Bridging Open Work Permit (BOWP) in Canada: Who Can Apply

A bridging open work permit (BOWP) lets you keep working in Canada while Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) decides your permanent residence application. IRCC lists it for people who applied for permanent residence through Express Entry, the Provincial Nominee Program and a small number of other programs. You must be the principal applicant, be in Canada, hold or be able to keep or restore worker status, and have reached a set stage in your permanent residence file before you apply.

The timing matters more than most people expect. Your work permit’s expiry date and the stage of your PR file have to line up.

Who IRCC lists as able to apply

IRCC’s BOWP page lists these permanent residence programs:

• Express Entry: the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Canadian Experience Class and Federal Skilled Trades Program
• Provincial Nominee Program, whether you applied online through Express Entry or not through Express Entry
• Quebec skilled worker class and Quebec investors
• Home Child Care Provider Pilot or Home Support Worker Pilot (2019-2024)
• Caring for children class or caring for people with high medical needs class
• Agri-Food Pilot

If your program is not on that list, a BOWP is not the tool for you, and a different work permit route may need to be looked at. Our work permits page covers the other options.

The conditions for Express Entry and PNP applicants

For Express Entry applicants, IRCC lists these conditions. You must:

1. live in Canada, and intend to live outside Quebec, at the time you apply for the BOWP
2. have valid temporary resident status and a valid work permit, or have an expired work permit but maintained your status as a worker, or be eligible to restore your status and get a work permit
3. be the principal applicant on your permanent residence application
4. have submitted a complete application for permanent residence and passed the completeness check
5. have your acknowledgement of receipt letter

Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) applicants face the same core conditions plus one more: IRCC says you must have no employment restrictions as a condition of your nomination. If you applied to the PNP outside Express Entry, the stage changes too. IRCC says you must have passed the eligibility assessment, not the completeness check.

Quebec applicants are handled differently. IRCC’s Quebec sections require that you intend to live in Quebec and hold a valid Quebec selection certificate (CSQ).

Express Entry and PNP at a glance

For Albertans, the nomination usually comes through the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP). Read your nomination letter for any conditions before you count on a BOWP. Express Entry candidates can start with our Express Entry page.

Timing: work permit expiry and maintained status

A BOWP application is filed from inside Canada, so your current status has to hold while you wait. IRCC accepts three positions: a valid work permit, an expired permit with maintained status, or eligibility to restore your status.

Maintained status comes from applying before your permit expires. IRCC’s help centre says that if you applied to extend or change your work permit before it expired, you are authorized to work until IRCC finalizes the application, and that you must stay in Canada and keep working under the same conditions. IRCC advises applying at least 30 days before your current work permit expires. We explain maintained status in more detail in our work permit extension guide.

If your permit has already expired and you did not apply in time, restoration may be the path. Our restoration of status page covers that situation.

A planning sequence we suggest, not an IRCC checklist:

1. Write down your work permit’s expiry date.
2. Check where your PR file stands: acknowledgement of receipt, completeness check or eligibility assessment.
3. If the PR file has not reached that stage before your permit expires, look at an extension so your status is maintained.
4. Apply for the BOWP once the PR file reaches the required stage.

What a BOWP does and does not do

It lets you keep working while IRCC decides your PR application. It is an open work permit, so on your application IRCC says you select “Open work permit” and pay the work permit processing fee and the open work permit holder fee. IRCC’s fee list shows $155 for a work permit and $100 for the open work permit holder fee. IRCC says that in most cases you must apply online.

It does not decide your permanent residence application, and it does not cover people who are not the principal applicant. It is not available before your PR file reaches the stage IRCC names. For PNP applicants outside Express Entry, IRCC says the acknowledgement letter does not mean your BOWP is being processed, and that it will not start until it confirms you meet basic PNP eligibility for PR.

Travel needs care. IRCC says you must be in Canada with valid temporary resident status when it decides your BOWP, or your application may be refused. It also warns that if you leave Canada after your work permit expires, you can’t work until your new application is approved, and for PNP applicants, that you’ll lose your temporary resident status.

Processing times

IRCC publishes current figures in its processing times tool. We do not quote a figure here because it changes.

Working in Edmonton, Calgary or elsewhere in Alberta

Imprint Immigration Services is an Edmonton practice at 300-9006 132 Avenue NW. Clients in Calgary and elsewhere in Alberta meet with us by video. Our work-permit service also includes LMIA review and employer guidance, which can matter when an employer is asking how long you can stay on the payroll.

Book a consultation

If your work permit expiry and your PR file are close together, a 30-minute consultation with Shirani Jenita Daniel, RCIC-IRB, licensed by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC), can help you sort out the order of steps. It is $50 + GST, by video or in person. Book a consultation.

Frequently asked questions

Immigration advice provided by Shirani Jenita Daniel, RCIC-IRB, CICC Licence R705794. This article is general information about government processes, not advice on your situation.