International Student Services

Bringing Your Family Members

Bring your Family as Visitors

As a full-time student, Canada’s immigration policy allows you to bring family members (spouse or common-law partner and dependent children) to Canada with you as visitors, provided they meet normal visitor requirements. As with all temporary residents of Canada, including yourself, the family member(s) you wish to bring with you will require either a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) or an electronic Travel Authorization (eTA).

  • If your spouse is also planning on studying in Canada, he or she will be required to apply for his or her own study permit separately.
  • If your minor aged, dependent child plan on studying in Canada, in primary or secondary school (grades K-12) your child could apply to come to Canada as a Visitor, as long as your study permit is valid. However, IRCC recommends that minor aged children still apply for a study permit.
  • If your child is eighteen years of age or older, or will be attending post-secondary studies, he or she will require his or her own study permit.

You must prove that you can financially support yourself and the family members who come with you to Canada. Review IRCC's financial requirements to ensure you can prove you have sufficient funds to support yourself and your family members.

For example: The cost of living for a family of 4, for one year would be upwards of $38,346 (CAD). This does not include childcare expenses, which average between $800 and $1000 per child, per month. Please note that government subsidies are not available for childcare.

Some students with sufficient financial resources may prefer to apply for immigration documents for their family members at the same time as they apply for their study permit. If your family members are denied temporary status in Canada, this may affect your decision to study here. Given this, you may wish to arrange for your family to come at a later date, after you have familiarized yourself with life in Canada and are satisfied that enough money is available to support them.

Open Work Permit for Spouse or Common-Law Partner

Accompanying spouses/partners of SOME full-time international students are eligible to apply for an open work permit often referred to as a "Spousal Open Work Permit" (SOWP). 

IRCC states that spouses/partners of study permit holders applying after April 30, 2024, are only eligible to apply for an Open Work Permit if the student is enrolled in one of these degree-granting programs:

  • studying in a master’s or doctoral degree program
  • participating in an eligible pilot program, or
  • studying in one of the following professional degree programs at a university:
    • Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS, DMD)
    • Bachelor of Law or Juris Doctor (LLB, JD, BCL)
    • Doctor of Medicine (MD)
    • Doctor of Optometry (OD)
    • Pharmacy (PharmD, BS, BSc, BPharm)
    • Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM)
    • Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN, BSN)
    • Bachelor of Nursing Science (BNSc)
    • Bachelor of Nursing (BN)
    • Bachelor of Education (BEd)
    • Bachelor of Engineering (BEng, BE, BASc)

Spouses/partners of students in other undergraduate programs are no longer eligible for a SOWP. For more information, visit the IRCC website.

If they’re not eligible for this open work permit, they may be able to get another type of work permit.

If you are planning to bring your spouse/partner or dependent children with you to Canada, please feel free to contact us. We would be happy to provide you some support and advice on your next steps.