Canada Lists 5 Requirements Foreigners Must Meet to Qualify for Open Work Permit

• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada extended the open work permit application deadline to December 31, 2026
• The relief targets foreign nationals who applied for permanent residence through the TR-PR pathway in 2021 and are still waiting
• IRCC outlined five core conditions applicants must satisfy to be eligible for the open work permit

Canada has extended a critical immigration lifeline for thousands of foreign nationals still waiting on permanent residence decisions, with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) pushing the open work permit application deadline to 31 December 2026.

The extension is specifically aimed at foreign nationals who applied for permanent residence in 2021 through the temporary resident to permanent resident (TR-PR) pathway and have not yet received a final decision.

Successful applicants under the open work scheme may live and work for any employer in any sector across Canada while their applications are being processed.

The relief also covers eligible family members of primary applicants.

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Who qualifies for the open work permit

IRCC has set out five conditions that every applicant must meet before they can access the permit.

First, the individual must physically be living in Canada at the time of their application. Those residing outside the country are not eligible under this framework.

Second, applicants must have previously submitted a PR application under one of the designated TR-PR streams and received formal confirmation of receipt from IRCC.

Qualifying streams include international graduates from Canadian post-secondary institutions, essential workers in both health and non-health sectors, French-speaking workers and graduates, and those who applied through accessible formats such as Braille or paper submissions.

Third, individuals must have held valid work authorisation in Canada at the time they filed their original PR application.

This means holding a work permit, permission to work without one, or authorisation granted under a specific public policy.

Fourth, candidates must have met the language proficiency requirements applicable to their specific application stream.

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Valid test scores from an approved testing agency were required at the PR application stage, and those who applied through French-language pathways must have submitted results from an accredited French language test.

Status requirements at the time of applying

The fifth condition concerns immigration status. When applying for the open work permit, individuals must either hold valid temporary resident status, be under what IRCC terms "maintained status" (meaning they applied to renew their permit before it expired), or qualify for status restoration.

IRCC has also clarified one important exclusion: asylum seekers holding open work permits while their cases are being heard or appealed at the Immigration Refugee Board do not qualify as temporary residents for the purposes of this specific permit.

The extension to December 31, 2026 gives eligible candidates additional time to regularise their status while Canada continues processing the large volume of applications submitted under the 2021 TR-PR initiative.

US expands visa pilot program

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that the US Department of State had announced a new visa pilot programme on July 22, 2026, which was set to run through December 31, 2026.

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Under the new expedited scheme, eligible B visa applicants could pay $750 to secure an interview within 10 business days.

The State Department later expanded the programme on August 18, 2026, adding more embassy and consulate locations.

Source: YEN.com.gh