If you're a married or common-law applicant planning to study in Canada, you might wonder whether your spouse can accompany you or join you later. The answer is yes! Your spouse can join you either on a visitor visa or an open work permit, and we have real live examples to share.
What Type of Application Should Your Spouse Submit?
The choice between applying for a visitor visa or a work permit depends on several factors. Let’s explore the key considerations to help you make an informed decision:
Program of Study
In March 2024, IRCC updated the criteria for the Spouse Open Work Permit (SOWP). Spouses or common-law partners of international students are now eligible for an open work permit only if the student is:
Enrolled in a Master’s or doctoral degree program, or
Pursuing certain professional programs .
Additionally, IRCC plans to further restrict eligibility for SOWP to spouses of students enrolled in master’s programs lasting 16 months or longer. Considering these changes, it’s essential to assess your program of study carefully when planning your spouse’s application.
The Planned Duration of Stay for Your Spouse
How long does your spouse want to stay in Canada? A short visit to drop you off and come in from time to time or to remain in Canada through the duration of your studies? We have seen cases, where the spouse will choose to be visiting the spouse studying in Canada due to his or her employment or business commitments in their home country but would love to have access to visit at any time during the duration of the student's study in Canada. In this case, a visiting visa may be appropriate.
In other cases, the spouse is ready to leave it all and accompany the student to Canada and remain in Canada for the duration of their studies. In this situation, a work permit may be more appropriate.
Funds Available
As a student, you are required to show a minimum total of your tuition fees, living expenses & transportation costs to Canada. For example, a student coming for a one-year $20,000 program with an average transport cost of $2000 plus a required living expense of $20,635 minimum, you are looking at a total of $42,635 CAD to start.
If the duration of your program is more than one year, this cost goes up. When adding a spouse to accompany you on a visit or work permit, you also have to include the cost of their living expenses for the duration of their stay as well as their transportation cost. The minimum cost required by IRCC for an accompanying spouse on a work permit is an additional $4000 in living expenses plus travel costs. This could be less if the spouse is coming just for a visit and will not remain in Canada.
Ties to Home Country (for you and your spouse)
In an application for a study permit, applicants are required to show ties to their home country. Ties sometimes include( but are not limited to) Family, Business, Employment, Landed assets, and Financial Assets.
It is important that you have enough ties to show for yourself and your partner if applied together as this would be accessed independently for each applicant. A spouse who is coming on a visiting visa could still be one of your ties to your home country if he plans to return after the short visit.
However, in the case of a work permit, your spouse would not be a tie in your home country if he plans to remain with you in Canada for the duration of your studies. Therefore, you would be required to highlight other factors in your application to prove your ties to your home country.
Case Study 1
Mrs. V was the principal applicant for her Study Permit. She worked as a Communications Manager and secured her admission for a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics and Communication. Mr. V applied for a visiting visa and their three children (aged 11, 13, and 15) applied for study permits. The family of 5 was approved within 8 weeks! Click the photo to hear their reaction!
Case Study 2
Mrs. and Mr. O decided that they wanted to come to Canada together when Mrs. O received her letter of acceptance. She worked as a Geographic Information Science Analyst and was headed back to school to study Data Analytics for Business Decision Making. After consulting with our team, the O's decided to apply for a Spousal Open Work Permit for Mr. O who was employed as a Banker and had his B.Sc. in Engineering. After 6 months of waiting, the O's were approved! Click the photo to read their story
Case Study 3
Two Approvals in one day?! This one felt like a dream! The O's: Mrs. O was the primary applicant for her Study Permit. She had received her acceptance letter to study Public Relations, Marketing, and Strategic Communications. Mrs. O wanted her husband and her baby to join her. With help from our team, they decided to apply for visiting visas for Mr. O and Baby O.
The K's: Mrs. K was already in Canada on a Study Permit, but her family missed her terribly and decided it was time to join her. Mr. K had been employed as an Assistant Vice President and had his Master of Business Administration. They have two dependent children and after consulting with our team, went ahead with applying for a Spousal Open Work Permit and two Study Permits for the children.
Not sure which direction to take?
While this is a good place to start when trying to determine whether to apply for a visiting visa or a work permit, These four very important factors do not stand alone but must be combined with other requirements for the application in other to be successful. Book our Study in Canada to discuss you and your spouse's options while studying in Canada with one of our knowledgeable Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants!
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