A member heading to Canada on a study visa for a September 2023 intake (PGD in Business Management) asked whether to apply for their spouse's open work permit right away, or wait until they'd actually started studying in Canada.
What the thread recommended:- Applying together, rather than waiting, was seen as a reasonable, low-risk approach based on recent trends. Members were encouraging about filing both applications concurrently rather than sequentially.
- Once you have your enrolment letter, you can apply for your spouse's SOWP right away — you don't need to have physically started studying or be in Canada yet to file this.
The practical takeaway: once you have your enrolment letter, there's no need to wait until you're physically in Canada and studying to apply for your spouse's open work permit — applying together, based on recent trends, was seen as a reasonable approach.