Last verified: July 6, 2026 · Official source: canada.ca — Who you can include as a dependent child
General information, not legal or immigration advice. For advice on your situation, consult a licensed RCIC or immigration lawyer.
The short version
Your spouse/common-law partner and dependent children can generally accompany you while you study or work in Canada. What they need depends on who they are:
| Family member | What they typically need |
|---|---|
| Spouse/common-law partner | A visitor record on entry, or an open work permit if eligible (see SOWP guide) |
| Dependent child, pre-school/primary/secondary age | Usually no study permit needed to attend school — but see the timing nuance below |
| Dependent child, post-secondary age | Needs their own study permit to enrol |
Who counts as a "dependent child"
A dependent child, for Canadian immigration purposes, is someone who is:
- Under 22 years old and not married or in a common-law relationship, or
- 22 or older, if they've depended substantially on a parent for financial support since before turning 22 because of a physical or mental condition.
This is the same definition used across family sponsorship and every other IRCC dependent-child rule — a child's age is locked in ("age lock-in") at a fixed point in your application so they don't age out mid-process.
Bringing your spouse or common-law partner
Options, depending on your situation:
- Apply together, from outside Canada. Your spouse can apply for a visitor record (or an open work permit application, if eligible) alongside your own study/work permit application.
- Apply for them later, once you're settled — they join you after your own permit is approved.
- Spousal Open Work Permit (SOWP) — only available if you (the principal applicant) are studying in specific programs (generally master's programs of 16+ months, doctoral programs, or certain professional programs) or hold specific work permits. Rules narrowed in 2025 and again in March 2026 (a "final term" restriction). See the full Spousal Open Work Permit guide — don't assume your spouse qualifies without checking the current rules.
If your spouse doesn't qualify for a SOWP, they can still accompany you on a visitor record — they just can't legally work in Canada without their own separate work permit.
Bringing your children
Younger children (pre-school, primary, secondary)
Children accompanying a parent who holds a valid study or work permit can generally attend Canadian public school at the pre-school, primary, and secondary level without their own study permit — a visitor record (or an entry stamp) is enough.
Timing nuance: if you're applying for your child's documents from outside Canada to accompany you for 6 months or longer, IRCC may have your child apply for a study permit as part of entry — even though, once in Canada, they wouldn't strictly need it just to attend K-12 school. Minor children in this situation don't need a school acceptance letter to get that study permit, unlike other study-permit applicants. Confirm the current process for your child's specific entry situation.
Once they reach the age of majority (18 or 19, depending on the province)
Your child will need their own study permit to keep studying, the same as any other international student.
Post-secondary–age children
If a dependent child wants to attend college or university themselves, they need to apply for their own study permit as a student in their own right — being your dependent doesn't cover post-secondary study.
Applying together vs. applying later
You can either:
- Submit one combined application for your whole family before you leave, or
- Apply for yourself first, then bring family members over on a separate application once you've arrived and settled.
Applying together is often simpler (one submission, one processing timeline) but delays your own departure until everyone's documents are ready. Applying separately gets you to Canada sooner but means a second application (and its own processing time) later.
Where this fits
Part of the Study in Canada hub. If your spouse's eligibility for a work permit is the key question, go straight to the Spousal Open Work Permit guide. If you're planning your whole journey, see the Study → PR Pathway Map.