Spouse: A husband or wife of the opposite sex
Common-law partner: A person of the opposite or same sex with whom you have lived in a conjugal relationship for at least one year
Dependent children: Daughters and sons, including children adopted before the age of 18, who:
are under the age of 22 and do not have a spouse or common-law partner;
have been continuously enrolled as full-time students and financially supported by their parents since turning 22 (or from the date of becoming a spouse or common-law partner if this happened before the age of 22); or
have substantially depended on the financial support of their parents since before turning 22 and are unable to support themselves due to a medical condition.
You must have a marriage certificate issued by the province or territory where the marriage took place.
If you were married outside Canada:
The marriage must be valid under the law of the country where it took place and under Canadian law.
A marriage performed in an embassy or consulate must comply with the law of the country where it took place, not the country of nationality of the embassy or consulate.
Dependent children
A son or daughter is dependent when the child:
is under the age of 22 and does not have a spouse or common-law partner
is a full-time student and is substantially dependent on a parent for financial support since before the age of 22, or since becoming a spouse or common-law partner (if this happened before age 22) or
is financially dependent on a parent since before the age of 22 because of a disability.
