The Canadian government has always been understanding of the importance of family. Therefore it has enabled the immediate family members of new applicants and Canadian visa holders to apply for a Canadian visa. Canada’s effort to not separate family members is admirable, something that is rarely seen in other countries. If you plan to accompany your spouse to Canada or want to join them, you can gain a lot of information b reading this article.
Which family members can apply for a Canadian visa?
An applicant’s following family members can apply for a canadine visa to accompany him:
- Spouse of the main applicant
- Dependent child (under 18) of the main applicant
- Parents of the main applicant if he is a minor student (guardians)
- Parents of a study permit holder
How can a family member apply for a Canadian visa?
- Apply for an open work permit or a visitor visa
- Apply at the same time as the applicant or after they receive their visa
Join your family – generous Canada
Being an international student in Canada can affect you and your family. On the one hand, you need to focus on your studies, and on the other hand, you might get homesick and constantly think about your spouse, child(ren), or family. It can get hard. Therefore, having your family and loved ones by your side during your time in Canada can immensely improve your mental health and ease the pressure of being in a new country.
Canada’s dedication to keeping families together is to help international students better handle their transition to Canada and improve the quality of their education. Regardless of the duration of your program, you can have your family members by your side and study in Canada with ease of mind.
Who is an accompanying family member?
Spouse or common-law partner
The main applicant’s spouse or common-law partner can apply for a Canadian visa. A spouse is a person who is officially married to the main applicant, while a common-law partner is not. Note that Canada no longer recognizes marriages where one or both people were not physically present at the ceremony.
Children
Children of the main applicant who are under 22 and are single are considered the dependent children of the main applicant and can apply for a Canadian visa. Children above 22 who are financially dependent on the main applicant due to mental or physical disabilities are also considered dependent children.
Who is a minor child?
Children under the age of majority (usually 18) are minors. “Age of majority” is different in Canadian provinces. In Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan, children under 18 are considered minors. On the other hand, the age of majority in British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, and Yukon is 19.
Minor children of study permit or work permit holders who have entered Canada do not need a study permit to attend Canadian schools (primary, middle, or high school). However, they need to apply for a study permit as soon as they come of age.
Parents
The parent(s) of a minor student (under 18) can also accompany them to Canada as their guardian. An adult student’s parents, however, can apply for a Canadian visa to come and visit them while they are in Canada.
Parents of minor students
According to Canadian federal laws, you can accompany your child to Canada if you are the parent of an underage student. To this end, you can apply for a Canadian visitor visa and enter Canada with your child.
Parents of adult students (post-secondary students)
If your child is above 18 and is a study permit holder, you can apply for a Canadian visitor visa to come and visit them in Canada. Even though you are applying for a visitor visa, since the reason is to visit your child, the duration of this visa would be longer than standard visitor visas.
Unfortunately, you cannot apply for this type of visa simultaneously with your child. You need to wait for them to get their visa and enter Canada, and then you can apply for a visitor visa to come and visit your child.
Eligibility criteria to apply for a Canadian visa as an accompanying family member
As the spouse or parent of a student, you need to meet the following eligibility criteria to apply for a Canadian visa:
- Prove that you will leave Canada after the completion of the main applicant’s studies
- Provide proof of sufficient financial support to cover the costs of your stay in Canada
- Be in good health
- Have a clean criminal record
Note:
- Previous travel history or history of traveling to the Schengen area is not mandatory when applying for a Canadian visa as an accompanying family member.
- If your spouse is a study permit holder and now you want to apply for a Canadian visa to join them, your spouse must be enrolled in a program and have active student status.
Canadian visas for the spouse of student
The spouse of a student can apply for three types of visas to accompany you to Canada:
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How to apply for a Canadian visa as an accompanying family member
As an accompanying family member of a student, you can apply for a Canadian visa at the same time as the main applicant or apply separately after the approval of the main applicant’s application.
These two scenarios have a few differences when it comes to applying for a Canadian visa as an accompanying family member of a student. Here we discuss both:
Apply at the same time as the main applicant
In this scenario, the main applicant is either your spouse or minor child, and you are their accompanying family member. Therefore, the main application would be a study permit application, and it must mention that you will be accompanying the main applicant to Canada by applying for a visitor visa or a work permit.
Step one: Prepare the documents
Prepare all the required documents for a study permit application along with the necessary documents of the accompanying family member. Have them digitally scanned into PDF files and named properly. In the following sections, we will discuss the required documents of the accompanying family member.
All documents, except for digital photos, must be pdf files no more than 4 Mb in size.
Step two: Create an account on the CIC website
Enter the CIC website and answer the 2 questions in the “Apply Online” sections:
The first question asks you where you will be applying from and the second question asks you whether you are applying online or on paper.
According to your answer, some instructions will be displayed on the screen, followed by a “Create an account or sign in” button.
After clicking on the “Create an account or sign in” button, you will be redirected to a new page with four options; where you need to click on the “Don’t have an account” option to create an account.
If you already have an account, you can enter your account by clicking the “sign in with GCKey.”
To create an account, you must enter your full name, email, and date of birth and answer the required questions correctly and truthfully. Based on your answers, the required forms and documents will be shown.
Step three: Answer the application questions
After creating an account and starting an application, you will face the following page where the main applicant needs to select the first option:
After starting a temporary visa application by selecting the “Visitor visa, Study and/or work permit” option, the main applicant must answer a questionnaire. At first, the following two questions are asked, which determine your application type. Since the main applicant would be applying for a study permit, they need to select the “study” option for the first question and the “Temporary – more than six months” option for the second question.
The main applicant needs to answer a few more questions, and eventually, their application type will be set to a “Student Visa.” Then one question asks, “Do you want to submit an application for a family member?”. Since the spouse of the main applicant will be accompanying them to Canada, they need to select the “Yes” option.
After that, the main applicant will be asked, “why is your family member visiting Canada?”. If the spouse of the main applicant plans to work in Canada, the “Work with an open work permit” option must be selected:
If, however, the family member plans to accompany the main applicant temporarily, the “Visit-All other types” option must be selected:
Then, further questions about the accompanying family member will be asked that need to be answered correctly. After answering all questions regarding the first accompanying family member, if you want to submit an application for another family member as well, you need to answer the following question with the “Yes” option.
If your child is also coming with you to Canada, you need to request a visa for them as well.
After thoroughly answering the questionnaire, a list of all required forms and documents will be shown on the screen.
Step four: Upload the forms and the documents
Based on the answers you provided while completing the questionnaire, a set of forms and documents will be asked of your to upload. You need to download the form, fill them out, sign them and then upload them in their specified fields. Other required documents need to be uploaded in their specified fields as well.
Step five: Pay the application fee and submit the application
After uploading the documents, you need to pay the application fee before being able to submit your application. If you haven’t previously provided your biometrics information, you also need to pay the biometrics fee.
It is worth mentioning that children under the age of 14 do not need to provide their biometrics information.
Step six: Provide your biometrics information
After successfully paying the application fee and submitting the application, within several hours, you will receive the Biometric Instruction Letter (BIL). In this letter, there are instructions on how to provide your biometrics information as well as a deadline. You must book an appointment with a Visa Application Center and provide your biometric information. Your biometric information will be valid for ten years.
Step seven: Congratulations! Your application has been approved
Upon approval of the application, the main applicant and their accompanying family member will receive a “Pass Request Letter,” instructing them to send their original travel documents (passports) for further processing of their applications.
This stage of the process usually takes a few weeks, and you can use Visa Pick-up services from trusted immigration and travel agencies.
Apply separately
If you are the spouse or parent of a study permit holder already in Canada and want to join them, you also need to apply for a Canadian visa.
This time, the accompanying family member will be the main applicant, and they will be submitting an open work permit or a visitor visa application.
Most of the process of applying for a Canadian visa separately from the main applicant is similar to applying for one simultaneously, but they differ in question types.
When asked, “Are you a spouse, common-law partner, or child of a certain skilled worker or of a certain full-time international student that has or will have status in Canada?” select the “Yes” option:
Similarly, when asked, “Are you accompanying a family member that has status in Canada or has recently been approved to come to Canada?” select the “Yes” option:
The rest of the questions in the questionnaire will be about your personal information, which needs to be answered truthfully. Similarly to what we explained above, the following steps are uploading the documents, paying the application fee, and submitting the application. Finally, you need to provide your biometric information at a VAC. Upon approval of your application, you need to send your original travel document and pick up your visa.
The cost of Canadian for an accompanying family member
When applying for a Canadian visa as an accompanying family member, there will be some costs associated with the process. These costs include the application fee, the biometrics fee, translation fees, lawyer fees, and proof of financial support.
Application fee
| Open Work Permit | 255 CAD |
| Visitor visa – per person | 100 CAD |
| Visitor visa for the parents of a minor child – per person | 100 CAD |
Biometrics fee
| Biometrics fee – per person | 85 CAD |
| Biometrics fee for families of 2 or more when applying together | 170 CAD |
Cost of preparing documents
You are required to prepare the required documents prior to applying, and this preparation can be costly. If your certificates, degrees, and transcripts are in a language other than English or French, you must have them translated. This translation must be official, hence being costly.
Lawyer fees
Immigration lawyers and consultants usually charge around 1,000 to 1,500 USD for work permits. For visitor visas, the standard rate usually is 500 to 1,000 CAD. This expense, of course, depends on the lawyer’s expertise and experience.
Proof of means of financial support
The amount of required funds would differ depending on whether the accompanying family member applies for a Canadian visa at the same time as the main applicant or separately. In the following section, we discuss this document in detail.
Proof of means of financial support
When applying for a Canadian visa as an accompanying family member of a student, you need to provide proof of sufficient financial support to cover the costs of living in Canada for at least one year.
As mentioned before, whether or not the accompanying family member applies for a Canadian visa at the same time as the main applicant can affect the amount of funds required.
Proof of means of financial support for applications made at the same time as the main applicant
In this scenario, the student is considered the main applicant.
Outside Quebec
| People coming to Canada | Yearly living costs (excluding tuition) | Monthly living cost (excluding tuition) |
| Applicant (the student) | 10,000 CAD | 833 CAD |
| First family member | 4,000 CAD | 333 CAD |
| Every additional accompanying family member | 3,000 CAD | 255 CAD |
In Quebec
| People coming to Canada | Yearly living costs (excluding tuition) | Monthly living cost (excluding tuition) |
| 1 person under the age of 18 | 6,569 CAD | 547 CAD |
| 1 person aged 18 or over | 13,134 CAD | 1,095 CAD |
| 2 people aged 18 or over | 19,264 CAD | 1,605 CAD |
| 2 people aged 18 or over and 1 person under the age of 18 | 21,579 CAD | 1,798 CAD |
| 2 people aged 18 or over and 2 people under the age of 18 | 23,290 CAD | 1,941 CAD |
Proof of means of financial support for applications made separately from the main applicant
Family members of a study permit holder in Canada who plan on joining them, need to prove their financial capabilities by:
- Proof of means of financial support for a work permit
For visa applications made separately from the main applicant, you need to demonstrate your ability to cover living costs in Canada for one year. For example, suppose your cost of living in Canada is 1,000 CAD per month. In this case, you need 12,000 CAD in funds to support yourself financially. If your family member in Canada has already rented a place, you don’t need to account for rent.
Note: It is always advised to demonstrate more funds just to be safe.
- Proof of means of financial support for a visitor visa
Since the maximum validity of a Canadian visitor visa is six months, you need to present 12,000 CAD in funding to cover your living expenses, given that your cost of living in Canada is 2,000 CAD per month. Also, you must take medical insurance fees into account as well.
Note: It is always advised to demonstrate more funds just to be safe.
Accompanying family members of minor children
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Does a dependent child of a student in Canada need a study permit?
Consider the following scenarios:
| The Child’s status | Needs a Study permit? | Required documents |
| Canadian citizen | No | Passport, proof of citizenship, or birth certificate |
| Permanent resident of Canada | No | Residence history, permanent resident card |
| Foreign national in Canada on a visitor visa | Yes | Passport with a border stamp |
| Children of status holders in Canada | No | Passport |
| Refugees or protected people | No | Eligibility letter issued by IRCC and passport |
| Waiting on their status | No | Passport |
Required documents for a Canadian visa for an accompanying family member
An accompanying family member of a student or a minor student needs the following document to apply for a Canadian visa:
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Processing time of a Canadian visa for an accompanying family member
- If applying at the same time as the main applicant:
In this case, the results depend on the result of the main applicant’s application. Whenever they receive their visa, your visa will be issued as well. Therefore, your visa processing time is the same as a study permit processing time which is a few months.
- If applying separately:
The processing time can be different when you apply for an open work permit or a visitor visa. You can check the processing time of your application directly from the IRCC website.
After entering the IRCC website and answering the questions, you can see the average processing time of your application. Keep in mind that this is an average time, and your application may be processed in less or more time.
Converting a visitor visa to a work permit
There are two scenarios where you can do this:
You are the spouse of a study permit holder
If you are inside Canada on a visitor visa to visit your spouse – a study permit holder – you can apply for an open work permit. You only need a logical explanation for this decision and submit your application from inside Canada.
Eligibility criteria, required documents, and the process of applying for an open work permit from inside Canada are the same as applying for one from outside Canada. The only difference is their processing time.
You are the parents of a minor child
If you are inside Canada on a visitor visa as an accompanying family member of a minor student, you can apply for an employer-specific work permit by finding a valid job offer. You also need a positive LMIA to do so, and your positions must have a NOC code of 0, A, or B.
By getting an employer-specific work permit, your child’s education in Canadian public schools will become free of charge.
Extension of Canadian visa for accompanying family members
An accompanying family member of a status holder in Canada can apply for an extension of their visa given that the main applicant (their spouse or child) has an active status in Canada.
Refusal reasons for accompanying family members’ visa applications
Normally visa applications made by an accompanying family member are refused based on the following grounds:
- Purpose of visit
- Financial status
- Failure to convince the IRCC officer that their stay is temporary
- Incomplete application
- Ties to home country
- Being the financial sponsor of the main applicant
If your visa application has been refused, you don’t have to give up. You can read our “Canadian visa refusal reasons” to get a better understanding of what you need to do.
Our services at Visa Mondial to accompanying family members
Visa Mondial immigration organization, with more than ten years of administrative work and hundreds of successful study permit and visitor applications, is more than ready to help you, your spouse and children, and your parents remain with their families and enter Canada. With the help of official immigration consultants, Visa Mondial offers the following services:
- Expert consultation and evaluation of applicants
- Expert decision-making on the correct method of entering Canada as an accompanying family member (applying separately or at the same time)
- Applying for an open work permit or a visitor visa on behalf of the accompanying spouse of students
- Applying for a visitor visa on behalf of the accompanying parent of a minor student
- Providing document checklist
- Writing letters of explanation for accompanying family members
- Document assessment and problem-solving
- Keeping the clients updated from the moment of submission till the results
- Application preparation
- Asking for a judicial review and appealing to federal court in case of refusal on the client’s behalf
