Bridging Open Work Permit (BOWP) Canada: Eligibility, AOR & Status

This article provides general information. BOWP eligibility depends on the permanent residence program, processing stage, temporary status and current IRCC instructions.

Quick answer: who may qualify for a Bridging Open Work Permit?

A Bridging Open Work Permit (BOWP) can let certain permanent residence applicants keep working in Canada while IRCC processes the permanent residence application.

For an Express Entry BOWP, IRCC currently requires the principal applicant to have submitted a complete permanent residence application, passed the completeness check and received an acknowledgement of receipt (AOR). An Express Entry profile or Invitation to Apply (ITA) by itself is not enough.

The applicant must also meet the temporary-status rule that applies to their case, such as holding a valid work permit, having maintained status as a worker, or being eligible to restore status and obtain a work permit. Other permanent residence programs use different BOWP stages and supporting documents.

If you have just received an ITA, start with CADLEAF's post-ITA checklist^[1]. If your current work permit is close to expiry, also review the work permit extension and maintained-status guide^[2].

A BOWP is available only after a qualifying permanent residence application

A bridging open work permit can let an eligible permanent residence applicant continue working while IRCC processes the permanent residence application. It is not a general extension for every worker who hopes to remain in Canada.

Submitting an Express Entry profile or receiving an invitation to apply does not meet this stage. A provincial nomination, job offer or expiring post-graduation work permit does not create BOWP eligibility by itself either. The person must have submitted a permanent residence application under a program listed in IRCC’s current BOWP instructions and reached the stage required for that program.

The distinction is important for anyone planning around an expiry date. A future immigration milestone cannot preserve temporary status before it occurs.

The required processing stage is not the same for every program

IRCC’s BOWP page currently contains separate instructions for:

• Express Entry applications under the Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker Program and Federal Skilled Trades Program;
• Provincial Nominee Program applications submitted through Express Entry;
• Provincial Nominee Program applications submitted outside Express Entry;
• the Quebec skilled worker class and Quebec investor class;
• the Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker pilots that opened from 2019 to 2024;
• the former caring for children and caring for people with high medical needs classes; and
• the Agri-Food Pilot.

Some of these programs are closed to new applicants, but BOWP instructions remain relevant to qualifying permanent residence applications already in processing. The Home Care Worker Immigration pilots that opened in 2025 are not eligible for a BOWP under IRCC’s current page.

Applicants should use the section for the program under which the permanent residence application was actually submitted. Similar program names do not make the evidence or processing stage interchangeable.

Express Entry applicants need an AOR after the completeness check

For an Express Entry BOWP, IRCC states that the principal applicant must have submitted a complete permanent residence application, passed the completeness check and received an acknowledgement of receipt, commonly called an AOR.

The AOR is more than proof that an Express Entry profile exists. It follows submission of the permanent residence application after an invitation to apply. The applicant uploads a copy with the BOWP application, including in the “Client information” field when IRCC instructs.

The principal applicant must also live in Canada and intend to live outside Quebec when applying. The status requirement can be met by holding valid temporary resident status and a valid work permit, having maintained status as a worker after the permit expired, or being eligible to restore status and obtain a work permit.

Anyone who has not reached this stage needs another lawful plan before the current permit expires. Depending on the job and circumstances, an extension may require the employer to obtain a new Labour Market Impact Assessment or submit a new offer of employment.

Provincial nominees must identify how the PR application was filed

An Express Entry provincial nominee follows the Express Entry processing-stage rule but must also have no employment restrictions as a condition of the nomination. The BOWP application should include the nomination letter and AOR.

A non-Express Entry provincial nominee faces a different threshold. IRCC’s current instructions require a complete permanent residence application that has passed the eligibility assessment, not only an AOR confirming submission. IRCC warns that receiving the PNP AOR does not mean the BOWP is being processed; the department first reviews whether the permanent residence application meets the basic PNP eligibility requirements.

Both PNP routes require the principal applicant to live in Canada, intend to live outside Quebec and have no employment restrictions in the nomination. A BOWP issued to a provincial nominee may restrict employment to the nominating province even though it is described as an open work permit.

CADLEAF’s comparison of Express Entry and non-Express Entry PNP applications^[3] provides additional context, but IRCC’s BOWP section for the actual route controls.

For Express Entry applicants, CADLEAF’s Canadian Experience Class guide^[4] can help separate CEC program eligibility from the later BOWP stage.

Quebec and legacy programs use their own evidence

Quebec skilled worker and Quebec investor applicants must follow the location, CSQ and permanent residence stage listed for their class. The current instructions require evidence connected to the Certificat de sélection du Québec and the federal permanent residence application.

The 2019-to-2024 caregiver pilots and several closed economic classes generally require approval in principle rather than the Express Entry AOR stage. Some have additional work-experience or filing-date conditions. An applicant in one of these programs should not copy the Express Entry document list.

This is why a general statement such as “you can apply after AOR” is incomplete. The correct milestone may be a completeness check, an eligibility assessment or approval in principle, depending on the program.

Common BOWP questions

Can I apply for a BOWP as soon as I receive an Express Entry ITA?

No. An ITA lets you submit a permanent residence application, but it is not the BOWP processing milestone. For an Express Entry BOWP, IRCC currently requires a complete permanent residence application that has passed the completeness check and an AOR issued after IRCC receives that application.

Can I keep working while my BOWP is being processed?

It depends on your temporary status and when the work permit application was filed. If you submit an eligible work permit application before your current work permit expires, maintained-status rules may let you remain in Canada and continue working under the conditions of the original permit while IRCC decides the application.

If you have lost worker status and are applying through restoration, the situation is different. IRCC says restoration does not normally authorize work while the restoration and new work permit are being decided.

Can I travel outside Canada while a BOWP is processing?

You can leave Canada, but leaving can affect your ability to work. IRCC warns that if your existing work permit expires while you are outside Canada, or you leave after it expires, you cannot work until the new work permit is approved. A work permit is also not a travel document, so a valid TRV or eTA may still be required to travel back to Canada.

Temporary status and authority to work are separate questions

A permanent residence application and its AOR do not extend a work permit. Work authorization after expiry normally depends on a timely work permit application and the maintained-status rules.

When an eligible worker applies to extend or change a work permit before the existing permit expires, the person may remain in Canada while IRCC decides the application. Whether the person can keep working depends on section 186 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations and the conditions that applied before expiry.

Restoration is different. Being eligible to restore status can satisfy part of the BOWP eligibility rule, but restoration does not authorize work while IRCC decides the application. A person who has lost worker status should not treat a BOWP submission as permission to resume employment.

Apply before the expiry date whenever the rules permit. CADLEAF’s maintained-status guide for workers^[2] explains the distinction between remaining in Canada and continuing to work.

Travel can interrupt the bridge

An applicant may leave Canada while the permanent residence or BOWP application is being processed, but travel documents and work authorization must be considered separately.

IRCC warns that if the existing work permit expires while the applicant is outside Canada, or the person leaves after it expires, temporary resident status is lost. If the person is later admitted as a temporary resident, they cannot work until the new work permit is approved.

A work permit is not a travel document. The traveller may also need a valid temporary resident visa or electronic travel authorization and must still satisfy the officer at the port of entry. Travel plans should not assume that a pending BOWP guarantees re-entry or immediate permission to work.

The application needs the program-specific records

Most applicants are directed to apply online, select an open work permit and pay both the work permit processing fee and open work permit holder fee. The personalized checklist should be read together with the BOWP section for the relevant permanent residence program.

Depending on the program, supporting records may include:

• the AOR or approval-in-principle letter;
• a provincial nomination letter;
• a CSQ and federal permanent residence application number;
• the current work permit and proof of temporary status;
• passport pages; and
• other records requested in the personalized checklist.

Passport validity can limit the length of a work permit. Documents should be uploaded in the field IRCC identifies even when the generic checklist label does not describe the BOWP evidence clearly.

Family members need their own eligibility and applications

A BOWP issued to the principal applicant does not give a spouse or dependent child the same status or permit. A family member may qualify for an open work permit under the current family-member rules, but must meet that category’s requirements and submit a separate application.

The family member should also track their own expiry date. The principal applicant’s permanent residence application, AOR or work permit application does not automatically extend another person’s temporary status.

A BOWP does not decide permanent residence

The BOWP application and permanent residence application are separate decisions. A BOWP allows work under its conditions for a limited period; it does not confirm that permanent residence will be approved.

Before filing, identify the exact permanent residence program, confirm the processing milestone, review the nomination or CSQ for restrictions, check temporary status and work authorization, collect the program-specific evidence, and consider travel and family applications separately. The official instructions should be checked again on the filing date because the list of programs and required stages can change.

Official sources

Confirm the current program section and temporary-status rules before applying:

• IRCC: Bridging open work permit for permanent residence applicants^[5]
• IRCC: Work permits for permanent residence applicants^[6]
• IRCC: Extend or change the conditions of a work permit^[7]
• IRCC: Maintained status while a work permit application is processed^[8]
• IRCC: Restore status and obtain a work permit^[9]
• IRCC: Open work permits and restrictions^[10]
• IRCC: Open work permits for family members of foreign workers^[11]
• IRCC: Provincial Nominee Program and its two application routes^[12]
• Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, section 182: restoration^[13]
• Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, section 186: work without a permit^[14]