A 35-year-old on an ICT (intra-company transfer) work permit was terminated days before an expected Express Entry draw. With the job offer their CRS was 538; without it, 488. Members untangled the options:
- The job-offer points are already gone. The decisive point: arranged-employment points require a letter confirming the employer will keep you employed for at least one year after you become a PR. An employer that has issued a termination notice — even one offering a 3-month extension of the last working day — cannot credibly provide that, so claiming the points risks misrepresentation. Plan around CRS 488.
- The spousal open work permit escape hatch may not exist. The poster hoped to switch to an open permit via their spouse — but members flagged that if the spouse is in Canada on a spousal open work permit derived from the poster, you can't then turn around and base your own open permit on them.
- You can stay, but not work. With the work permit valid until 2025, members confirmed legal status continues after the job ends — but working is only allowed per the (employer-specific) permit conditions. Staying to await a draw is viable; working isn't, without a new permit.
- Paths forward with 488: members pointed to category-based draws (STEM) where 488 had a realistic chance, and noted that a new job backed by an LMIA would both authorize work and restore claimable job-offer points.