How to Add Children to a Spousal Sponsorship Application in Canada

You’re building your spousal sponsorship application and there are children involved. Maybe your spouse has a child from before your relationship. Maybe you have a child together. Either way, you’re trying to figure out exactly what needs to happen to make sure those children are properly included and no steps are missed.

This is the right question to be asking now, before you file. The steps for adding children to a spousal sponsorship application are clear once you know them, but skipping any of them creates problems that are very difficult to fix afterward.

Before any forms are filled out, confirm that the child meets IRCC’s definition of a dependent child. A dependent child must be:

• Under 22 years of age at the time the application is submitted
• Not married or in a common-law relationship
• Biologically related to or legally adopted by the sponsor or sponsored person

Children 22 or older may still qualify if they have depended financially on a parent since before age 22 and cannot support themselves due to a physical or mental condition. If you think this applies, it needs to be specifically assessed and documented.

Step-children who have not been formally adopted require a separate assessment. The starting question is whether the child is the biological or legally adopted child of the sponsored person, and whether the relationship meets IRCC’s definition.

For each qualifying dependent child, you must indicate whether they are accompanying or non-accompanying.

Accompanying means the child will be immigrating to Canada as part of this application. They will be processed for permanent residence alongside the principal sponsored person.

Non-accompanying means the child qualifies as a dependent but is not coming to Canada at this time. They still need to be declared and assessed, including completing a medical exam.

Both categories require full disclosure and documentation. There is no option to simply not mention a qualifying dependent child. The immigration consequences of doing so are permanent and serious.

The primary form for declaring and including dependent children is the IMM 5645, the Family Information form. This form collects basic information about each family member, including dependent children, regardless of whether they are accompanying.

Additional forms may be required depending on the child’s situation:

• IMM 5406: Additional Family Information, required for all family members including children who are 18 or older
• IMM 5669: Schedule A Background Declaration, required for all applicants and dependants who are 18 or older
• Custody documents and legal agreements if the child has two biological parents and custody arrangements affect their travel
• Adoption documents if the child was legally adopted

Each dependent child needs their own complete set of supporting documents. These include:

• Birth certificate showing the child’s full name, date of birth, and parents’ names
• Valid passport or travel document
• Proof of immigration status in their current country of residence if applicable
• Custody order or parenting agreement if the child has more than one legal parent
• Adoption certificate if the child was adopted

Original documents or certified copies are generally required. Translations must be done by a certified translator if the documents are not in English or French. IRCC does not accept machine translations.

Every dependent child included in the application must complete an immigration medical exam with an IRCC-approved panel physician. This applies to both accompanying and non-accompanying children.

Key points about the medical exam for children:

• The exam must be completed with a physician on IRCC’s approved panel, not any family doctor
• Medical exam results are valid for 24 months
• If the exam expires before the PR is granted, it will need to be repeated
• Children under five do not require a chest X-ray but do require the physical examination component
• The cost of the exam varies by country and physician

Children between 5 and 79 years of age who are not Canadian or US citizens are required to provide biometrics as part of the application. This involves a fingerprint scan and photograph, taken at a designated biometrics collection point.

IRCC will send a Biometrics Instruction Letter specifying when and where biometrics need to be collected. The window to provide biometrics after receiving this letter is 30 days for applications filed from within Canada and a longer window for those outside.

Government fees for each dependent child added to a spousal sponsorship application include a processing fee and the Right of Permanent Residence Fee (RPRF). Both fees apply per child.

The RPRF is refundable if the application is refused before the child lands as a permanent resident. The processing fee is generally not refundable once processing has begun.

There is no fee reduction or exemption for children based on age or number of siblings. Each child’s fees are assessed individually.

Can we add a child to the application after we have already submitted it?

Yes, in some circumstances. If the child was not eligible at the time of submission but has since become a dependent, or if a new child has been born, IRCC allows for updates to be submitted. However, the process for adding a child post-submission is more complex than including them from the start. It requires notifying IRCC promptly, and may not be possible at all stages of processing. Blog 14C covers this specifically for newborns.

Does each child need their own application package, or is one package submitted for all of them?

The sponsorship application is a single package that covers the principal sponsored person and all accompanying and non-accompanying dependants. Each child has their own section within the forms and their own set of supporting documents, but everything is submitted together as one package. There is no separate application per child.

What happens at the Canadian border when the sponsored person and child arrive to land as permanent residents?

At the port of entry, the border services officer will review the Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) documents for the sponsored person and for each accompanying dependent child. Each person, including children, will be processed individually. Children will typically need to be present in person at the port of entry and cannot land using their parent’s documents alone.