Dhiraj Kandel
Managing DirectorSchedule a free consultation with our expert counselors to discuss your study
The essentials at a glance
Yes, Nepali students can bring a spouse and children to Canada on what people call a dependent visa, though each person applies for their own permit. Your spouse can get an open work permit if you study a listed program, such as a master's of 16 months or longer. This page covers the program list, children's schooling, family funds, documents and fees.
Main points from this page
Yes, your spouse or common-law partner and your dependent children can apply to come with you to Canada.
Canada has no single “dependent visa”. Each family member applies for their own document, such as a visitor visa, a work permit or a study permit. What they can do in Canada depends on your program, so choose your course with your family in mind. Our main page on study in Canada from Nepal covers the wider plan.
IRCC’s glossary says who counts as family:
Your spouse can get an open work permit if you hold a valid study permit and study a program on IRCC’s list.
These rules started on 21 January 2025. IRCC’s page for students’ spouses lists these programs:
| Your program | Can your spouse get an open work permit? |
|---|---|
| Master’s degree in Canada of 16 months or longer | Yes |
| Master’s degree shorter than 16 months | No |
| Doctoral degree | Yes |
| University degree in dentistry, law, medicine, optometry, pharmacy or veterinary medicine | Yes, for the degree types IRCC names |
| University bachelor’s in nursing, education or engineering | Yes, for the degree types IRCC names |
| A few named programs, such as some health bridging courses | Yes |
| Other bachelor’s degrees, college diplomas and a post graduate diploma | No |
Check the length as well as the name. If you plan an MBA in Canada, a one-year program wouldn’t qualify, because it is shorter than 16 months.
The permit usually lasts as long as your study permit. Your spouse must also show your letter of acceptance, enrolment letter or transcripts, plus proof of your relationship.
A spouse with an open work permit can work for almost any employer, but a spouse on a visitor visa can’t work.
An open work permit isn’t tied to one job. IRCC bans only 2 groups of employers:
The student route covers spouses and partners only. Your children can’t get an open work permit through your study. As a student, your own limit is separate: you can work up to 24 hours a week off campus while classes are on.
Your spouse still has 3 other options: come as a visitor, apply for an employer-specific permit or study.
You could also change to a listed program, but only if it truly suits your study plan. A change made only for a permit is hard to explain to an officer.
A child coming with you from Nepal needs a study permit, but no letter of acceptance is needed.
This is the part many families get wrong. IRCC’s page on minors separates children coming to Canada from children already there:
| Your child’s situation | Study permit? |
|---|---|
| Coming to Canada with you, and you have a study or work permit | Yes, apply before entering Canada. No letter of acceptance is needed. |
| Already in Canada with you, and you have a study or work permit | Not required, but IRCC recommends one. |
| Coming with a parent who is only a visitor | Yes |
| A course of 6 months or less | Not required |
Children under 17 must come with a parent or legal guardian, or have a custodian in Canada. Adulthood starts at 18 or 19, depending on the province. Your child must then hold a study permit to keep studying.
Ask the school board about fees and enrolment early, because each one has its own process.
You must show CAD 23,448 for yourself and more for each family member, plus tuition and travel.
These are IRCC’s yearly living cost figures for applications from 1 September 2026, outside Quebec. Each figure includes you:
| People coming to Canada | Living costs a year | About in Rs |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (only you) | CAD 23,448 | about Rs 25 lakh |
| 2 (you and your spouse) | CAD 29,192 | about Rs 31 lakh |
| 3 | CAD 35,888 | about Rs 38 lakh |
| 4 | CAD 43,572 | about Rs 46 lakh |
Check today’s value on our CAD to Rs forex converter. Quebec sets its own amount. Our Canada student visa proof of funds guide explains which papers count, and a bank balance certificate is a common starting point. The cost of studying in Canada page covers tuition and rent.
Each family member needs a passport copy, photos, proof of your relationship and any extra papers IRCC asks for.
Your IRCC account gives each person a document list, so follow that first. IRCC’s document page gives this general picture for family members:
Convert any Bikram Sambat dates with our Nepali date converter, so that the dates match on every paper.
Fees start at CAD 100 for a visitor visa, and a spouse’s open work permit costs CAD 255.
These figures come from IRCC’s fee list:
| Application | IRCC fee |
|---|---|
| Spouse’s open work permit | CAD 255 (CAD 155 plus a CAD 100 holder fee) |
| Study permit, each person | CAD 150 |
| Visitor visa, each person | CAD 100 |
| Biometrics, one person | CAD 85 |
| Biometrics, family applying at the same time | CAD 170 at most |
People aged 14 to 79 usually give biometrics, and you have 30 days from the date on your letter. Our page on biometrics locations in Nepal shows where to go.
Yes, while you are still a full-time student in Canada in a program that meets IRCC’s rules.
IRCC’s extension rules ask for all 4 of these:
The extension can’t go past the end date of your study permit. Your spouse also needs a plan for after you graduate, because this route depends on you being a student.
It can, because you must still prove to the officer that you will leave Canada when your permit ends.
This rule is on IRCC’s page on who can apply. Your family’s plans are part of your story, so explain them clearly in your statement of purpose for Canada. Say these 3 things: who is coming, why they are coming and how you will pay for them. Keep the same dates and names in every document.
Before your family travels, read the requirements for a Canada student visa and plan health insurance in Canada for everyone. If you are comparing advisers, see how to pick the best consultancy for Canada. Goreto has branches in Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Chitwan, Itahari and Pokhara, and you can talk to a counselor about your family’s plan.
It isn’t one visa. Your spouse may get an open work permit, a study permit or a visitor visa, and your child usually gets a study permit. Each person applies for their own document.
Your family can still apply to visit, but your spouse can’t get the open work permit through a diploma. They would need a job offer or their own study permit to do more than visit.
Yes, your family can apply to come with you. The open work permit rule asks for your valid study permit, and your spouse must show your letter of acceptance or enrolment letter.
IRCC’s page doesn’t cancel permits already issued. The new rules apply to new applications, and extensions have their own rules, listed above.
Only if your program is on IRCC’s list when they apply. Being in Canada as a visitor doesn’t give them the right to work.
Generally under 22, with no spouse or common-law partner. An older child can qualify only if they have depended on you since before that age because of a physical or mental condition.
This depends on the school board and province. IRCC says school authorities may use its minor children table when they decide on fees, so ask the board directly.
That makes 3 people, so IRCC’s figure outside Quebec is CAD 35,888 a year for living costs. Tuition and travel come on top of this.
No. IRCC’s family figures cover those who come with you as family members, such as your spouse and children. A parent would need to apply to visit in their own right.
Reference links
Important guidance note
This page provides general guidance about studying abroad. Requirements, fees and policies can change. For advice about your situation, speak with a Goreto counselor before applying.
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