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Bringing your spouse and child to Canada after getting a study permit

Canada • Study Permit • study 0 views
By VisaBuddies Communityvia community — compiled from public visa forums

Documents Needed

  • Spousal Open Work Permit (SOWP) application

    For your spouse, tied to your study permit.

  • Study permit (or visitor visa) application for your child

    Depending on your child's age and plans, apply for a study permit or a visitor visa.

Step-by-Step

Once you have a study permit, bringing your family along generally follows this path:

  1. Apply for a Spousal Open Work Permit (SOWP) for your spouse. This lets them work for almost any employer in Canada while you study.

  2. Apply for a study permit for your child (or a visitor visa, depending on age and your plans) so they can join you and attend school.

  3. Public schooling for your child is free and children are typically enrolled in the public school mapped to your residential address — you don't need to pay tuition for elementary/secondary public school as a study permit holder's dependent.


For Vancouver specifically, no individual school recommendations were given in this thread, so check the local school district's boundary map for your address to find your assigned public school, and consider reaching out to the district directly for enrollment guidance.

Dos, Don'ts & Tips

  • Do: Apply for SOWP for your spouse and a study permit (or visitor visa) for your child alongside your own study permit.
  • Tip: Public school enrollment for your child is typically based on your residential address — check your local school district's boundary map.

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