How to Bring Your Family to Canada on a Temporary Resident Visa?

Nationwide Visas
[Published 20 Sep, 2025 | 12:34 PM]
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Considering a move to Canada with a temporary residence visa (TRV), but worried about leaving your family behind? This is the most common question asked by applicants who want to move to Canada as students or visitors.

But, do you know what the good part is? Canada offers many pathways to bring your family into the country as a TRV holder. But it also depends on your situation and the type of temporary resident visa status, whether it's your spouse, common-law partners, or dependent children.

These family members have the opportunity to accompany you, or they have other pathways, such as applying for the open work permit (OWPs) to earn money in Canada. Dependent children can apply for a study permit without impacting their studies, allowing them to reside in Canada.

In this guide, you will understand the rules and regulations for applying for Canada PR. At the same time, we ensure a smoother and less stressful process with the best immigration consultants in India.

Bring Your Family As a Work Permit Holder

If the candidate wants to bring their family to Canada as a work permit holder, they must have a valid job offer from a Canadian employer. Before January 21, 2025, you can bring your spouse and children, both of whom are allowed. However, after that date, Canada later changed its rule to allow only the spouse to work in Canada.

Eligibility Criteria For this Process

There are some eligibility criteria to bring your family to Canada as a Work Permit Visa Holder, which include:

High-demand job workers can apply to bring their spouse with them. High-demand jobs include those in fields such as science, engineering, construction, healthcare, education, sports, military, and many more. They are those eligible for the TEER 0 and 1 categories. However, if you are working in any of the above areas, then your spouse can join you.

The joining of your spouse also depends on your work permit validation and your spouse's plans to spend their days in Canada.

Bring Your Family While Filling Out the Sponsorship Application

To qualify for the family open work permit (OWP), the worker must have 16 or more months of work permit validation. After that, your spouse can be eligible to apply for an OWP. But once this work permit is received, he or she can work anywhere except for those enterprises or services that do not follow the rules and regulations, e.g., erotic dancing, escorting, adult messages or striptease.

To apply for a spouse open work permit in Canada, the applicant must ensure that they meet the following points:

• Must fill out the IMM 5533 application form by providing up-to-date information.
• Must include essential documents, such as a marriage certificate and passports.
• Must attach the previously authorized document that has been received from the IRCC.
• Pay the required application fees online, and also attach recent passport-sized photographs.

Note: If your family is not ready to work in Canada or lacks a plan to do so. Then he/she can apply for visitor visa.

Bring Your Family As a Study Permit Holder

If you have a study permit from a Canadian school, then you are eligible to include your spouse in your application. Suppose the candidate applies for a specific program, such as a Master’s program lasting 16 months or more, a PhD program, or other professional programs listed on the government website. In that case, you can apply for the spouse application. Not all the spouses of foreign students are eligible to apply for an Open Work Permit (OWP).

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Steps For Family Visa Guide

A detailed set of steps involved in applying for the family visa guide is as follows:

Step 1: Apply to the IRCC online portal to get the study permit.

Step 2: The candidates must have the following documents: proof of relationship, proof of funds, passports, a medical clearance certificate, and, most importantly, a police clearance certificate, such as a character certificate. 

Step 3: For a family member, the applicant must apply through the online portal of IRCC.

Step 4: After completing the above three steps, you should pay the application fee. If you are applying for a work permit, you should pay approximately 155 CAD. For a study permit, the cost is 150 CAD, and for biometric fees, it is 85 CAD.

Step 5: Next, you need to wait for the visa process status. The processing times are as follows: 2-8 weeks for a work permit, 4-12 weeks for a visitor visa. The SDS application is the fastest visa process, taking approximately 20 days.

Final Verdict

Having your loved ones with you in Canada on a temporary resident visa depends on your status, the kind of permit you possess and whether your spouse and/or children are eligible or not. Regardless of whether through an open work permit, study permit or visitor visa, Canada has many options which allow your loved ones to join you. The trick is to do it the right way, ensuring all documents are up-to-date and compliant with the latest IRCC regulations. With the right advice and planning through the best immigration consultant in India, your family's arrival in Canada is made simpler and a success for all involved.