Work permit expiring while your PR is still in process: how the BOWP works

A common situation: the permanent residence (PR) application has been submitted and is sitting in the queue, but the client's work permit only has a few months left. If the permit expires before PR is decided, work has to stop — income stops with it, and the employer is left short-handed.

The bridging open work permit (BOWP) exists for exactly this gap. It is an open work permit — not tied to one employer — issued to let you keep working in Canada while your PR application is being processed.

Who can apply

A BOWP is not open to everyone. Several conditions have to hold at the same time:

• you are in Canada;
• you hold a valid work permit that is close to expiry (normally filed within four months of the expiry date), or you are still within maintained status;
• you have already submitted a PR application under an eligible economic class and it has passed the initial eligibility check (you have the corresponding acknowledgement or approval-in-principle letter).

In other words, the BOWP bridges the stage where PR is already under assessment. It cannot be used while you are still preparing a PR application, or before that application clears its first stage.

Timing is where most applications go wrong

In practice the problem is rarely the eligibility criteria — it is when the application is filed:

• too early, and the PR application has not yet reached the stage that supports a BOWP, so it is refused;
• too late, and the work permit has already expired, which turns a straightforward extension into a restoration of status, with far more risk and cost.

So the first thing we do on this type of file is line up the two timelines: where the PR application actually stands, the exact expiry date of the work permit, and how much room is left in between.

A real timing reference

A file we handled recently: the client's PR application had been submitted and the original work permit was approaching expiry. We assessed it and filed a BOWP — submitted 8 July, approved 17 September, about two months — with no gap in work authorisation.

The details are on our success stories page (the client's identifying information is redacted).

One caveat: processing speed depends on the official processing times at the time of filing and on how complete the file is. Comparable applications can be faster or slower, and this case is not a promise of the same result for you. What it does show is that when the documents are complete and the timing is right, this type of application usually does not drag on.

Don't forget spouses and children

While the principal applicant files a BOWP, the spouse can normally apply for an open work permit and minor children for a study permit. Plan the whole family's status on one timeline rather than remembering it with a few weeks left.

What we do

• confirm your PR application has reached the stage that can support a BOWP;
• work out the filing window so the application is neither refused as premature nor filed after status has lapsed;
• handle the spouse's work permit and the children's study permits alongside it.

Related pages: Employer-sponsored work permits and LMIA, PR card and citizenship.