A member who had already received her student visa, but was 8 months pregnant, wanted to defer her semester and travel to Canada after giving birth, with her husband (holding an open work permit) accompanying her — she needed guidance on how to also get a visa for the newborn.
What the thread advised:- Check with your university first about whether deferment is allowed and what the next intake will be. In this case, deferring meant the applicant would be moving to the following September intake rather than her original one.
- Apply for the infant's visa through the IRCC portal or GCKey, treating it as a standard visitor visa application and answering all the required questions — this is the same portal used for adult visitor visa applications.
- Be aware that infant visa complexity can vary by country of citizenship/residence — the specific requirements and any extra steps depend on where you're applying from, so don't assume the process is identical everywhere.
- Consider carefully whether traveling internationally with a newborn is advisable at all. More than one member suggested postponing travel until after the baby is a bit older, rather than rushing to travel right after birth.
The practical takeaway: confirm your deferment with the university first, then treat your infant's visa as a standard visitor visa application through the IRCC/GCKey portal — but weigh carefully whether traveling with a very young newborn is the right call, since several members recommended waiting.