Your application may include your spouse or common-law partner and your dependent children, as the Regulation defines them. These definitions are precise: a 23-year-old child or an unrecognized partner falls outside the file. Inclusion also has concrete effects on fees, on net worth, on proof of lawful origin and on the values attestation.
Who counts as a family member
Section 1 of the Quebec Immigration Regulation defines the family member. The notion covers the following people:
- your spouse or your common-law partner;
- your dependent child, or that of your spouse or common-law partner;
- where applicable, that child’s dependent child.
The procedures guide uses the word partner to cover both the spouse and the common-law partner (GPI, section 3.4). Anyone who meets none of these definitions stays outside the file.
Spouse and common-law partner
| Status | What the definition requires |
|---|---|
| Spouse | A married person aged at least 16 who was not married to another person at the time of the marriage. According to the guide, the marriage must have been solemnized before a celebrant recognized by law. |
| Common-law partner | A person aged at least 16 who has been living in a conjugal relationship with another person for at least one year. The sex of the partners is irrelevant. |
| Loss of spousal status | A married person who has been living separate from their spouse for at least one year and is the common-law partner of another person. |
An exception covers a person who cannot cohabit because they are being persecuted or are subject to penal control.
The dependent child: age and dependency
The child is the biological or adopted child of the person. A biological child adopted by someone other than a parent’s partner is no longer covered.
A child is a dependant in either of the following situations:
- the child is under 22 and is neither married nor in a common-law relationship;
- the child is 22 or older, has depended financially on their parents since turning 22, and cannot support themselves because of their physical or mental condition.
Age is fixed as at the date the Ministry receives the application (GPI, section 3.5). The filing date therefore matters for a child approaching their 22nd birthday.
The fees to plan for each included person
The fees are indexed every 1 January. The amounts below come from the official pages updated on 1 January 2026.
| Program | Principal applicant | Partner | Each dependent child |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-employed workers | $1,272 | $201 | $201 |
| Entrepreneurs, stream 2 | $1,272 | $201 | $201 |
| Entrepreneurs, stream 3 | $1,272 | $201 | $201 |
Under the Investor Program, the review fee is $18,241 for the principal applicant in 2026. These fees are not refundable, even on a refusal, and federal fees are added on top.
Shared net worth and lawful origin of funds
The net worth may be reached together with the spouse or common-law partner included in the application. In return, both partners must declare their net worth. That obligation applies even if the partner’s contribution is not needed to reach the threshold.
The included partner must show the lawful origin and accumulation of their own assets. They complete their own narrative document.
A partner who is not included does not have to declare their net worth. If that partner contributed to an asset held in your name, the contribution is treated as a gift. They must then complete a narrative document on the lawful origin of the funds.
Assets held in your children’s names are never counted in the net worth. The rule applies even where the children generated those funds themselves.
The attestation of democratic and Quebec values
The attestation of learning about democratic values and Quebec values does not cover the applicant alone. It is required from the following people:
- the principal applicant;
- the spouse or common-law partner aged 16 and over;
- dependent children aged 18 and over.
The deadline is 60 days after the Ministry’s request. Without the attestation, the application may be rejected. The attestation is valid for two years.
The other parent’s consent
If you include a child under 18 without the other parent, that parent must sign a declaration of consent. This is form ME-0032-2309, accompanied by a copy of their identity document.
The form is not required if you provide one of the following documents:
- a judgment depriving the other parent of parental authority;
- a medical certificate or a judgment establishing incapacity to consent;
- a death certificate or act of death.
In any other situation, an explanatory document with supporting evidence is reviewed by the Ministry.
Adding or removing a family member
During the review
Adding or removing a member is done by mailing the updated form, with the required documents.
The fees
Adding a member triggers additional fees.
Removing a member gives rise to no refund.
After the decision
If a decision has already been rendered, a new application is required.
How MEKA AVOCAT works on this
We first check each member’s status against the definitions. An earlier marriage that was never dissolved, or a poorly documented common-law relationship, has to be settled before filing.
Where the partner’s assets are held through a corporation, we review the minute books, the registers and the financial statements. Where needed, we coordinate with an accountant from our network. We make sure the two narrative documents and the supporting documents filed are consistent.
If a member cannot be included, we will tell you plainly. We will also set out the consequences for the application and for the rest of your project.
Texts and sources
This article draws on the Quebec Immigration Regulation, on sections 3.4 and 3.5 of the immigration procedures guide, and on the official how to apply pages of the self-employed worker, entrepreneur (streams 2 and 3) and investor programs, together with the stream 2 conditions, published by Quebec’s immigration ministry.
Frequently asked questions
Can my 23-year-old son be included in my application?
Only if he has depended on you since turning 22 and cannot support himself because of his physical or mental condition.
Does my common-law partner have to prove the origin of their assets?
Yes, if they are included in the application, even if their assets are not needed to reach the threshold.
Does my 17-year-old child need the values attestation?
No. The attestation applies to dependent children aged 18 and over.
Can I add my new spouse after filing?
Yes, through the updated form while the application is being reviewed, or through a new application if a decision has already been rendered.
Want to know who can appear in your application?
The make-up of the file is decided before filing, not after the Ministry’s first letter. A meeting lets us confirm the status of each family member, the fees to plan for and the documents to gather for the partner and the children.
Next: net worth and sharing it with a partner, the narrative document on the origin of funds, and our work in business immigration.
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Lawyer, member of the Barreau du Québec since 2014, founder of MEKA AVOCAT. This text sets out general legal information: it describes rules that apply broadly, not the answer to a particular case, and does not replace advice on your own situation.
