A couple (37 and 32), both already holding master's degrees, asked whether the wife could realistically get a study permit for a Canadian PhD — having read that approvals after 30 are extremely tough — and whether the husband could get an open work permit. What members shared:
- Age 30+ is not the barrier folklore says it is — for doctoral study. One member: "I don't think age is a problem as long as you have a strong SOP. I saw at least 3–4 forty-year-olds who got their study and work permits in the last month alone."
- A concrete data point: a member's 37-year-old husband was starting a PhD at a major Montréal research university and received his study permit within 16 days of applying. Doctoral admissions signal serious academic purpose, which offsets age-related doubt.
- Spouse open work permit: yes, that's the standard route. The same member was awaiting her spousal open work permit — the accompanying spouse of a full-time PhD student applies for an open work permit alongside or after the study permit. (Note: spousal OWP eligibility rules have tightened since this 2022 thread but continue to cover spouses of doctoral students — verify current IRCC criteria.)
- What the thread didn't deliver: specific cheap-PhD/scholarship recommendations. The practical takeaway is that funded PhD admission plus a purposeful SOP is the combination that worked for the people cited.