My spouse is doing a master's — can I get a spousal open work permit to join her?

The rules here narrowed twice recently — since January 21, 2025, spousal open work permits for students generally only apply to spouses of master's programs of at least 16 months, doctoral programs, or a short list of professional-degree programs, NOT college diplomas or shorter bachelor's-adjacent programs. Then a further tightening on March 4, 2026 affects spouses of students in their FINAL term specifically. Since your wife's master's is 2 years, that generally clears the length bar, but confirm the current rule against the official page before assuming, since this has changed twice in under 18 months. Guide: /guides/work/spousal-open-work-permit. General information from my own experience, not legal advice — for anything specific to your file, a licensed RCIC or immigration lawyer can look at your actual documents.