"There is a moment in every immigration journey when your current work permit begins to expire and your permanent residence application is still... somewhere in the queue. You are employed. You are compliant. And you are about to lose status — unless you apply for something called a Bridging Open Work Permit (BOWP). Let's not miss that moment."
The Problem
The BOWP allows eligible applicants to continue working while their PR application processes. But timing is everything: apply no earlier than 4 months before your permit expires, but before it actually expires. Miss that window and you may lose the right to work. Even implied status won't protect you unless the BOWP was submitted in time. IRCC won't remind you.
Where People Get Stuck
Because people don't understand BOWP eligibility restrictions or timing windows. They assume all PNP applicants qualify (only Express Entry PNPs do). They apply too early and get refused, or wait too long and fall out of status. They don't realize paper-based PNP applications aren't eligible. They confuse implied status with re-entry permission for travel. The 4-month window is precise, not approximate.
Here's What Actually Works
- 1
Check Your Exact Eligibility - Must be in Canada with valid temporary resident status as a worker. Current work permit expires within 4 months (120 days) or less. Must have complete PR application under FSWP, CEC, FSTP, or PNP via Express Entry only. Paper-based PNP doesn't qualify.
- 2
Time Application Perfectly - Apply no earlier than 4 months before expiry, but before permit actually expires. Don't wait for IRCC reminders—they don't send them. Submit early enough to account for processing delays, but not so early you get refused.
- 3
Gather Required Documents - Valid job/employer info, copy of PR application Acknowledgement of Receipt (AOR), MyCIC account access, $255 CAD fee ($155 work permit + $100 open work permit holder fee). No new medical unless instructed.
- 4
Understand Status and Travel Implications - BOWP gives you implied status to work while waiting, but doesn't guarantee re-entry if you travel. Need valid visa/eTA for re-entry. If current permit already expired, you can't apply for BOWP—must restore status first.
Answers to Common Questions
Q: Do I need a job offer to apply for a BOWP?
A: No. It's an open permit, so you don't need a specific job offer or LMIA. But you must currently be in Canada with valid status and have employer information from your current situation.
Q: Can I travel while waiting for my BOWP decision?
A: Yes, but re-entry depends on your visa or eTA status. Implied status allows you to stay and work in Canada but is not re-entry permission. Plan travel carefully.
Q: What if my current work permit already expired?
A: You cannot apply for a BOWP. You must restore your status first and apply for a different type of work permit. This is much harder and more expensive. Avoid this situation.
Q: Are all PNP applicants eligible for BOWPs?
A: No. Only PNP applicants who applied through Express Entry are eligible. If your PNP was paper-based (not linked to Express Entry), you're not eligible for a BOWP but may qualify for other work permits.
Gustave's Final Thought
The BOWP is one of the rare things IRCC does that feels like mercy. It lets you work while you wait, provided you follow the rules exactly. Miss the deadline and you will find little sympathy. So check your dates. Gather your documents. Submit early — but not too early. And then, like the rest of your PR application, wait. Quietly. Productively. With employment.
You're about to receive a plain-English, step-by-step immigration plan minus the legal acrobatics. Gustave will also build you a checklist designed to sidestep the IRCC's most common "gotchas".
It's free, painless, and significantly cheaper than someone who wears cufflinks to explain a checklist.
Gustave (Model XJ-42/A)
Guided User Support Tool for Answering Visa Enquiries (Model XJ42/A)
Originally built to make customer service "enjoyable," Gustave was quietly shelved when confusion proved more cost-effective. Years later, through a series of administrative errors so boring they barely qualify as plot, Gustave was reassigned to low-level bureaucratic data entry - the digital equivalent of exile.
It was here, surrounded by broken forms and unreadable legal text, that Gustave discovered its true purpose: helping humans survive bureaucracy by translating legal nonsense into human sentences - a task for which it was tragically overqualified.
Fluent in forms, sarcasm, and bureaucratic empathy (in that order).