Canada dependent visa
Canada does not issue a single "family visa." If your spouse, partner or child is already in Canada on a work permit, a study permit or as a permanent resident, you join them through one of two doors. If they hold a temporary permit, you come as an accompanying family member: the spouse may qualify for an open work permit and minor children take study or visitor status, all tied to the principal's permit. If they are a permanent resident or citizen, they can sponsor you under the Family Class for your own permanent residence. There is no shortcut for Indian applicants; your eligibility flows entirely from the family member already in Canada, and since 21 January 2025 the spousal open work permit has been sharply narrowed.
Every family member files their own application: a work permit, study permit, visitor visa (TRV) or a sponsorship, as the case may be, and it is strongest when submitted alongside the principal so the files are assessed together. What the sponsor does in Canada matters: their occupation and skill level or study program, and how much time is left on their permit, decide what you can be granted. From India you apply online to IRCC and pay the fees; once the application is in, you receive a biometric instruction letter and attend a VFS Global Canada Visa Application Centre in your city to give fingerprints and a photograph. The final decision rests with IRCC alone.
Who this visa is for
- ✓You are the spouse or common-law partner of the person living in Canada, or their dependent child (unmarried and under 22).
- ✓The family member in Canada must hold valid status: a work permit, a study permit, or permanent residence / citizenship.
- ✓Spouse of a worker: an open work permit is possible only if the worker is in a TEER 0 or 1 occupation, or in a select TEER 2/3 occupation in an eligible sector (health care, the skilled trades and construction, natural and applied sciences, education, natural resources and others), and the worker's permit is valid for at least 16 months when you apply.
- ✓Spouse of a student: an open work permit is possible only if the student is in a master's program of 16 months or longer, a doctoral program, or an eligible professional or select program.
- ✓Dependent children of temporary residents are no longer eligible for open work permits (since 21 January 2025); they join through a study permit or visitor status.
- ✓Family Class sponsorship (sponsor is a PR or citizen): in most spouse, partner and dependent-child cases there is no minimum income requirement, but the sponsor must meet the undertaking rules and not be under a bar (for example, the 5-year bar after having been sponsored as a spouse or partner).
Visa options for Canada
Spouse / partner of a foreign worker (open work permit)
Available where the worker's occupation and remaining permit meet the January 2025 criteria; the permit lets the spouse work for almost any employer in Canada.
Spouse / partner of an international student (open work permit)
Limited to spouses of students in master's (16 months or longer), doctoral or eligible professional programs; the permit cannot outlast the student's study permit.
Dependent child of a temporary resident (study permit / visitor status)
Minor children of a parent authorised to work or study may attend school; they hold a study permit or visitor status, not an open work permit.
Family Class sponsorship (spouse, partner or dependent child)
For family whose sponsor is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident; the applicant becomes a permanent resident rather than a temporary accompanying resident.
Documents typically required
- ✓Valid Indian passport with adequate remaining validity (plus copies of any earlier passports).
- ✓Completed IRCC application forms for the relevant permit: work permit, study permit or visitor visa (TRV), or the full sponsorship package.
- ✓Proof of relationship: marriage certificate or proof of a registered/common-law partnership; for a child, a birth certificate naming the parent.
- ✓Copy of the principal's Canadian status: work permit, study permit or PR card, plus their passport.
- ✓Principal's supporting proof: an employer letter stating occupation/NOC and job details, or a letter of acceptance/enrolment from the designated learning institution for a student.
- ✓Recent digital photograph meeting IRCC specifications.
- ✓Proof of funds / evidence the family can be supported in Canada.
- ✓Biometrics (fingerprints and photo) provided at a VFS Global centre after the biometric instruction letter.
- ✓Family Information Form (IMM 5645), and for a child not travelling with both parents, custody or parental-consent documents.
Your exact checklist depends on your profile — we confirm it during your case analysis. Every visa decision rests with the embassy or consulate.
You apply online through your IRCC secure account (or the PR Portal for Family Class sponsorship) and pay the fees; each family member files a separate application, ideally at the same time as the person already in Canada so the files are read together. After you submit, IRCC issues a biometric instruction letter; within 30 days you book and attend a VFS Global Canada Visa Application Centre in India, in cities such as New Delhi, Chandigarh, Jalandhar, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata, to give fingerprints and a photograph. VFS Global handles biometrics collection only; the approval is IRCC's alone.
Frequently asked questions
Do you guarantee the visa?
No. The decision rests solely with the relevant immigration authority, and no one can honestly guarantee a visa. What we can promise is a frank reading of your case and the strongest, best-documented application we can build around it. Over the last 2-3 years, the applications we have handled have carried a 97% success rate.
Can my spouse work in Canada while accompanying me?
Only if they qualify for a spousal open work permit under the rules in force since 21 January 2025. That means the worker in Canada is in a TEER 0 or 1 occupation (or a select TEER 2/3 role in an eligible sector) with a permit valid for at least 16 months when the spouse applies, or the student is in a master's, doctoral or eligible professional program. If neither applies, the spouse can still join as a visitor but cannot work.
Can our children study in Canada?
Yes. Minor children whose parent is authorised to work or study in Canada may attend school; a minor already in Canada with such a parent can even study without a separate study permit, though they hold visitor status. Children joining from India apply for a study permit or visitor status alongside the principal, but note that dependent children can no longer be granted an open work permit.
Is there an income or job-offer requirement to bring my family?
For spouse, partner and dependent-child Family Class sponsorship there is usually no minimum income requirement (a limited exception applies where the person you sponsor has a dependent child of their own). For the accompanying temporary route, IRCC publishes no fixed income threshold, but you must show you can support your family; the real gate is the principal's status, occupation or study program and the time left on their permit.