Bridging Open Work Permit | Extending Your Stay

The Bridging Open Work Permit (BOWP) is a temporary open work permit for foreign nationals already in Canada who have applied for permanent residence under an eligible economic immigration program and whose current work permit is approaching its expiry date.

It bridges the gap between your expiring work permit and the final decision on your PR application — so you can keep working legally without interruption, and without needing a new Labour Market Impact Assessment.

What Is a Bridging Open Work Permit?

A BOWP is an open work permit, meaning you can work for almost any employer anywhere in Canada. You are not tied to a specific employer, location, or occupation — unlike a closed, employer-specific work permit. This gives you the flexibility to change jobs or switch employers while your PR application is still being decided.

The permit does not grant permanent residence. It is a temporary status tool designed for applicants who are already on a path to PR and need their work authorization to last long enough for IRCC to finish processing their application.

Who Is Eligible for a Bridging Open Work Permit?

To qualify, you must meet all of the following conditions at the time you apply.

Location and status

• You are physically present in Canada.
• You hold a valid work permit, OR you have an expired work permit but have maintained your status as a worker (by applying for a new permit before your previous one expired), OR you are eligible to restore your status and obtain a work permit.

PR application status

• You are the principal applicant on a permanent residence application under one of the eligible programs listed below.
• Your application has passed the completeness check (for most programs) or you have received an Acknowledgment of Receipt (AOR) letter from IRCC.

Eligible PR programs

• Federal Skilled Worker Program
• Canadian Experience Class
• Federal Skilled Trades Program
• Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) — see the PNP-specific note below
• Quebec Skilled Worker class — see the QSW-specific note below
• Quebec Investor class
• Agri-Food Pilot — requires approval in principle, not just a completeness check
• Home Child Care Provider Pilot or Home Support Worker Pilot (applications submitted between 2019 and 2024 only) — requires approval in principle
• Caring for Children class or Caring for People with High Medical Needs class (applications submitted before June 18, 2019 only) — requires approval in principle

Important: If you applied under the Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots that opened in 2025, you are not eligible for a BOWP. IRCC provides separate work permit options for those applicants.

PNP-Specific Eligibility Conditions

If you applied for permanent residence through a Provincial Nominee Program, two additional conditions apply.

First, your provincial nomination certificate must not contain employment restrictions. If your nomination ties you to a specific employer, you are not eligible for an open BOWP — you would need to apply for a closed, LMIA-exempt work permit instead. Check your nomination letter carefully before applying.

Second, you must be in Canada with valid temporary resident status at the time IRCC makes a decision on your BOWP application. If you leave Canada after your work permit expires, and IRCC processes your BOWP while you are outside Canada, the application may be refused.

Update for PNP applicants as of June 9, 2026: If you applied for PR under a Provincial Nominee Program and have not yet received your AOR, you may still be eligible to apply for a BOWP. Under a temporary operational measure in effect until December 31, 2026, IRCC now accepts a copy of the confirmation email from your online PR application submission, together with proof of fee payment, in place of the AOR letter. If you have already received your AOR, you must still include it. This measure was introduced because extended R10 completeness check timelines were leaving PNP applicants without work authorization for months. Full details are in IRCC Operational Bulletin OB 699 (June 9, 2026).

Bridging Open Work Permit Fees

The government fee to apply for a BOWP is $255 CAD total:

• Work permit processing fee: $155
• Open work permit holder fee: $100

Both fees must be paid together in a single payment. Paying only the $155 base fee is one of the most common reasons for automatic refusal, and the fee is not refunded when an application is refused.

If biometrics are required, an additional $85 applies. Most applicants who have previously provided biometrics to IRCC within the past ten years will not need to provide them again.

How to Apply for a Bridging Open Work Permit

Applications must be submitted online through your IRCC secure account. BOWP applications cannot be processed at a port of entry (flagpoling is not available for this type of permit).

1. Log in to your IRCC secure account.
2. Select "Apply for a work permit from inside Canada."
3. When asked for the type of work permit, select "Open work permit."
4. Complete the eligibility questionnaire carefully. The answers you provide determine the correct application category — incorrect answers at this stage are a common cause of delays and refusals.
5. Upload your supporting documents (see the checklist below).
6. Pay the $155 work permit processing fee and the $100 open work permit holder fee together.
7. Submit the application. You will receive a confirmation number.

The IMM 5710 form (Application to Change Conditions, Extend My Stay or Remain in Canada as a Worker) is the underlying form for this application. When applying online, IRCC's system generates the relevant forms from your questionnaire answers — you do not submit a paper IMM 5710 separately.

If you have genuine technical problems applying online, a paper application may be possible in limited circumstances. See IRCC's instructions for alternate formats.

When to Apply for a Bridging Open Work Permit

Apply for your BOWP after you have submitted your PR application and received your AOR (or, for eligible PNP applicants under OB 699, your confirmation email and proof of payment), and while your current work permit is still valid.

The right timing window is when your work permit has roughly four months or less remaining. Applying earlier than that is not necessary and may be premature if your AOR has not yet arrived.

Do not wait until your permit has expired. If you apply before expiry, you benefit from maintained status (previously called implied status), which allows you to continue working under the same conditions as your previous permit while IRCC processes your BOWP. If your permit expires before you apply, you lose maintained status and must stop working — even if your PR application is progressing normally.

A note on submitting an Express Entry profile: Creating a profile in the Express Entry pool and receiving an Invitation to Apply does not make you eligible for a BOWP. You must have submitted the full PR application and received confirmation that it passed the completeness check.

Bridging Open Work Permit Processing Time

BOWP processing times vary and have increased since 2025 due to application volumes. The most accurate current estimate for your specific situation is available on the IRCC processing time tool. As a general reference, recent processing times for in-Canada work permit extension applications have ranged from three to six months, but individual results differ.

Because of these timelines, it is important to apply with enough lead time. If you apply before your permit expires, maintained status protects your right to work while you wait — but maintained status comes with its own limitations. Travel outside Canada while on maintained status means you cannot work until IRCC approves your new permit, even if you return to Canada as a temporary resident. Minimizing the time you spend on maintained status is therefore worth planning for.

Document Checklist

The documents required depend on the PR program you applied under. The base checklist covers most applicants:

• Copy of your current work permit
• Your AOR letter from IRCC (for most programs)
• Copy of your passport (all pages with stamps and visas)
• Any supporting documents listed in the IRCC document checklist generated in your online account

Additional documents for PNP applicants:

• Copy of your provincial nomination letter or nomination certificate
• For eligible applicants under OB 699 (no AOR yet): your online PR application submission confirmation email and proof of fee payment

Additional documents for Quebec Skilled Worker applicants:

• Copy of your CSQ
• Copy of the letter showing your permanent residence application number (beginning with "E")

Additional documents for Agri-Food Pilot and caregiver program applicants:

• Copy of your approval in principle letter from IRCC

Upload all program-specific documents in the "Client information" field when applying online.

How Long Is a BOWP Valid?

IRCC issues a BOWP for the period it expects your PR application to take to process. The exact validity date is printed on the permit when it is approved. You cannot request a specific duration.

IRCC will not issue a BOWP that extends beyond your passport's expiry date. If your passport expires within the next twelve months, renew it before applying — a short passport validity will result in a BOWP that expires before your PR application is decided, leaving you without work authorization well before the process is complete.

If your PR application takes longer than expected and your BOWP is approaching its expiry date, you can apply for a new BOWP, provided you still meet the eligibility conditions at that time.

Can You Keep Working While Waiting for Your BOWP?

Yes, if you applied before your current work permit expired. Under maintained status, you can continue working for the same employer under the same conditions as your previous permit until IRCC makes a decision on your BOWP.

Maintained status only applies when you submitted your application while your permit was still valid. If your permit expired before you applied, you do not have maintained status and cannot work during the gap.

If your work permit has already expired: You may be able to restore your status within 90 days of the expiry date. Restoration costs an additional $229 CAD on top of the standard BOWP fee, and — critically — you cannot work during the restoration period until IRCC approves your new permit. This is different from maintained status, where you can continue working while you wait. Avoid this situation by tracking your permit expiry date and applying on time.

What Happens if Your PR Application Is Refused?

If IRCC refuses your PR application, your BOWP remains valid until its printed expiry date. It does not become invalid the moment of refusal. However, you are no longer on a pathway to permanent residence, which means you cannot apply for a new BOWP once the current one expires unless you submit a new eligible PR application first.

Before your BOWP expires, you will need to decide on an alternative plan: apply under a different eligible PR program, obtain a new work permit under another category, or prepare to leave Canada.

Restrictions on Where You Can Work

A BOWP gives you the flexibility to work for almost any employer in Canada. There are two geographic exceptions:

• PNP applicants: Your work must be in the province that nominated you. The nomination is province-specific, and IRCC restricts your employment accordingly.
• Quebec Skilled Worker applicants: Your place of employment must be listed as Quebec.

Applicants under all other eligible programs can generally work for any employer across Canada.

Travelling Outside Canada on a BOWP

You can leave Canada while holding a BOWP, but there are important considerations.

You will need a valid visa or Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to return to Canada. Border officers may ask for proof of your PR application and your current work permit status. Re-entry is not guaranteed.

If you leave Canada after your work permit expires (not on maintained status), you lose the right to work. You cannot work upon return until IRCC approves your new work authorization. For PNP applicants specifically, IRCC may refuse your BOWP application if your work permit expires while you are outside Canada.

Your Spouse and the BOWP

If you hold a BOWP and are employed in a TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3 occupation, your spouse or common-law partner may be eligible to apply for a Spousal Open Work Permit (SOWP).

BOWP holders are in a different category from general foreign workers for the purpose of spousal work permit eligibility. Spouses of applicants who are transitioning to permanent residence — which includes BOWP holders — continue to be assessed under the eligibility criteria that applied before the January 21, 2025 changes. If you are unsure whether your spouse qualifies under the current rules given the length of your BOWP and your occupation, this is one area where professional review of your specific file is worth seeking before applying.

Dependent children are not eligible for a BOWP and must apply separately for a study permit or visitor record depending on their situation.

Common Mistakes That Lead to Refusal

• Applying before receiving your AOR or confirmation email (unless eligible under OB 699)
• Applying after your work permit has already expired
• Applying from outside Canada
• Submitting an Express Entry profile and mistaking it for a submitted PR application
• Paying only the $155 work permit fee and not the $100 open work permit holder fee
• Uploading incomplete documents — particularly missing the nomination letter for PNP or the CSQ for QSW
• Assuming a BOWP can be processed at the border (flagpoling)
• Applying under PNP when your nomination certificate contains employment restrictions