Canada always welcomes the talented temporary foreign workers and tries to retain them to ensure the continued economic growth. The Bridge Open Work Permit Canada is a win-win situation for both the skilled immigrants and Canada’s economy as the permit is designed to effectively bridge the gap between the expiry of your current work permit and the conclusion on your application for Canadian permanent residence.
Are you eligible for Bridge Open Work Permit?
According to CIC: “The bridging open work permit (BOWP) requires that the foreign nationals have submitted their application for permanent residence and that CIC has provided a “positive eligibility assessment”.
Before going ahead with the Bridge Open Work Permit application process, make sure that you:
- Currently be in India;
- Select “Open Work Permit” as the type of work permit being applied for, and
- Pay the work permit processing fee and the Open Work Permit Holder fee. Apart from the above-mentioned requirements, you must have applied for one of the following programs in order to be eligible for Canadian Bridge Open Work Permit:
- Federal Skilled Trades Class,
- Provincial Nominee Program,
- Canadian Experience Class,
- Federal Skilled Worker Class,
- Caring for People with High Medical Needs Class, or
- Caring for Children Class.
To initiate the process of Work Visa, the employer who decides to hire a foreign worker may need to apply for LMIA (Labour Market Impact Assessment). In return, a positive LMIA is issued by ESDC if they are satisfied with a fact of non-availability of any Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident to do that particular job.
Bridge Open Work Permit Canada Process
The Government of Canada introduced the Bridge Open Work Permit on December 15th, 2012 with an aim to help temporary foreign workers remain in Canada during their permanent residency application process. As far as the Bridge Open Work Permit application is considered, you can either apply online or on paper:
- In case you are applying online, you will have to print, fill and scan your forms and supporting documents before uploading them to the system.
- If you wish to apply on paper, you will have to fill the required forms, annex your supporting documents and fee payment receipt, and send your application by mail to this address.
Bridge Open Work Permit Canada Processing Time
You can check for the processing times anytime here. The Bridge Open Work Permit application is processed within 60 days if online, and within 118 days if on paper.
If you are thinking to apply for a bridging open work permit, it is important to effectively take into consideration the aforementioned information. Moreover, if you are unfamiliar with the bridging open work permit application procedure, it will be cumbersome to pursue on your own. Hence, it is advised to seek out for the professional and experienced help of efficient immigrant consultants like CS Immigration before attempting to apply