Extend your Work Permit through Bridging Open Work Permit

Bridging Open Work Permit

If you are currently on a valid Canadian work permit and wish to continue working but noticed your work permit will be expiring soon then you may be eligible to apply for Bridging Open Work Permit (BOWP).

Bridging Open Work Permit was put into effect to allow foreign workers who have applied for permanent residence but have not received a decision yet on their application to continue working until a decision is rendered on their permanent residence application.

Bridging Open Work Permit Eligibility

You may be eligible to apply under BOWP if:

1. You have applied for permanent residence under one of these programs

• Federal Skilled Worker Program
• Canadian Experience Class
• Federal Skilled Trades Program
• Provincial Nominee Program as long as there is no employer restriction on the nomination for the applicant. If employment restrictions are put in place then citizenship and immigration Canada will not issue an open work permit to the foreign national under the BOWP Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) exemption
• Caring for Children Class or Caring for People with High Medical Needs Class as long the PR application was submitted before June 18, 2019

2. You have a valid work permit that will be expiring in 4 months or less

3. You have a valid status on your work

4. Currently inside of Canada

5. have completed one of the following stages:

5. 1. electronic application for permanent residence (e-APR) submitted under Express Entry and received an R10 ok on file
   2. receipt of a positive eligibility assessment on their paper application for permanent residence which was submitted by mail under one of the economic classes above

6. You have applied for an open work permit

7. You have paid the work permit processing fee and the open work permit holder fee

8. You have provided proof that the provincial nomination is unrestricted –if applicable to you

Please note that Quebec residents are not eligible to apply under BOWP. However, If you hold a valid Certificate de selection du Quebec, you may be eligible for an employer- specific work permit under Labour Market Exemption code A75.

Who cannot apply for Bridging Open Work Permit

You do not qualify for BOWP if you fall under the below categories

• Section R186, foreign nationals who are in Canada that are exempt from the work permit requirement
• Expired status
• Work permit that is valid for longer than 4 months
• Already have new LMIA that can be used for a new work permit application
• Applying for BOWP at the port of entry or visa office
• Spouses and dependents of principal permanent resident applicants
• Have an inadmissibility issue to Canada

Extend or Change Conditions on your Work Permit

If your work permit is close to it is expiration date or you need to make changes to it then you need to apply to extend or change the conditions on your work permit. You must apply at least 30 days prior to your current work permit expiring. The work permit cannot be extended beyond the expiration date of your passport.

This application is intended for applicants who want to extend or make changes to conditions of their work permit. These changes include changing the type of work you want to do, the employer you can work for and where you can work.

If you have an employer specific work permit, you need to extend or change conditions on your work permit if

• Your job got extended
• There are changes in your current job such as change in pay rate or gotten new responsibilities.
• You are offered a new job
• You are looking to work for a new employer

Please note that you cannot start working with a new employer or different job until you get the work permit with new conditions.

If you have a valid open work permit you are able to extend only if you are still eligible to work in Canada with open work permit.

Open Work Permit Eligibility

You may be eligible for open work permit if:

• You have graduated from a designated learning institution in Canada as an international student
• You are student in Canada, however you are not able to meet the cost of your studies anymore
• You have an employer specific work permit and you are being mistreated at work
• You are a dependent family member who applied for permanent residence
• You are the spouse or common law partner of skilled worker or international student
• You are the spouse or common law partner of an applicant of the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program
• You are refugee, refugee claimant, protected person or your family members
• You have removal order
• You are temporary resident permit holder
• You are young worker participating in special programs

How can I Extend or Change the Conditions of my Work Permit

• You can submit either online or paper application
• Pay the government fees which includes the work permit fee of $155CAD and open work permit holder fee of $100CAD
• Include your biometric fee if applicable
• Processing time for online applications is 95 days, paper application can take from 2-6 months depending on volume of applications

Should your application be approved you will get an extension on your current work permit or a new work permit with new conditions on it such as what type of work you can do, the employer you can work for and where you can work.

If you did not receive a decision on your application you can always complete the web form to do follow up with citizenship and immigration Canada.

Options for Expired Work Permit

If your work permit has expired after you applied to extend your stay then you can legally continue to stay in Canada until a decision is rendered on your application. Your status will be known as implied status.

If your work permit expired before applying to extend or change conditions on your workpermit then unfortunately you are out of status.

However, you may be able to restore your status as a student, worker or a visitor if:

• You apply within 90 days of losing status
• You continue meeting the requirements of your stay
• You meet all conditions listed on your permit
• You pay the government fees
  • Restoration ($200) and
  • Work permit ($155) and
  • Open work permit holder($100) if you are applying for an open work permit

If your family members have also lost their status then they too must apply to get their status restored and pay the applicable government fees.

You can continue your stay in Canada until a decision is made, however you are not able to work until your status has been restored.

Contact Akrami and Associates

If you have work permit that has expired or about to expire but not sure if you are able to continue working then contact Akrami & Associates to determine options available to you.

Work permit application are not easily approved by citizenship and immigration Canada. Therefore prior to renewing or extending your work permit, contact us for more information at 416-477-2545. A lot of times applicants complete the wrong application or submit an incomplete application

Akrami & Associates has assisted many clients in renewing or restoring their status and we can help you too.

With Akrami & Associates there is always a way!!