Canada has made changes to its regulations for spouses and partners that will no longer allow spouses of undergraduate students to work in the country.

Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) released a statement on Monday, saying that the spouses of international students are not permitted to work who are in undergraduate and college programs.

From March 19, Spousal Open Work Permits (SOWP) are only being provided to those foreign students who are involved in master’s or doctoral degree programs at a university.

Some degree programs eligible for these include Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS, DMD), Bachelor of Law or Juris Doctor (LLB, JD, BCL), Doctor of Medicine (MD), Doctor of Optometry (OD), Pharmacy (PharmD, BS, BSc, BPharm), Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM), Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN, BSN, BNSc), Bachelor of Education (B. Ed.), and Bachelor of Engineering (B. Eng., BE, BASc).

In the recent Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration meeting, Immigration Minister Marc Miller expressed that the large volume of immigrants has led to bound decisions.

IRRC seeks documents that prove a relationship to the student including a valid Letter of Acceptance from the institution, an enrolment letter from their spouse’s institution, and transcripts from their spouse’s current enrolled program. 

If the spouse has applied for a work permit before March 19, they need a valid study permit. The spouse is eligible for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP), and is a full-time student at a public post-secondary school.