After Justin Trudeau’s resignation, changes in Canada’s Work Permit rules will benefit thousands of Indians

After Justin Trudeau announced his resignation as Prime Minister, Canada has opened the gift box. The Canadian government has now given a gift that will make thousands of Indians happy. In fact, the Canadian government has changed the Open Work Permit (OWP) rules for international students and spouses of foreign workers.

This new rule will come into effect from January 21, 2025. Under this, only eligible international students and spouses of foreign workers will be able to apply for OWP. In this, the duration of the study program and the focus will be on high demand job fields. Indian students will benefit from these changes as many students will now be able to bring their spouses to Canada to work while they study or work.

New OWP eligibility will be limited to spouses of international students enrolled in master’s programs, doctoral programs, or select professional programs of 16 months or longer. However, families who have already been approved under the old rules can continue to work, provided they apply for renewal based on the current rules. According to IRCC, ‘families no longer eligible for family OWP may apply for other types of work permits available under Canada’s work permit programs.’

Indian students are an important part of Canada’s international student community. Indian students accounted for 37% of all study permits issued by Canada in 2023. These changes will provide spouses of Indian students an opportunity to work in Canada and contribute to the country’s economy.

Other important announcements
The Canadian government has decided to reduce the number of study permits for international students by 10% in 2025.
The target was to issue 4,85,000 study permits in 2024, which has been reduced to 4,37,000 in 2025.
The study permit target in 2026 will remain the same as in 2025.
The number of temporary residents in Canada was 6.5% of the total population in 2023, which is targeted to decrease to 5% by 2026.

Economic and labor market impact
This step is taken to strengthen Canada’s temporary housing programs and meet the country’s economic and labor market needs. Also, the government will take strict action against employers who are misusing these rules.