A bridging open work permit lets you keep working in Canada while IRCC finishes deciding your permanent residence application. It does not speed up your PR decision, and it is not automatically the right permit for every situation. Brightlight confirms which permit you actually need before anything is filed.
A bridging open work permit, or BOWP, is a type of open work permit issued to applicants who already have a permanent residence application in process with IRCC, and whose current work permit is running out before a decision is made. It is open, meaning the holder is not tied to one employer, job, or location.
A BOWP is not a path to permanent residence on its own. It exists only to prevent a gap in your authorization to work while your permanent residence application is being processed. If your PR application ends, your BOWP eligibility ends with it.
This is the single most common reason a bridging application gets refused. If you were nominated under a Provincial Nominee Program stream and your nomination is employer restricted, applying for a BOWP will not work. You need a Bridging Closed Work Permit instead, which requires an R204(c) letter from the province and an Offer of Employment your employer submits through the Employer Portal.
Before applying for anything, check your nomination letter for the field marked “Restrictions on employment.” If it says yes, a standard BOWP application is the wrong document and will be refused. If it says no, or your PR stream is not a PNP nomination at all, the BOWP is the correct route.
Not sure which permit applies to you?
You must currently be in Canada as an authorized temporary resident, and meet one of the following:
You must be the principal applicant on a permanent residence application submitted under one of these programs:
Your application must have passed the completeness check, and you must hold an Acknowledgement of Receipt, or AOR, confirming it.
Submitting an Express Entry profile into the pool is not the same as applying for permanent residence. You are not eligible for a BOWP until you have received an Invitation to Apply, submitted a complete application, and received your AOR.
Timing matters as much as eligibility itself.
Confirm your eligibility with our team.
| Application | Fee (CAD) |
|---|---|
| Work permit processing fee | $155 |
| Open work permit holder fee | $100 |
| Total government fee | $255 |
| Biometrics, if required | $85 |
These figures are confirmed against IRCC’s official fee list. Fees change, so verify the current amount at canada.ca before you pay.
IRCC’s own processing time tool estimates 90 to 120 days for a BOWP. In practice, current 2026 processing is running closer to 6 to 8.5 months for applications submitted inside Canada, driven by the volume of work permits expiring across the country this year. Plan around the real figure, not the official estimate alone.
A BOWP is typically issued for up to 24 months, or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. If your passport is expiring soon, renew it before applying. A short passport validity means a shortened BOWP that may not cover your full PR processing period.
If you submit your BOWP application before your current work permit expires, you enter maintained status automatically. You can remain in Canada and keep working under your previous conditions while IRCC processes the new application.
Maintained status is not the same as holding a valid work permit. You generally cannot travel outside Canada and expect to re-enter freely, and you generally cannot switch employers unless your previous permit allowed it. Apply within the four month window to limit how long you rely on maintained status alone.
For tourism, visiting family, or bringing a parent or grandparent to Canada under the Super Visa, which allows stays of up to five years per entry. A business visitor can also enter under this category to attend conferences or site visits without a work permit, as long as they aren’t entering the Canadian labour market. A visitor cannot work or study otherwise, and most stays are capped at six months unless an officer authorizes something longer. Our visitor visa page covers eligibility, documents, and the Super Visa in full.
Confirm you have received your AOR and check how much time remains on your current work permit against the four month window.
Collect the documents listed below before you start the application.
Most BOWP applications go through the IRCC secure portal. Pay the $255 government fee, plus biometrics if required, at submission.
Respond to any request IRCC sends before the deadline given. Brightlight monitors every file and handles IRCC correspondence on your behalf.
All documents not in English or French require a certified translation, with the original-language document attached.
A refusal isn’t necessarily the end of the road. If your application was refused from outside Canada, you can request reconsideration directly from the visa office, or file an Application for Leave and for Judicial Review with the Federal Court within 60 days of the decision. If the refusal happened inside Canada, that judicial review window is only 15 days, so speed matters.
Two situations carry stricter consequences. A finding of misrepresentation bars you from applying again for five years. Certain violations require Authorization to Return to Canada before you can apply for a new visa at all.
We start by reading your refusal letter with you line by line. Not to promise an outcome, but to find out exactly what an officer raised and whether it’s something a stronger application can address.
A BOWP itself does not extend eligibility to your spouse or dependent children. Your spouse may separately qualify for their own open work permit depending on your occupation and TEER classification, but this depends on rules that have changed twice in the past two years. Dependent children are not eligible for an open work permit through this measure at all.
For the current, full eligibility rules for your spouse, our spousal open work permit page covers every track in detail.
A client came to Brightlight ready to file a standard BOWP application after receiving his AOR under a Provincial Nominee Program stream. His nomination letter listed an employer restriction he had not noticed. A standard BOWP would have been refused.
Brightlight caught the restriction before submission and prepared the correct Bridging Closed Work Permit application, with the required employer support and R204(c) letter. His work authorization was maintained without a gap.
If you are not certain which application applies to your situation, that is exactly what we resolve before anything is filed.
No immigration consultant can guarantee a bridging open work permit will be approved. Brightlight guarantees an accurate assessment of which permit applies to your situation, honest guidance on your timing, and careful preparation so IRCC has no reason to ask questions.
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A BOWP lets you work for any employer. A Bridging Closed Work Permit ties you to one employer named in your provincial nomination. Applying for the wrong one gets refused. Check your nomination letter's "Restrictions on employment" field. If it says yes, you need a Bridging Closed Work Permit, which requires an R204(c) letter and an employer Offer of Employment. If it says no, or you applied through Express Entry, Quebec, or Agri-Food Pilot, the BOWP is correct. IRCC's Program Delivery Instructions set out the exact conditions for provincial nominees.
No. A profile in the Express Entry pool is not the same as applying for permanent residence. BOWP eligibility begins only once you have received an Invitation to Apply, submitted a complete application, and received an Acknowledgement of Receipt confirming it passed the completeness check. Applicants who apply based only on a pool profile are refused. IRCC states this distinction directly on its own bridging open work permit page. Confirm you hold your AOR first.
IRCC's official estimate is 90 to 120 days. Real processing in 2026 is running closer to 6 to 8.5 months inside Canada, driven by the high volume of permits expiring this year. Plan around the longer, real world figure, and apply as early as your four month eligibility window allows.
Generally yes. The risk is your current work permit expiring while you are outside Canada. If that happens, you cannot resume working, and re-entry is not guaranteed, until your new application is approved. Confirm your permit's expiry date before travelling, and speak with a licensed consultant if the timing is close.
Possibly, but eligibility depends on your occupation and TEER classification, and the rules have changed twice since January 2025. A BOWP does not automatically extend to your spouse or dependent children. Dependent children are not eligible for an open work permit through this measure at all. Review our spousal open work permit page for your spouse's current eligibility before assuming either outcome.
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