "soft cap" on temporary residents, aiming to reduce their population over the next three years to address housing affordability and infrastructure pressures.
The restrictions above are part of a broader set of measures undertaken to achieve this goal. A number of other measures have been introduced with this same aim, including restrictions to the Low-Wage and High-Wage streams of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and stricter requirements for Intra-Company Transfers, among others.
Looking ahead
The government will continue to review immigration policies as the labor market and economic conditions evolve in Canada, especially with a federal election upcoming in the following months. Further restrictions can be expected should the government’s intended recalibration of the immigration programs not achieve its goals.
We will continue to report on related developments.
This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen.
