What is an Open Work Permit?

An Open Work Permit (OWP) is a Canadian work permit that allows the holder to work for any Canadian employer in any role, without requiring a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) or a job offer. The defining feature is the lack of employer-specific or role-specific restrictions — making OWPs the most flexible category of work authorization.

Common OWP categories

OWPs are issued under several specific categories:

• PGWP (Post-Graduation Work Permit) — for graduates of eligible Canadian DLIs.
• SOWP (Spousal Open Work Permit) — for spouses of certain work-permit or study-permit holders (eligibility restricted in January 2025).
• BOWP (Bridging Open Work Permit) — for PR applicants whose current work permit is expiring before PR decision.
• IEC Working Holiday — for citizens of treaty countries under International Experience Canada.
• Refugee claimant work permit — for refugee claimants while RPD hearing is pending.
• Public policy OWPs — Ukraine CUAET (now closed), certain post-2022 Iranian Special Measures, Hong Kong PR pathway open work permits.
• Vulnerable worker open permit — for foreign workers experiencing abuse or violence from their current employer (replacement work-authorization while file is addressed).

What "open" means

• Work for any Canadian employer.
• Work in any NOC/occupation (subject to professional licensing requirements where applicable — e.g., to practice medicine you still need provincial licensure).
• Work in any province or territory.
• Change employers at will without applying for new permits.

Restrictions that may still apply

• Some OWPs are issued with employer-condition restrictions (rare — e.g., excluding work for certain industries on public-policy grounds).
• All work permits are subject to expiry; renewals require status maintenance.

See also

• PGWP, SOWP, BOWP — specific OWP categories.
• LMIA — the alternative (closed work permit).