Invite or Bring Family to Canada

Most visitors to Canada need a Visitor Visa or an Electronic Travel Authorization to enter Canada.  The documents that your family must submit to apply to visit Canada depend on many factors, such as their nationality and how they will travel to Canada.  Your family can discover what documents are needed to apply to visit you in Canada here.

Supporting Documents from You:

• Copy of your passport
• Copy of your study permit
  • Should be valid for the duration of your family’s proposed visit
• Confirmation of Enrollment Letter on your NAIT Portal
  • Please visit the ‘Letters for Immigration Purposes’ tab on the left to learn more.
• Letter of Invitation
  • Include information about you, your family members applying to visit Canada, and the purpose of your family’s visit to Canada.You can find details about what specifics should be included in your Letter of Invitation here.
  • Some visa offices require that the Letter of Invitation be notarized.
  • Be honest in your Letter of Invitation.  You can review a sample Letter of Invitation here.
• Proposed Confirmation of Graduation Letter (if you are inviting family to attend your NAIT Convocation)
  • Please visit the ‘Letters for Immigration Purposes’ tab on the left to learn more.

When your family travels to Canada, they may want to carry the above supporting documents in case a border services officer asks to see them.

Applying for an Initial Open Work Permit for your Spouse

Only spouses or common-law partners of international students in master’s, doctorate, or professional degree programs are eligible for an initial open work permit. You can see the list of eligible programs here. Since NAIT does not offer master’s, doctorate, or professional degree programs, spouses and common-law partners of NAIT students are no longer eligible to apply for an initial open work permit.

Extending your Spouse’s Open Work Permit while you Study

If your spouse or common-law partner already has an open work permit under this stream, they are eligible to apply to extend it if:

• You have a valid study permit.
• You’re physically in Canada or will physically be in Canada while studying.
• You’re a full-time student in a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) eligible program. 
• You’re not in the last semester of your program.

If your spouse needs to extend their open work permit, you should provide a copy of your study permit, proof of your relationship, and a Confirmation of Enrollment letter from the NAIT Portal to your spouse/common-law partner to include in their application.

Including a Spousal Open Work Permit in your PGWP Application

As of January 21, 2025, the eligibility requirements have changed for open work permits for family members of workers.  At this time, in order to include a spousal open work permit application with your post-graduation work permit (PGWP) application, you must have a job offer or be employed in:

• TEER 0 or 1 occupations, or
• Select TEER 2 or 3 occupations in sectors with labour shortages or linked to government priorities.

If you do not meet the criteria above but have applied for permanent residence through one of the eligible immigration programs, your family member may be able to apply for an open work permit.   

You can review who can apply for a spousal open work permit and what documents must be included in the application here.