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IMM 5645 and IMM 5707, Family Information Form: which one to use, who completes it and what it asks

IMM 5645 and IMM 5707 carry the same title, "Family Information Form – Visitors, Students and Workers". Each person aged 18 or older applying from outside Canada for a visitor visa, study permit or work permit completes one. IRCC's guides for study and work permits from outside Canada name IMM 5707, and IRCC's forms index does not say IMM 5645 has been replaced, so confirm which one your own application package lists.

Two form numbers, one title. Searches for "IMM 5645" and "IMM 5707" are really the same question: which family information form do I fill in, how do I sign it, and what do I put for relatives I have lost touch with? Both numbers are live on IRCC's website, and IRCC's forms index shows them side by side without saying that one replaced the other.

This guide sets out what IRCC's pages say about each form: IMM 5645 (form version January 2021, page date 21 June 2024) and IMM 5707 (form version January 2023, page date 21 June 2024). It also reports which one IRCC's two instruction guides for applying from outside Canada, guide 5269 for study permits and guide 5487 for work permits, list. It does not tell you which relatives to include or how to describe a relationship in your case.

Two numbers, one title: which form is current

IRCC's forms index lists both forms under the exact title "Family Information Form – Visitors, Students and Workers". IMM 5645 shows a date of January 2021. IMM 5707 shows January 2023. The index does not carry a note saying either is current or replaced. The only indicator it gives is the date.

IRCC's instruction guides give a clearer signal. Guide 5269, applying for a study permit outside Canada (page date 6 October 2026), lists "Family Information (IMM 5707)" among the forms to fill out and submit and does not mention IMM 5645. Guide 5487, applying for a work permit outside Canada (page date 6 October 2026), also lists IMM 5707 and does not mention IMM 5645.

What that supports: for those two application types, IRCC's current guides name IMM 5707. What it does not support is a statement that IMM 5645 is withdrawn or that an application including it would be returned. IRCC's pages do not say so. The checklist inside your own application, or the document checklist for your package, is where you find out which form applies to you. If you are applying online, the online tool will ask for the forms it needs. If you use a visa application centre or have an older package, check the version your package names.

The honest summary is: two similar forms, one newer, and the guides point to the newer one. Confirm on IRCC's own page and in your package before you complete either.

Who completes it

Both pages put the obligation on each individual adult.

For IMM 5645, IRCC's page says the form must be completed by each person, 18 years of age or older, applying from outside Canada for a temporary resident visa, or a study or work permit.

For IMM 5707, IRCC's page says the form must be filled out by each person, 18 years of age or older, applying for a temporary resident visa, a study or work permit outside Canada.

So a couple who are each applying, each over 18, each complete one. A parent applying with an adult child: each completes their own. The pages put the obligation on adults. Children are listed in the parent's section for children.

These pages are about temporary resident applications. Family information in a sponsorship package is collected on a different form, IMM 5406, and our guide covers it.

What IMM 5707 asks, section by section

IRCC's page for IMM 5707 describes three sections.

Section A, Personal Details, covers you, your spouse or partner if you have one, your first parent and your second parent. For each person you say whether they will accompany you to Canada. The details are family name and given names as shown on the travel document, name in native language where it applies, date and country of birth, present address, marital status and occupation. If you are married, you indicate whether you or your spouse were physically present at the marriage ceremony. If you have no spouse or partner, you read Note 1 at the end of Section A, then sign and date the declaration.

Section B, Children, lists all your children regardless of age or residence. IRCC's page says this includes married children, adopted children, step-children, children adopted by others, and children in another guardian's custody. You use the same personal details fields as Section A plus the child's relationship to you. If you have no children, you check the box saying so, read Note 2 at the end of Section B, then sign and date the declaration. If you need more space, you add lines with the + button or attach a separate sheet.

Section C is the declaration, which you sign and date.

General rules for the whole form: answer every question; where a question does not apply, write "Not applicable" or "N/A"; for a deceased person write "deceased" under present address, then the city or town, country and date of death; and if a person is not employed, say whether they are retired, studying or otherwise not working.

What IMM 5645 asks, section by section

IMM 5645 has a slightly different structure on IRCC's page, and the differences are worth knowing because people mix the two up.

Section A covers yourself, your spouse or common-law partner, and your mother and father. It asks for each person's full name, relationship, date of birth, marital status, present address, occupation, and whether they will come to Canada (Yes or No). Marital status offers two married options: married and physically present, or married and not physically present, depending on whether you or your spouse attended the marriage. If you have no spouse or common-law partner, you read Note 1 and sign and date the declaration at the end of Section A.

Section B covers children and works as in IMM 5707: all children, including married, adopted, step-children, children adopted by others and children in the custody of an ex-spouse or guardian, and including those who are already permanent residents or citizens of Canada. If you have no children, you read Note 2 and sign and date the declaration at the end of Section B.

Section C covers brothers and sisters. IRCC's page says to include full, half and step-siblings, with the same details as Section A and the same rules for deceased or unemployed persons.

Section D is headed Certification, and IRCC's page carries no further text under that heading.

So the visible difference: as IRCC's pages describe them, IMM 5645 has a siblings section and IMM 5707 does not. IMM 5707 adds a native-language name field and a country of birth. This is a reason to use the version your package names and not to carry answers over from one to the other without checking.

Completing and validating the form

The technical instructions are the same for both pages. Use a computer, because the form may not open on tablets or mobile phones. Save the PDF to a place you can find, then open it with Adobe Acrobat Reader version 10 or higher.

IRCC's IMM 5707 page adds the validation steps. Fill out the form on a computer and click the Validate button at the top. A pop-up window lists any missing information, and if no window appears, the form is complete. The form does not produce a barcode when it is validated. Hand-filled forms cannot be validated.

The practical point is that the Validate button is the quickest check for blank fields. It cannot check whether an answer is right. A date written in the wrong place, a spouse's name misspelled, or a parent's occupation mixed up will validate without complaint.

For IMM 5707, the page says family members who apply together can submit their forms together online or at a visa application centre with one payment receipt, a point taken from guide 5487. Each person still completes their own form.

Common mistakes

  • Using the wrong form number for your package. Check the version your instruction guide or checklist names.
  • Leaving questions blank. IRCC's rule is to answer all questions and write "Not applicable" or "N/A" where a question does not apply.
  • Leaving out children because they are adults, married, living elsewhere or already in Canada. The pages say to list all children, and name the categories above.
  • Leaving out a deceased parent or a parent you do not speak to. A deceased person is listed with "deceased", the place and date of death. Estranged relatives are still your parents on a family form.
  • Leaving out step-siblings or half-siblings on IMM 5645, where the page includes them.
  • Skipping the declaration. If you have no spouse or no children, there is a note to read and a declaration to sign and date. A section with nothing in it and no declaration looks unfinished.
  • Using a name that differs from the travel document. IMM 5707 asks for names as shown on the travel document.
  • Writing "unemployed" or leaving the occupation field blank when the person is retired or studying. The pages ask you to say which.
  • Inconsistency with other forms. Marital history, children and parents also appear in your visa or permit form and in any background questions. The facts have to agree, because s.16(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act requires truthful answers and s.40 sets out misrepresentation and a five-year period of inadmissibility. Our guide to the misrepresentation bar explains it.
  • Treating a signature as digital or handwritten without checking. Read what your package says about signing.

Costs and getting help

Neither page gives a fee for the family information form. The fees belong to the visa or permit application. Biometrics, where required, are an additional fee. The IRCC fee list (page date 21 September 2026) is the place to read the current amounts, and fees change.

You can complete the form yourself. If someone will prepare or advise on your application for payment, Canadian law limits who may do that under IRPA s.91 to authorized people: licensed immigration consultants, lawyers and Quebec notaries in good standing. A representative is declared on IMM 5476. To find a regulated adviser, use the adviser directory on this site, which lists advisers and links to the official register so you can verify them yourself.

Questions people ask

Is IMM 5645 or IMM 5707 the current family information form?

IRCC's forms index lists both under the same title and does not mark either as replaced. IRCC's guides 5269 (study permit) and 5487 (work permit) list IMM 5707 and do not mention IMM 5645. Check the form named in your own application package.

Who has to complete the family information form?

Each person aged 18 or older applying from outside Canada for a temporary resident visa, study permit or work permit completes their own form, according to IRCC's form pages.

What do I write if a question does not apply to me?

IRCC's IMM 5707 page says to answer all questions, and to write Not applicable or N/A where a section does not apply to you.

Do I list children who are adults or already in Canada?

IRCC's pages say to list all children, including married, adopted and step-children, children adopted by others and children in another guardian's custody. IMM 5645 also says to include those already permanent residents or citizens of Canada.

How do I mark a parent who has died?

IRCC's pages say to write deceased under present address, then give the city or town, country and date of death.

Does the family information form produce a barcode when validated?

No. IRCC's IMM 5707 page says the form will not produce a barcode when it is validated. Validation only lists missing information.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-09.

Related guides

  • IMM 1294, Application for a Study Permit Made Outside of Canada: what it asks and where applications go wrong — IMM 1294 is the form for a study permit applied for outside Canada, completed by each person who needs one. The IRCC fee list shows $150 per person for a study permit, plus $85 for biometrics where required, and IRCC's guide says fees are not refunded. Every Background Information question must be answered or the application is treated as incomplete and returned.
  • IMM 1295, Application for a Work Permit Made Outside of Canada: what it asks and common mistakes — IMM 1295 is the form for a work permit applied for outside Canada, completed by each person who needs one. The IRCC fee list shows $155 per person, plus $100 for an open work permit holder and $85 for biometrics where required. A form completed on a computer must be validated to generate a barcode page, and the Background Information section must be fully answered or the application is returned.
  • IMM 5257, Application for a Visitor Visa: what each section asks and where applications go wrong — IMM 5257 is the form for a visitor visa (temporary resident visa) or transit visa, completed by each person applying. The fee is $100 per person (maximum $500 for a family of five or more), plus $85 for biometrics where required. Every question in the Background Information section must be answered or the application is treated as incomplete and returned.
  • IMM 5406, Additional Family Information: who must list whom, and why leaving someone out matters — IMM 5406 collects details about your parents, spouse or partner, children and siblings. IRCC says it is "very important" to list all your children, including married, adopted, stepchildren and those in an ex-partner's custody, and to answer every question, using N/A where one does not apply. The online version is certified when you click the complete button, and the paper version is signed in Section D.
  • IMM 5409, Statutory Declaration of Common-Law Union: who signs, what it asks and common mistakes — IMM 5409 is a sworn declaration by two people that they are in a common-law relationship. It must be signed by hand, it will not produce a barcode when validated, and it asks for places, dates, years together and the kinds of shared life you can document. The regulations define a common-law partner as someone who has cohabited with you in a conjugal relationship for at least one year.
  • Misrepresentation in Canada: The Five-Year Inadmissibility Rule — Under section 40 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, misrepresenting or withholding a material fact that induces or could induce an error makes a person inadmissible for five years, and during that time a foreign national cannot apply for permanent residence. The five years run from the final determination if it was made outside Canada, or from the day a removal order is enforced if it was made in Canada.
  • IMM 5476, Use of a Representative: what the form asks and how it is submitted — IMM 5476 tells IRCC that someone may act for you on an application, paid or unpaid. You complete the applicant sections, your representative signs their own declaration, and a paid representative must give their membership ID from the College, a law society or the Chambre des notaires. The same form is used to cancel or change a representative.