A husband applying for an open work permit (with a child) alongside his wife's study permit application asked whether the decisions come together or separately — and what happens if her visa is approved but theirs is refused. Members raised two strategic points:
- Applying as a bundle can lower the principal applicant's odds. The fullest answer warned that filing everyone in one go increases rejection chances: officers weigh the whole family's intent. If the wife applies alone, her study permit approval odds are much higher; the spouse and child can follow later (e.g. via a SOWP application after her approval) if they can manage apart initially.
- Processing speed varies by the country you apply from. Members noted applications lodged from India were moving much faster at the time than from elsewhere (the family was applying from Saudi Arabia). One open question in the thread — whether you must be physically present in a country to apply 'from' it — went unanswered, so verify residency/application rules for your visa office before planning around this.
The decisions are separate applications and can arrive at different times with different outcomes — plan for the scenario where one is approved and the other is not.