A spouse holding a dependent-visitor visa (with her husband on a closed work visa he hadn't yet activated by traveling) asked whether she could apply for a Spousal Open Work Permit online from India based on his stamped visa, or whether she should travel to Canada and use flagpoling instead, and if there's a minimum wait before flagpoling after landing.
What the thread advised:- Online SOWP applications from outside Canada can take a long time — one member reported waiting roughly 6 months with no resolution while in Canada, illustrating that online processing isn't fast.
- Flagpoling shortly after landing was described as ideally done immediately — there's no meaningful minimum wait required. A member noted the open work permit was ideally supposed to be applied for at the same time as the primary applicant's work permit, and that flagpoling once in Canada tends to be much quicker than the online route.
- Since the husband hasn't yet activated his own work permit by entering Canada, both partners' timelines are linked — it may make sense to coordinate arrival and flagpoling together.
The practical takeaway: if speed matters, plan to travel to Canada and flagpole for the SOWP soon after landing rather than filing online from abroad, since online applications were reported to take many months longer.