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What counts as a 'family member' on a Canadian study permit questionnaire

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

Documents Needed

  • Family Information Form (IMM 5645)

    This separate form is where relationships to family members in Canada — including a PR sibling — get formally documented.

Step-by-Step

If you have a sibling who is a Canadian PR or citizen, it's easy to second-guess how to answer the study permit questionnaire's questions about "family members" in Canada.

Clarification from the group:
  1. "Family member" in these specific questionnaire questions means a spouse/partner or dependent children — not siblings, parents, or extended family. So having a PR sibling does not require answering "yes" to those particular eligibility questions.

  2. The sibling relationship still needs to be disclosed elsewhere. The separate Family Information Form (IMM 5645) is where you document relationships to family members in Canada more broadly, including a PR sibling, if you're required to complete that form.


In short: don't over-answer the questionnaire based on extended family living in Canada, but don't skip disclosing that relationship on the Family Information Form either.

Dos, Don'ts & Tips

  • Do: Answer the study permit questionnaire's family-member questions based only on spouse/partner and dependent children relationships.
  • Tip: Sibling or other extended-family relationships in Canada still belong on the Family Information Form, even though they don't trigger the questionnaire's family-member questions.

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