If your Canadian work permit is about to expire and your permanent residence application is still sitting with IRCC, the Bridging Open Work Permit (BOWP) is what stops your legal status — and your job — from lapsing while you wait. It’s one of the most consequential permits in the PR pipeline, and also one of the most confused: applicants routinely miss the window because they don’t realise they need to apply for it separately, or they under-pay the fee and get the whole application returned. Here’s exactly how it works in 2026.
What a BOWP does
A BOWP is an open work permit — no LMIA, no job offer required, and you can work for almost any employer in Canada (a small list of employers found non-compliant, or those offering striptease/erotic services, are excluded) — issued specifically to bridge the gap between your existing work permit expiring and IRCC finishing your PR application. It doesn’t speed up PR processing; it just keeps you legally working in the meantime.
Who qualifies
To be eligible for a BOWP, at the time you apply you generally must:
- Be the principal applicant on a federal permanent residence application (spouses and dependants are not eligible for a BOWP in their own right, though they may separately qualify for an open work permit as a family member of a work permit holder).
- Be physically present in Canada and intend to remain outside Quebec (Quebec-selected applicants follow a parallel process).
- Hold a valid work permit, have an expired work permit but maintained implied status as a worker, or be eligible to restore your status and obtain a new work permit.
- Have a PR application that has already passed IRCC’s completeness check — you need proof of this (an Acknowledgement of Receipt, nomination letter, or approval-in-principle letter, depending on your program).
Eligible PR programs include: Express Entry categories (Federal Skilled Worker, Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Trades), the Provincial Nominee Program (via Express Entry or the non-Express-Entry stream), the Quebec Skilled Worker Class, the Agri-Food Pilot, the Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker Pilots, the caring-for-children and high-medical-needs caregiver classes, and the Quebec Investor Program.
Fees — the detail that trips people up
A BOWP application requires two separate fees, both payable together:
- Work permit processing fee: CAD $155
- Open work permit holder fee: CAD $100
- Total: CAD $255
Paying only the base $155 processing fee is a common, costly mistake — IRCC will return or refuse an application that’s missing the open work permit holder fee, which can cost you weeks while your current permit’s validity ticks down. Always confirm you’ve selected “open work permit” as the permit type in your application, not “employer-specific,” since selecting the wrong type is the other frequent error.
How and when to apply
- Confirm your PR application has passed the completeness check (you’ll receive confirmation from IRCC — don’t apply for a BOWP before this happens, as it will be refused).
- Apply online through your IRCC secure account, selecting “extend my work permit” and choosing the open work permit / bridging category.
- Pay both fees ($155 + $100) in the same transaction.
- Continue working under the terms of your existing work permit until a decision is made — as long as you applied to extend your status before your current permit expired, you have “maintained status” and can keep working under your previous conditions while IRCC processes the BOWP.
If you leave Canada while your BOWP application is in process, you can still be issued the permit, but you won’t be able to resume working until it’s approved — leaving after your original permit has already expired is riskier, since you lose maintained status while abroad.
What a BOWP does not do
- It does not grant permanent residence — it’s a temporary bridge, not a fast-track.
- It does not extend to spouses or dependants automatically; they need their own application (a spousal open work permit) if they also want to keep working.
- It does not apply if your PR application hasn’t yet cleared the completeness check, or if you’re outside Canada when you need it to take effect.
FAQ
How long does a BOWP last? Typically it’s issued to align with the expected processing timeline of your PR application category, often around one to two years, though IRCC sets the exact validity based on current program processing times at the time of approval.
Can I switch employers while on a BOWP? Yes — it’s an open work permit, so you can work for almost any employer in Canada without a new LMIA or permit amendment.
What if my PR application gets refused after I’ve been working on a BOWP? Your BOWP is tied to your PR application; if the PR application is refused, the bridging permit is generally no longer valid and you’d need to re-establish status through another route.
Does applying early hurt my case? No — applying for your BOWP as soon as you’re eligible (right after your PR application clears completeness checks) is the safest approach, since it locks in maintained status well before your current work permit’s expiry date.
This is preparation guidance, not legal advice — processing times and program eligibility change regularly, so confirm current details on your IRCC secure account before relying on any timeline. If you’re navigating the Express Entry-to-PR pipeline and want to see exactly which bridging and work-permit steps apply to your specific profile, join the VisaMet waitlist — our AI eligibility check maps out your full pathway, not just the next single form.
Sources: IRCC — Bridging open work permit for permanent residence applicants, IRCC operational bulletin — bridging open work permits.