Work Permit and Kids Schools

[loncan]

Hi,

I am investigating Work Permits at the moment and think I'm not understanding something properly...

If I apply for a Work Permit, and want my kids to attend a state school in Ontario, do I really need to complete IMM1294E form for a Study Permit and specify in advance the school I want them to attend?

It seems a bit odd as presumably the school isn't going to say the kids are "accepted" until nearer the time?

Should I instead declare them as visiting and sign up to school once in the country or is that not allowed / possible?

Thanks

 

[fkl]

If your kids are 6+ and less than 18 and are school going, yes you need to submit the study visa application form. However, you can leave out the name of institution etc. That is primarily there because the same form is used for a general stuy visa application for say a bachelors degree program or above.

I have also applied for a temporary work permit, have applied for my school going son (about 7 years old) on a study visa (it will be called open study permit) with the same form where as for the younger ones i.e. those under 6 and not school going, i used temporary resident visa form.

Since i was applying for quebec, i also had to get a CAQ(certificate of acceptance) for study for my son similar to CAQ for work for me which my employer provided me. However, you won't require that for Ontario. This information was confirmed by my employer's consulting lawyer in Canada.

All the best

 

[loncan]

That definitely helps - I would not have guessed it was OK to leave it blank!

Many thanks fkl

 

[fkl]

No problem. It is NOT TO BE LEFT BLANK.

In fact leaving any field blank is not a good idea EXCEPT the fields that are already disabled if you chose 'No' for that particular section, while filling forms on a computer. If it does not apply to you, clearly write "Not applicable".

In my case i indicated the places that i could tell i.e. for e.g. Name of school and address: i chose 'Not applicable'. But I did select the province and city where i will be working and ofcourse my kids would eventually be. For duration of study, i picked up dates of my work permit (CAQ). If the work permit start date is already in the past, chose a date from following month e.g. currently you should chose june because the BAR codes in generated forms have some connection with valid dates. I was told this by my company's lawyer. Similarly in 'funds available for the child's study', i simply put in my annual salary as advised by lawyer. Finally, in the 'employment section' you can put the child's current / former education schools (if any).

 

[angelbrat]

If you get a valid work visa you do not need a study visa for your kids (assuming they are under 18 years old). A work visa allows your children to attend school for as long as your visa is valid.

Once you arrive in Canada and settle, your local school board will allocate a spot in the school catchment area, just like the UK.

Remember to bring all their medical records and school records, for me, I had to prove my son's immunization record was up to date. Coming from the UK, your children will probably not have to sit an assessment exam to prove their language proficiency.

 

[fkl]

There are certain things i think are not correct in the above note.

For kids who are school going and less than 18 but over 6, they do require an open study permit.

canadainternational.gc.ca/pakistan/visas/minors-mineurs.aspx

QUOTE BEGIN
I will be studying or working in Canada temporarily. Can my dependent child(ren) go to school in Canada?

In most cases, minor children require a study permit to study in Canada. Please check the eligibility requirements below for the conditions that apply to your particular circumstance.

Eligibility

These are the study permit requirements for children who are accompanying a parent(s) or legal guardian(s) who will study or work temporarily in Canada:

Pre-school/Kindergarten: no study permit required.
Primary and secondary school (age 6-18): open study permit required. You do not require an acceptance letter from the child’s school in Canada. Please note: children accompanying parents who are visitors in Canada (ie. they do not have a study or work permit) are not eligible for an open study permit.
University and college (age 18-22): study permit required. Follow the standard process to apply for a study permit. The application for the child’s study permit should be made on a separate form from the parent’s application.
Studying in Quebec: In addition to the standard requirements, minor applicants destined for Quebec will need a Certificat d’acceptation du Québec (Certificate of Acceptance or CAQ) from the Government of Quebec. For more information on how to apply for a CAQ visit the immigration website of the Government of Quebec.
"
QUOTE END.

There are exceptions to this rule e.g. for kids who went to canada who were less than 6 and are now over 6 and need to be admitted to school plus a few others listed under the same link above.

May be it varies from country to country and Canada has different rules. But i have heard from People applying from other countries (except pakistan) who applied for trv for kids over 6 but less than 18. Their application was returned saying they should apply for Open study permit instead for the child.

Hope that helps.

 

[angelbrat]

You do not apply for the study permit. It comes with the parents work visa.

It is an additional document that allows your child to study in Canada for the duration of the parents work visa. I have been through this myself. When I got my 2 year work visa, immigration just issued a study visa for my son. No paperwork to fill out, no payment etc.

If however, you come to Canada as a tourist or on a visitor visa, then yes, you have to apply for a study permit, prove you are financially able to pay school fees and have sufficient funds to keep you and your child in Canada.

It is confusing but I can assure you, you do NOT need to apply for a separate study visa if you have a work visa.

 

[fkl]

Hmm that's interesting. Thanks for your info and back ground.

Well here is my story.

I got a job offer in software domain and applied for a work visa for myself, open work permit for wife, temp resident visas for younger kids and student visa for my elder son. These were the precise requirements stated at the embassy's website as i quoted to you earlier. And this is exactly what my company's lawyer from Canada advised me as well. Moreover, you do not separately apply for student. Instead of filling "temp resident visa forms for kids" you fill a "student visa form instead" while leaving the institution thing empty. It actually costs 25 CAD less because temp resident visa costs 150 where as student visa is 125 CAD.

However, because i was applying for quebec, the lawyer asked me to apply online for my son's CAQ which i did, sent authority letter to lawyer along with some docs, and she got the CAQ issued for me. I submitted that CAQ study to embassy along with my own CAQ work and other docs. Am waiting for response for some time.

 

[angelbrat]

wow really????

OK my story, I came to Canada with my son as a tourist. Got a job offer and LMO within 6 weeks. Drove to the US Border, did a flag pole. Presented my papers, the IO requested $150 for my 2 year work visa, gave my son a 2 year study visa (no charge). The whole process took 1/2 hour.

This was for BC, by the way.

This was also back in 2007, so maybe I am wrong and things have changed since then.

 

[prp3ip]

Hi,

I am going through this same situation. I am applying for my sister's AIPP temperory work permit from India. I was checking about the children's study permit requirement and I found this table on canada.ca website,
URL : https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/study-canada/study-permit/prepare/minor-children/need-permit.html

If the child is…	Documents needed	Study permit required
a Canadian	Passport, citizenship card, or birth certificate	No
a permanent resident	Record of Landing (IMM 1000), Confirmation of Permanent Residence (IMM 5292); or Permanent Resident Card	No
a foreign national accompanied by a parent in the visitor class	Stamp on the child’s passport or on the father’s or mother’s passport on which the child is listed as a son or daughter	Yes
alone or with a parent who is a temporary resident and has a study or work permit	Child’s passport or child listed on the parent’s passport. The child may have a visitor record. The parent has a study or work permit.Footnote 1	No
a refugee claimant, accompanied or not by a parent	Determination of Eligibility letter from us. Child’s passport or child listed on a parent’s passport, or any available travel or identity documents. May also have an expired IRCC document.	No
in Canada without status	Child’s passport or child listed on a parent’s passport, or any available travel or identity documents. May also have an expired IRCC document.	No

Footnotes
Footnote 1
The child may have either a visitor record or a study permit when entering Canada. The child is authorized to study without a study permit if he or she has only the visitor record or a Canadian entry stamp on his or her passport.


Hope this helps to the applicants in 2020.

 

[robkin]

When my children entered with me at the US-Canadian border, the border official decided to add the text “May attend primary school” in the remarks area of the visitor record (I entered on a temporary work permit).