Spouse and Child Dependent Visa

The Government of Canada is committed to keeping families together. The Dependent Visa for Canada through the Family Class scheme enables Canadian citizens and permanent residents of 18 years and older to sponsor their dependent children, parents, grandparents, spouse, common-law, and conjugal partners.

What is a Spouse and Child Dependent Visa?

The Canada Dependent Visa allows you to bring your dependents to Canada and also allows them to work or study full time once they have the relevant permits.

In order to sponsor a person through Dependent Visa for Canada, a sponsor needs to provide documents showing his/her finances from the past 12 months to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) so they can determine if the sponsor is able to financially support the members he/she is sponsoring.

How can I Sponsor my Spouse or Children?

You can sponsor your spouse, partner or dependent child to live in Canada if you’re:

at least 18 years’ old.
a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act.
- If you’re a Canadian citizen living outside Canada, you must show that you plan to live in Canada when the persons you want to sponsor become permanent residents.
- You can’t sponsor someone if you’re a permanent resident living outside Canada.
able to prove that you’re not receiving social assistance for reasons other than a disability.
providing for the basic needs of any persons you want to sponsor.

What is the Eligibility for Spouse and Child Dependent Visa?

You can sponsor your spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner and your children, to come live with you in Canada or to visit you for a stipulated period of time.

The Canada Spouse and Child Dependent Visa requirements are as below:

If you’re married, you can sponsor the person as your spouse, if your marriage is a legally valid civil marriage.

Your spouse:

Can be of either sex;
Must be at least 18 years’ old

Your common-law partner:

Can be either sex;
Is at least 18 years’ old;
Isn’t legally married to you;
Has been living with you for at least 12 consecutive months, i.e. you’ve been living together continuously for 1 year in a conjugal relationship, without having long breaks in between.

(Any time spent apart from each other should be short and temporary)

Your Conjugal Partner:

Can be either sex;
Is at least 18 years’ old;
Isn’t legally married to you or in a common-law relationship with you
Has been in a relationship with you for at least 1 year.
Lives outside Canada
Can’t live with you in their country of residence or marry you because of significant legal and immigration reasons.

You’ll need to give proof that you could not live together or get married in your conjugal partner’s country.

Your Dependent Children:

under 22 years of age, who do not have a spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner.
must be the biological child of the parent or the adopted child of the parent.
must prove to be financially dependent on the parent.
is unable to financially support him/herself due to a physical or mental condition. Children aged 22 and above, and who have been depending on the financial support of their parents since before the age of 22 are also considered dependent.
to obtain a Canadian Dependent Visa, you will need to provide proof of your relationship to your dependent children.
will need to undergo a criminal and medical examination. Dependent children who have a criminal record or a contagious medical condition may be prevented from entering Canada.

The medical examination for the Dependent Visa for Canada must be done by a physician who is approved by the Canadian government.

What are the Documents Required for Dependent Visa Canada?

The documentation required for sponsoring a dependent under the Canada Dependent Visa includes:

Passport & travel history
Background documentation
Spouse/partner documentation including marriage certificate
Other proof of relationship
Income proof of sponsor to show adequate finances
Completed application & consulate fees

What is the Processing Time for Spouse and Child Dependent Visa Canada?

The processing time to sponsor a spouse, partner is about 12 months, whereas the processing time to sponsor a child varies by country.

Members of the family class can be sponsored for a Canadian Dependent Visa if they are:

Dependent children under 22 years of age, who do not have a spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner.
In order to be eligible for a Canadian Dependent Visa, the dependent child must be the biological child of the parent or the adopted child of the parent.
To be eligible for Dependent Visa for Canada, the dependent child must prove to be financially dependent on the parent.
The dependent child is unable to financially support him/herself due to a physical or mental condition. Children aged 22 and above and who have been depending on the financial support of their parents since before the age of 22 are also considered dependent.
To obtain a Canadian Dependent Visa, you will need to provide proof of your relationship to your dependent children.
In order to be eligible for Dependent Visa for Canada, children being sponsored will need to undergo a criminal and medical examination. Dependent children who have a criminal record or a contagious medical condition may be prevented from entering Canada.
The medical examination for the Dependent Visa for Canada must be done by a physician who is approved by the Canadian government.