To receive a bridging work permit, foreign nationals would need to meet certain requirements. For instance, they would need to:

• Be in Canada currently
• Have a valid status on a work permit that is due to expire in four months or less
• Be the principal applicant on an application for permanent residence under the following classes:
• The Federal Skilled Worker Class (FSWC)
• The Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
• The Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTC)
• The caring for children class or the caring for people with high medical needs class or,
• The Provincial Nominee Class (PNC)
• This class excludes nominees identified by the nominating province or territory as having employment restrictions imposed as conditions of the nomination
• Have a positive eligibility assessment on their permanent residence application under one of the following economic classes:
• The Federal Skilled Worker Class (FSWC)
• The Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
• The Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTC)
• The caring for children class or the caring for people with high medical needs class or,
• The Provincial Nominee Class (PNC)
• This class excludes nominees identified by the nominating province or territory as having employment restrictions imposed as conditions of the nomination
• Have applied for an open work permit and,
• Have paid the work permit processing fee and the Open Work Permit Holder fee

Some foreign nationals would not qualify for a bridging work permit. This is especially so if:

• They are in Canada under Section 186 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR) i.e. work permit exempt
• They have let their status expire (in this scenario, they would need to apply for restoration of their status to return to temporary resident status)
• Their work permits are valid for more than four months or they already have a new Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) for using as the basis for a new work permit application
• They are applying for a bridging work permit at the port of entry
• They are spouses and dependents of the principal permanent resident applicant
• They are provincial nominees who have not submitted a copy of their nomination letter along with the application for a bridging work permit or, if their nomination letter specifically specifies some employment restrictions

Note:

• It is worth noting that foreign nationals in the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) would only be eligible for an open work permit if:
• They provide a copy of the nomination letter issued by the nominating province or territory with their application and,
• There is no indication that any employment restrictions exist as conditions of the nomination

Source: Citizenship and Immigration