IMM 5645 Family Information Form: Sections, Signing, and Updates

The IMM 5645 family information form is a fillable PDF that every temporary resident applicant aged 18 or older must complete when applying from outside Canada for a visitor visa, study permit, or work permit. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) uses it to collect personal details about you, your spouse or partner, your children, your parents, and your siblings so it can run background and security checks. You download the PDF from the IRCC website, complete it in Adobe Acrobat Reader, validate it to generate a barcode, and submit it as part of your application either through the IRCC online portal or on paper.¹

If you are under 18, you do not fill out your own copy. Your information appears on a parent’s form instead.

IMM 5645 or IMM 5406: Which One You Need

IMM 5645 is only for temporary residence streams — visitor visas, study permits, and work permits. If you are applying for permanent residence through Express Entry, family sponsorship, a provincial nominee program, or a similar pathway, you need IMM 5406 (Additional Family Information) instead.² Submitting the wrong version is a common reason applications get returned.

Download and Open the Form Correctly

Save the PDF to your computer before you try to fill anything in. Do not complete it inside a web browser, and do not use a phone or tablet, because the interactive features will not work.¹ Open the saved file in Adobe Acrobat Reader version 10 or higher. Other PDF viewers will not run the validate button or generate the barcode IRCC needs.³ Adobe Reader is free from Adobe’s website for Windows, Mac, and Android.⁴

What Each Section Asks For

For every person listed anywhere on the form, you provide the same core fields: full name, relationship to you, date of birth, city and country of birth, immigration status in their country of residence, current address, present occupation, and marital status. You also record each person’s education history: dates attended, institution name, city and country, type of certificate or diploma, and field of study.⁵ Write all names exactly as they appear on passports. If a name uses a non-Latin alphabet, include it in the original script as well.¹

Section A: You and Your Spouse or Common-Law Partner

Enter your own details first, then the same fields for your spouse or common-law partner. If you are single, divorced, or widowed with no current partner, mark the marital status accordingly and write “N/A” in the partner fields. Your current home address and occupation help IRCC assess your ties to your home country.

Section B: Children

List every child you have, regardless of age, where they live, or whether they are coming with you. This is where applicants most often slip up. IRCC’s instructions are explicit: include married children, adopted children, stepchildren, children adopted by others, and children in the custody of an ex-spouse or another guardian.¹ Leaving off an adult child living abroad who has no intention of visiting Canada can be treated as withholding material facts.

Section C: Parents and Siblings

Provide the same details for your mother, father, and every sibling, including half-siblings and step-siblings.¹ The education fields apply here too, so gather approximate dates and institution names for each family member before you start.

Awkward Cases: Deceased, Not Applicable, or Unknown

Real families rarely fit form fields cleanly. The rules for the three common problems are different, and mixing them up causes trouble.

If a family member is deceased, write “Deceased” in the present address field and include the city and date of death if you know them.¹ Still fill in name, date of birth, and other biographical fields to the best of your knowledge.

If a section genuinely does not apply to your family — you have no siblings, for example — write “Not Applicable” or “N/A” rather than leaving fields blank. IRCC treats blank fields as missing information, which can cause the whole application to be returned.¹

If a family member exists but you genuinely do not know their details, such as a parent you never met, do not write “N/A.” The person exists and the field does apply. Provide whatever information you have, even if approximate, and attach a short explanation letter with your application stating the relationship, what you do and do not know, and why the gap exists. Officers expect honesty, not perfection.

Translating Supporting Documents

Any document you use to back up the form — birth certificates, marriage certificates, name change records — must be in English or French. If the original is in another language, submit a translation together with an affidavit from the translator and a certified photocopy of the original.⁶ The affidavit must be sworn before a notary public, commissioner of oaths, or similar official. A family member or your immigration representative cannot serve as the translator, even if otherwise qualified.

Validate, Sign, and Submit

Before you sign or submit anything, click the “Validate” button at the top or bottom of the PDF. Do this whether you are applying online or on paper. If everything is filled in, a new page with 2D barcodes appears at the end of the document. If anything is missing, the incomplete fields are outlined in red with a note about what is required.³ Applications without readable barcodes may be returned.

Online Applications

Upload the validated PDF to the document checklist in your IRCC account. After all forms are uploaded, click “Next,” then enter your name and answer a security question to create your electronic signature.³ Your account will show a confirmation of receipt once submission goes through.

Paper Applications

Print the completed form including the barcode page and check that the barcodes are clear and legible. Sign and date the form in pen.³ Include it with the rest of your application package and mail it to the visa application centre or visa office specified in your program’s instruction guide. If you apply in person at a visa application centre, staff may ask you to re-fill the form at one of their internet kiosks.⁴

If Your Family Changes While Your Application Is Being Processed

A new baby, a marriage, a divorce, or a death during processing needs to be reported to IRCC through the online web form. Choose the option to update your application and have your application number and unique client identifier (UCI) ready. IRCC sends an acknowledgement of receipt when the update goes through.⁷

Adding a new dependent child to a pending application requires a specific request through the same web form. IRCC will then tell you which additional forms to complete, and you may need to provide proof of payment for the dependent, a birth certificate, and possibly medical or police certificates.⁸ You cannot add a child once processing is complete and your visa or permit has been issued.

Why Accuracy on This Form Matters

The family data you provide becomes a permanent part of your immigration file and gets cross-referenced against every future application you make to Canada — tourist visits, work permits, permanent residence, citizenship. A detail that seems small now, like omitting an estranged child or fudging a sibling’s occupation, can resurface years later as a discrepancy.

Under section 40 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, directly or indirectly misrepresenting or withholding material facts on an immigration application makes you inadmissible to Canada. The consequence is a five-year ban: you cannot apply for permanent residence or be admitted to Canada during that period. The five years run from the date of the final inadmissibility determination if it is made outside Canada, or from the date a removal order is enforced if it is made inside Canada.⁹

When IRCC spots an inconsistency — say, your IMM 5645 lists three children but a later application lists four — they typically issue a Procedural Fairness Letter giving you one chance to explain the discrepancy before a decision is made. These letters come with tight deadlines, often 30 days, and missing the deadline usually results in a refusal. If you receive one, respond with a factual explanation of the error, corrected documentation, and any evidence that shows the mistake was unintentional. An honest error corrected promptly is treated very differently from a deliberate omission.

1
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Family Information Form – Visitors, Students and Workers (IMM 5645)
2
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Additional Family Information (IMM 5406)
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. How Do I Fill Out and Validate IRCC Application Forms with 2D Barcodes
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. I Can’t Open My Application Form in PDF Format. What Can I Do?
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Government of Canada. IMM 5645 E: Family Information
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. What Language Should My Supporting Documents Be In?
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. IRCC Web Form: Contact Us Online
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. How Can I Include a Dependent Child on My Application?
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Government of Canada. Immigration and Refugee Protection Act – Section 40