IMM 5646: How to Fill Out the Custodianship Declaration for a Minor Studying in Canada (2026)

IMM 5646 is the Custodianship Declaration, the IRCC form that appoints a responsible adult in Canada to care for a minor child studying here without a parent or legal guardian. If your child is under 17 and coming to study without you, this form is part of their study permit application, and it has to be signed and notarized in two different countries.

Why the custodianship declaration matters for your child's study permit

A study permit application for a minor is assessed on more than grades and funds. An officer needs to see that the child will have proper care and support in Canada, a requirement IRCC sets out on its official page for studying in Canada as a minor. When the Custodianship Declaration is missing, incomplete, or notarized in the wrong place, the whole application can be delayed or refused, and a refusal on a minor's file can follow them into future applications. Getting IMM 5646 right the first time is the difference between a smooth approval and a preventable study permit refusal.

What is the IMM 5646 form?

IMM 5646, the Custodian Declaration Form, is how parents or legal guardians formally name a custodian for a minor child who will study in Canada on their own. A custodian is a responsible adult who is a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident and who agrees to take care of and support the child during their stay. You submit the completed form along with the child's study permit application. You can download the current form from the official IMM 5646 form page on canada.ca (the version in use was last updated January 2023).

Who needs a custodian for a minor studying in Canada?

Each province and territory sets its own age of majority, and a person under that age is a minor child. It is 18 in Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan, and 19 in British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, and Yukon. That matters for families in Metro Vancouver: because BC's age of majority is 19, a 17 or 18 year old studying in Burnaby, Surrey, or Richmond is still a minor here.

According to IRCC, a minor child under the age of 17 who is not coming with a parent or legal guardian must have a custodian in Canada. For minors 17 and older, a custodian is optional, but an officer can ask for one on a case-by-case basis. If your child is under 17 and travelling without you, a custodian is not optional, and IMM 5646 is how you appoint one.

How to fill out the two pages of IMM 5646

The two pages of the form look almost the same, but they are signed by different people, in different countries, and that trips up many families. Here is the sequence IRCC sets out:

1. The first page is completed and signed by the custodian, and notarized (certified by a lawyer or notary) in Canada.

2. The second page is completed and signed by the parents or legal guardians of the child, and notarized in their home country.

3. Both notarized pages are submitted together with the minor child's study permit application.

Because two notarizations happen in two locations, plan the timing early. If the parents' page is notarized abroad weeks before the custodian's page is ready in Canada, or vice versa, you can end up with a signature that no longer lines up with the rest of the application. IRCC also publishes standard custodian form letters, and the official minor children page is the place to confirm the current requirements before you sign.

Common mistakes that get the custodianship declaration returned

In practice, the custodianship pages we see returned tend to fail on small, avoidable points, not on eligibility. The most common ones are a page notarized in the wrong country (both must be notarized where the signer actually is), a custodian who is not yet a citizen or permanent resident, a form left unsigned on one of the two pages, and details on IMM 5646 that do not match the child's letter of acceptance from a designated learning institution or the rest of the study permit package. IRCC reads the file as one story: when the custodianship arrangement and the study plan do not agree, the officer notices.

Filling this out across two countries confuses a lot of families. If one step here is unclear, ask in the comments and keep it general. For advice on your child's specific situation, a consultation is the right place.

What happens after the study permit is approved

A minor's study permit is not permanent, and neither is the custodianship arrangement behind it. Study permits for primary school students are issued for one year and can be renewed, and permits for secondary school students can be issued for the full length of the intended studies, up to four years. A study permit can also later let an eligible secondary student apply for a secondary school co-op work permit, which is another reason to keep the child's status valid. Apply for the new permit at least 90 days before the current one expires. If the permit lapses, the child has 90 days to apply to restore their status. When it is time to renew, the same care requirement still applies, and you may need to file an IMM 5709 study permit extension with the custodianship still in place.

Not sure whether your child's age and province even require a custodian, or whether your custodian qualifies? That is a short, specific question worth an eligibility check with Ansari Immigration's licensed RCIC before you assemble the file.

Frequently asked questions about IMM 5646

What is the IMM 5646 form?

It is the Custodian Declaration Form. It appoints a responsible adult in Canada, a citizen or permanent resident, to care for a minor child who is studying in Canada without a parent or legal guardian, and it is submitted with the child's study permit application.

Who needs a custodian in Canada?

A minor child under 17 who is not accompanied by a parent or legal guardian must have a custodian. For minors 17 and older, a custodian is optional but an officer can request one on a case-by-case basis.

How do you fill out IMM 5646?

The custodian completes and signs page one and has it notarized in Canada. The parents or legal guardians complete and sign page two and have it notarized in their home country. Both notarized pages go in with the study permit application.

Does IMM 5646 need to be notarized?

Yes. Each page must be signed in front of a lawyer or notary and certified: the custodian's page in Canada, and the parents' or guardians' page in their home country.

Where do you download IMM 5646?

Download it only from the official IMM 5646 form page on canada.ca. The current form is a fillable PDF, last updated January 2023. Third-party form-filler sites are not IRCC and may serve an outdated version.

Do 17-year-olds need a custodian in Canada?

A custodian is not mandatory once a child is 17, but an officer can still require one depending on the case. Because the age of majority is 19 in British Columbia, a 17 or 18 year old studying in BC is still a minor, so it is worth being ready to appoint one.

Why work with Ansari Immigration

Ansari Immigration is led by a licensed RCIC (R709304) who teaches Canadian immigration law at three colleges and trains other practicing consultants. Every file is handled personally by the firm's licensed RCIC, start to finish, with study permit representation quoted upfront: a flat CAD $1,500 when your child applies from outside Canada or $500 from inside Canada, additional family members quoted separately.

If you want a second set of eyes before you notarize anything, book a 30 minute consultation ($80), and tell us in the comments which part of the custodianship process is holding you up, so we can cover it in a future post.

Related Posts

• What Is a Designated Learning Institution (DLI) in Canada?: Why the letter of acceptance behind your child's study permit has to come from an approved school.

• Study Permit Refusal in Canada: Top Reasons and How to Reapply (2026): The most common reasons a study permit is refused and how to respond.

• IMM 5709: How to Fill Out the Study Permit Extension Application Form: How to renew a minor's study permit before it expires.

This article is for general information only. It is not legal advice. Program criteria, requirements, processing times, and selection approaches can change without notice. Always confirm details on official government websites or consult a licensed Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) for advice specific to your situation.