3. Fill out your forms

To apply, you need to first gather the correct forms and fill them out. It's best if you can get an immigration lawyer to help you fill out the forms, or to review them before you send them.

Gather forms

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada's (IRCC) instruction guide and the Document checklist –IMM 0203 say the forms you need to send.

You must read the Guide before filling out the forms.

These are the forms you must fill out:

• Document checklist –IMM 0203
• Generic Application Form for Canada IMM 0008
• Schedule A – Background / Declaration – IMM 5669
• Additional Family Information form – IMM 5406

These are the forms your spouse, common-law partner, and adult dependent children must fill out:

• Schedule A – Background / Declaration – IMM 5669
• Additional Family Information – IMM 5406

They must fill out these forms even if they're not applying for permanent residence.

You may need to fill out more forms, depending on your situation. For example:

• If you have a common-law partner, fill out the Statutory Declaration of Common-Law Union – IMM 5409.
• If you have more than 5 dependants, fill out the Additional Dependants / Declaration – IMM 0008DEP.
• If you're applying for permanent residence for a child whose other parent is not coming to Canada, you may need a: Separation declaration for minors travelling to Canada – IMM 5604.
• Fill out the Use of Representative form – IMM 5476 to give another person the power to deal with IRCC for you.

Follow these steps to download, save, and fill out the forms in Portable Document Format (PDF) on your computer. You cannot open the forms on your phone or tablet.

Check your forms

Make sure you include all the information asked for in the forms. If you do not, IRCC will send your application back.

You do not want this to happen if you have a dependent child who will be 22 years old soon, or if the pathway is going to close soon.  The deadline to apply is January 21, 2027.

If a question does not apply to you, write “Not Applicable” or “N/A”. If you need more space, print another copy of that page of the form, fill out that section, and submit it with your application.

Make sure you sign all the forms before submitting them.

List all your family members

You must list your spouse or common-law partner. And, you and your spouse or partner must each list all of your dependent children.

You and your partner's dependent children must also declare all their dependent children.

List all of them, even if they're not applying for permanent resident status with you. But you must say which of them are applying for it with you.

If you do not list all of them, it can cause problems with the application. It can also:

• prevent you from sponsoring them later, or
• cause IRCC to review your status in the future

Even if they're not applying for permanent resident status, all dependants must do a medical exam. Dependants over the age of 18 must also get a criminal background check.

If there are differences

IRCC checks the information in your forms against other information they have about you and your dependants. If there are differences, IRCC may investigate. If that happens, there is a risk that:

• your application will be refused,
• you or your dependants might lose status, or have to leave Canada.

It's best to speak with an immigration lawyer when applying for permanent resident status. This is important if you're concerned that the information in your application will not match the information IRCC has.