Case 1: Upon Arrival to Canada

Follow the steps on this page only if your spouse/common-law partner is outside of Canada and wishes to apply for their open work permit at the Port of Entry when they arrive in Canada.

  1. Only spouses or common-law partners who are TRV-exempt (i.e., who do not require a Temporary Resident Visa to enter Canada), may be able to apply for their open work permit at the Port of Entry upon arrival in Canada.
  2. Due to the banning of flagpoling at the land border, we would recommend attempting to apply for the open work permit at the airport only when arriving to Canada from an international flight.

Required Documents

  1. Passport.
  2. Valid Study Permit - belonging to the full-time McGill Student.
  3. Proof of enrolment and current transcripts - belonging to the McGill Student.
  4. Immigration Canada application fee: $155 + new $100 fee (as of Feb. 21, 2015) = $255.
  5. All of your supporting documents: proof of medical exam (if applicable), Marriage License/Certificate (translated in either English or in French) or proof of common-law partnership

You can read more on the Government of Canada website about how to help your spouse or common-law partner work in Canada.

Case 2: Flagpoling

  1. Flagpoling occurs when foreign nationals who hold temporary resident status in Canada, leave Canada and, after a visit to the United States or St. Pierre and Miquelon, re-enter to access immigration services at a port of entry.
  2. As of December 23rd 2024, applying for a work permit at the land border by way of flagpoling is prohibited.
  3. Therefore, we no longer recommend that spouses or common-law partner of international students try to flagpole for their open work permit.
  4. Instead, we recommend that they apply for their open work permit online from inside Canada before their visitor status expires.

Related Content:

Eligibility Criteria
Applying from Inside of Canada
Applying Outside Canada