- Ottawa implemented stricter spousal permit rules to combat fraudulent marriages of convenience among international students.
- New restrictions limit permits primarily to spouses of master’s and doctoral students in specific programs.
- Work permit issuances for student spouses dropped by seventy-three percent following the policy enforcement.
Ottawa tightened spousal open work permit rules twice after internal warnings that some Indian students were using sham marriages to gain Canadian work access. The route narrowed fast. Officials moved after marriage-for-permit concerns surfaced inside the immigration system.
A March 22, 2025 memo from Han Duan, First Secretary (Migration) at Canada’s High Commission in New Delhi, put the concern in writing. He said: "Given the high cost of studying and living in Canada, many Indian applicants relied on marriages of convenience to secure financial support in exchange for spousal Open Work Permits (OWPs). This practice was widely advertised in local newspapers and on dating apps." The note tied it to living costs. The memo pointed to a profit motive.
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Before 2024, spouses of any international student in a public college or university could receive the permit and work for any Canadian employer. The rule was broad. Few employers were off limits. It gave families a wider labour route.
On March 19, 2024, Ottawa cut that access back to spouses of students in master’s and doctoral programs. Undergraduate and college-level spouses lost the route. The first door shut. Graduate programs stayed in.
The next tightening came on January 21, 2025. As of July 30, 2026, spouses of students are generally limited to those in master’s programs of 16 months or more, doctoral programs, certain professional programs, and select eligible programs. The bar rose again. Undergraduates remained out.
Spouses of temporary workers face a separate test. They are limited to workers in management or professional occupations, or in specific priority sectors, and the principal worker must have at least 16 months remaining on the permit. That condition still stands. Ottawa tied it to job class and time left.
IRCC told a House committee on March 23, 2026, that the January 2025 changes reduced new work permits issued to spouses of international students by 73% between January-December 2024 and the same period in 2025. It also said permits for spouses and family members of workers fell 34%. Workers saw a drop too. The department said spousal work permit holders made up 13% of IMP permit holders in January 2026, down from 15% in January 2025.
Ottawa narrowed the route in two steps
| Period | What Ottawa allowed |
|---|---|
| Before 2024 | Spouses of any international student in a public college or university could qualify for an open permit and work for any Canadian employer. |
| March 19, 2024 | Ottawa restricted eligibility to spouses of students in master’s and doctoral programs only. |
| January 21, 2025 | Ottawa narrowed the route again, limiting it to spouses of students in master’s programs of 16 months or longer, doctoral programs, certain professional programs, and select eligible programs, with tighter limits also imposed on spouses of temporary workers. |
On September 18, 2024, Marc Miller said the measures were meant to "uphold the integrity of the immigration system, protect vulnerable people, mitigate fraud and ensure program compliance is strictly enforced." He described the move in enforcement terms. Plainly. The message centered on fraud control.
The Office of the Auditor General of Canada later said the share of Indians among incoming international students fell from 51.6% in 2023 to 8.1% by September 2025. The student mix changed quickly. Another official snapshot matched the trend. The numbers shifted across the pipeline.
A July 20, 2026 report said Indian study permit applications had fallen 66% between 2023 and 2026, and April 2026 permits issued to Indians dropped to 5,795 from 36,510 in April 2024. The slide was deep. It showed up in application data too.
Han Duan went further in his memo. He wrote, "The recent policy changes have disrupted common strategies used by applicants who intended to change schools or prioritise work over study." The warning reached beyond permits. It described school-hopping and work-first plans.
