May 26, 2023, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced a series of new measures to:
process temporary resident visa (TRV) for spousal applicants faster (likely within 30 days).
create dedicated tools to process spousal TRV applications;
make open work permit available for both in-Canada and Oversea Spousal applicants and their dependent children;
allow those with an Open Work Permit (OWP) expiring between Augusts 1 and December 31 2023 to extend their OWP for an additional 18 months. This benefits any OWP holders, including Post-graduation work permit holders and Spousal Open Work Permit holders.
This recent development is certainly encouraging. Previously, only in-Canada spousal applicants are eligible for an open work permit. Prior to today's new policy, although it's plausible to apply for a spousal TRV, many spousal TRV applicants had a hard time to convince the visa officer that their stay would be temporary, thus resulting in refusals.
Under the new policy and the new processing tools, the Approval rate for this type of applications could be as high as 93% according to the official. Application Instruction is likely to be provided soon afterwards.
Let us help
If you need any help with your Permanent Resident applications/work permit applications, extension, or restoration, you are more than welcome to fill out the assessment form and book a consultation session with one of our RCICs. We are here to help and support you throughout your immigration journey.
Ref: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
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