An applicant whose spouse was sponsoring their studies (with parents never having filed an ITR) asked how to handle the IRCC study permit checklist item requesting parents' income tax returns.
What the group explained:- Parent ITRs are only required if your parents are the ones financially sponsoring you. If you're self-sponsored or sponsored by your spouse, you'd instead need your own or your spouse's ITR — not your parents'.
- The requirement can also depend on your application stream. Under the Student Direct Stream (SDS), an ITR generally isn't required at all; under non-SDS applications, it becomes a necessary document.
Practical takeaway:- Match your financial documents to who is actually funding your studies — don't submit parent ITRs if a spouse is the sponsor.
- Check whether you're applying under SDS or non-SDS, since the ITR requirement differs between the two streams.
- If a checklist item doesn't apply to your situation, it's often fine to note that you're sponsored by a different party rather than trying to force irrelevant documents into the application.