Canada has come up with temporary measures to make it easier for provincial nominee applicants and their spouses to obtain work permits while awaiting permanent residence decisions. This policy measure by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) took effect on June 9, 2026, and will remain in place until December 31, 2026.
As per the update, eligible Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates can apply for bridging open work permits, employer-specific work permits where the nomination has expired, and eligible spousal open work permits without waiting for an Acknowledgement of Receipt (AOR) for their permanent residence applications. Candidates earlier had to wait for an official Acknowledgement of Receipt (AOR) confirming that their permanent residence application had passed the completeness check. Now instead of the AOR, candidates can submit the confirmation email showing their PR application was successfully filed through IRCC’s online portal, along with proof of fee payment. Furthermore, the immigration officers can verify eligibility through IRCC systems if a permanent residence application is on file and still pending.
This new temporary measure applies only to applicants who have not yet received an AOR. Those who have already received one must continue to submit it as part of their work permit application. Those who apply from outside of Canada have to meet the AOR requirement.
Through this measure, the IRCC aims to address long delays in R10 completeness checks, which resulted in lengthy waits for AORs for PNP applicants. The delays put many workers at risk of losing their work authorization while waiting for permanent residence processing.
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