Please note: this guide is for the PDF version of the IMM 0008 and not the portal version.
If IMM 1344 is the sponsor’s undertaking and IMM 5532 tells the story of your relationship, IMM 0008, the Generic Application Form for Canada, is the form that identifies the person being sponsored. It’s also one of the easiest forms to get returned for a technical reason, such as a missing barcode or an incomplete family list, even when the underlying case is strong.
What Is IMM 0008 and Who Completes It?
IMM 0008 is used across most permanent residence programs, including spousal, common-law, and conjugal partner sponsorship. In a sponsorship, the principal applicant (the person being sponsored) completes it, not the sponsor. A representative can help prepare it, but the answers must be the applicant’s, and the representative must be declared separately on IMM 5476.
Depending on your program, you’ll either complete a fillable PDF or enter the same information through IRCC’s online portal. Your program’s instruction guide tells you which. The walkthrough below follows the PDF.
Before You Start
- Download the current version from IRCC’s website. IRCC updates the form periodically, and this guide follows the 05-2026 version.
- Open it in Adobe Reader on a computer, with JavaScript enabled. The form warns that it can’t validate properly without JavaScript, and browser previews often don’t work.
- Have your passport, any national ID, and the dates of past marriages or relationships in front of you.
- Keep your other forms (the IMM 1344, IMM 5532, and IMM 5669) nearby. Names, dates, and family details should read the same on all of them.
Marrying a foreign national and sponsoring them to Canada?
Every case has its own wrinkles — let’s talk through yours.
Application Details
The first questions ask for the number of family members in the application, including you, the immigration office requested for processing, and your language preferences for correspondence, interview, and interpreter. You’ll also say where in Canada you intend to live (province or territory, and city or town).
There’s also a question about the Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ). It matters if you’re settling in Quebec, which has its own selection process. If you’re not, answer accordingly.
Personal Details
This section covers:
- Your name exactly as it appears on your passport or travel document
- Any other names you’ve used (nicknames, maiden names, aliases), with details
- UCI, if you have one (the number IRCC assigned to you in an earlier application, such as a visitor visa or study permit)
- Sex, height, and eye colour
- Date and place of birth, and citizenship(s)
Spell names and enter dates exactly as they appear on your passport and the other forms. Small differences can cause avoidable follow-up.
Where You Live and Where You’ve Lived
You’ll give your current country of residence, your immigration status there, and since when. If you’ve ever been to Canada, you’ll enter the date and place of your last entry. The form also asks whether you’ve lived in any other country for more than six months in the past five years, and if so, where, in what status, and when.
Keep this consistent with the history you give on Schedule A (IMM 5669). If the two timelines disagree, an officer will notice.
Marital Status and Previous Relationships
You’ll state your current marital status, the date you married or entered the common-law relationship, and your partner’s name.
The form then asks whether you’ve previously been married or in a common-law relationship. If yes, give your former partner’s name, the type of relationship, the dates it started and ended, and their date of birth. List every past relationship, even old ones. These dates should also fit with your IMM 5532 narrative and your Schedule A timeline.
Contact Information
Provide your mailing address, residential address (or indicate it’s the same), telephone numbers, and email address.
One detail matters here. The form states that listing an email address authorizes IRCC to send all correspondence, including file and personal information, to that address. Use an email account that only you control and that you check regularly, because IRCC messages often carry deadlines. If you’re using a representative, discuss how correspondence should be handled before you submit.
Passport, National ID, and U.S. Status
- Passport or travel document: whether you have a valid one, the number exactly as printed, the country of issue, and issue and expiry dates. There are also two yes/no questions for people using a Taiwanese passport that includes a personal identification number, or a national Israeli passport.
- National identity document: whether you have one, and if so its number, issuing country, and dates.
- U.S. permanent residence: whether you’re a lawful permanent resident of the United States, with your USCIS number and expiry date if so.
Education, Occupation, and Language
You’ll state your highest level of education, total years of education, current occupation, and intended occupation (all required). In a spousal sponsorship you aren’t scored on your occupation the way an Express Entry candidate is, but you still need an honest, specific answer. Make sure it fits the work history on IMM 5669.
The language section asks for your native language, whether you can communicate in English or French, which language you’re most at ease in, and whether you’ve taken a designated language test (such as CELPIP, IELTS, PTE Core, TEF or TCF). If you have, you can include the results with your application.
Listing Your Family Members
The form requires details for each family member, whether or not they will accompany you to Canada. That includes your spouse or common-law partner, where applicable, and all dependent children, including those of your spouse or partner, who are not already permanent residents or citizens of Canada.
In a spousal sponsorship, the sponsor is already a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and doesn’t go on this list. But if you have a child, or your sponsor has a child who isn’t yet a PR or citizen, they do. A child living with the other parent abroad still gets listed.
For each person you’ll repeat much of the personal-details section: name, birth details, citizenship, residence history, marital status, passport, education and occupation, and language. You’ll also state their relationship to you, whether they’re accompanying you, and if not, why not.
The form has space for you plus five family members. If more people are included, you must complete an IMM 0008DEP (Additional Dependants/Declaration) for each additional person. Leaving a family member off is treated seriously, because it can lead to refusal or put your status at risk later.
Consent, Declaration, and Signature
The final section asks you to answer several consent questions: whether you agree to be contacted about services, whether IRCC may share your information with your destination province or territory, and whether information about your occupation, education, and work experience may be shared with prospective employers. Read each one before answering.
You then sign and date the declaration that the information is truthful, complete, and correct. It also warns that false statements or concealment of a material fact can make you inadmissible and may lead to prosecution or removal. The form notes the application must be signed and dated before it’s submitted, and reminds you to include photos, fees where applicable, and the other documents on your checklist.
Validating the Form
Before you print or save the final version, click Validate. There’s a button at the top and bottom. Validation checks the required fields and generates the barcode pages IRCC scans. A form can look complete and still not be valid until you’ve validated it, so confirm the barcode pages are present before you print or upload. You can only validate when the required fields are properly completed, so fix any prompts the form gives you.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Not validating the form. Check that the barcode pages are there.
- Leaving out family members, including those not coming to Canada.
- Listing the sponsor as a dependant. They’re already a citizen or permanent resident.
- Missing previous relationships. Past marriages and common-law partnerships must be listed.
- Inconsistent names and dates. Use the same spellings on IMM 0008, IMM 1344, IMM 5532, and your passport.
- Timelines that don’t match. Your residence history here should agree with Schedule A and your IMM 5532 narrative.
- Using an old version or the wrong software. Download a fresh copy and use Adobe Reader.
- Forgetting to sign and date.
Marrying a foreign national and sponsoring them to Canada?
Every case has its own wrinkles — let’s talk through yours.
Submitting the Form
IMM 0008 goes in with the rest of your package: IMM 1344, IMM 5532, IMM 5669, and the other documents on your checklist. Before submitting, read every form side by side and check that names, dates, addresses, and family details agree.
This guide is for general informational purposes and isn’t a substitute for advice from a licensed immigration professional. For the current official form and instructions, refer to IRCC’s website.
