A full-time master's student in Canada had his spouse's open work permit (SOWP) refused because the application didn't sufficiently prove his full-time student status. He was considering a visitor visa for his spouse to reunite while sorting out her work permit.
- Check what proved 'full-time' was missing. A member asked directly whether the enrollment letter and LOA — the two documents that explicitly confirm full-time status — were included. If either was missing, thin, or outdated, that's the likely refusal cause to fix before reapplying.
- A new SOWP application can be filed from within Canada. Members confirmed this can be applied for once the spouse is in Canada (e.g., on a visitor visa), following the same process as an initial application.
- Processing time varies widely — don't assume the fastest case applies to you. One member reported ~4 months; another pushed back citing IRCC's published maximum of up to 18 months for these applications; a third said friends recently got approvals in 3–4 months. The honest takeaway: recent approvals have trended faster, but the official ceiling is much longer, so plan finances and living arrangements for a range, not a single number.
A visitor visa to reunite while the SOWP is refiled is a reasonable interim step, but should be paired with a corrected work permit application that clearly documents full-time enrollment.