IMM 5669 Schedule A: How to Fill Out the Background/Declaration Form Without Gaps

As of October 5, 2026. IMM 5669, Schedule A: Background/Declaration, is the form where every adult in a permanent residence application tells Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) about their background: their personal history and addresses for the past 10 years or since age 18, whichever is more recent, plus education, memberships, government and military service, and 11 yes-or-no background questions. The current PDF is version 05-2021, and most programs now fill it out as a digital form in the Permanent Residence Portal, according to IRCC's IMM 5669 form page. The rule applicants get wrong most often is the one on gaps: IRCC tells you not to leave any gap in time, and missing periods delay your file.

Who has to fill out IMM 5669?

Every adult on the application completes their own Schedule A. IRCC's instructions say the form must be completed by the principal applicant, the spouse or common-law partner (whether accompanying you to Canada or not), and dependent children aged 18 or older (whether accompanying you or not).

If the principal applicant is under 18, a parent or legal guardian signs and makes the declaration on their behalf, according to IRCC's Permanent Residence Portal guide. In spousal sponsorship, IRCC's Guide 5289 adds that any dependant over 18 must complete a separate IMM 5669, IMM 5406, IMM 5562 and IMM 5476 if it applies.

Which version of IMM 5669 should you use?

There are two versions of the form: a digital version inside the Permanent Residence Portal and a PDF for paper applications. IRCC tells you to check your program's instructions to see which one applies.

• Digital (PR Portal). Provincial Nominee Program applicants outside Express Entry, parents and grandparents, and other portal programs fill out Schedule A online alongside the Generic Application Form (IMM 0008), Additional Family Information (IMM 5406) and, if it applies, the travel history form (IMM 5562), per IRCC's PNP document list and parents and grandparents application page.
• PDF (paper). The current PDF is "IMM 5669 E (05-2021)". It opens in Adobe Reader, not in a browser preview.
• Express Entry. Invited candidates complete their application online in their account. IRCC's Express Entry pages do not name IMM 5669, so if IRCC later asks you for one, use the exact form named in the request.

Do not confuse IMM 5669 with eIMM 5669. The eIMM 5669 is a different form, "Schedule A: Sponsorship Background/Declaration Form", meant only for people applying for refugee protection from within Canada under Guide 5746, per its own form page. Applicants regularly post on public forums that a request letter or search result sent them to the wrong one.

How far back does IMM 5669 go?

The personal history and address sections both cover "since the age of 18, or the past 10 years, whichever is most recent". In practice that means the shorter period:

Some online summaries describe this rule loosely, so go by the form's own wording. There is one exception in the online instructions: if you have not worked in the past 10 years, for example because you are retired, you must give your personal history since age 18.

How do you fill out IMM 5669, section by section?

The paper form has 12 numbered questions plus a declaration. The digital version asks the same things in a different layout.

1. Names (questions 1 and 2). Write your names exactly as they appear in your passport, with no initials, and your name in your native script if it uses non-Latin characters (Arabic, Farsi, Cyrillic, Chinese and so on).
2. Date of birth (question 3). If you do not know part of a date, IRCC says to use an asterisk for the unknown year, month or day.
3. Parents (questions 4 and 5). Your father's and mother's names, dates of birth, places of birth, and dates of death if they have died.
4. Background questions (question 6). Eleven questions, a) to k), about you and the family members in your application. They cover criminal convictions and charges in Canada or elsewhere, earlier refugee claims, refusals of a visa, permit, CSQ or PNP application in any country, being refused entry or ordered to leave a country, genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity, armed struggle or violence, association with violent groups, membership in criminal organizations, detention, and serious disease or physical or mental disorder. A "yes" needs an explanation in the details field.
5. Education (question 7). Years completed at each level, then each secondary and post-secondary school with dates, city, country, certificate and field of study. On paper, write "N/A" if no diploma was issued; online, leave the certificate field blank.
6. Personal history (question 8). Start with the most recent period and leave no gaps. For work, give a specific job title (or a short list of duties if the title is unclear). For time not working, say what you were doing: unemployed, studying, travelling, retired, in detention. If you were outside your country of nationality, give your status in that country, such as work visa or visitor.
7. Memberships (question 9). Political, social, youth or student organizations, trade unions and professional associations. If you were never a member of any, IRCC asks you to write "I have never been a member of an organization or association", not "N/A".
8. Government positions (question 10). Positions such as civil servant, judge, police officer or employee of a security organization, with the country, level (national, regional or municipal), department and role. Write "NONE" if this does not apply.
9. Military and paramilitary service (question 11). Service in any country's armed forces, with no gaps in time. Write "NONE" if you never served.
10. Addresses (question 12). Every home address for the same period as your personal history, in full with the postal code. No P.O. boxes and no abbreviations.
11. Declaration. Online, type your full name in the blue field; that is your digital signature. On paper, sign and date the boxes; IRCC returns unsigned forms. Leave the bottom interpreter and solemn declaration section blank for now, as IRCC instructs.

What happens if there are gaps in IMM 5669?

A gap is any stretch of time in your personal history, address history or military service that the form does not account for. IRCC's instruction is direct: "do not leave any gaps in time. If you don't account for all time periods, it may delay the processing of your application." The paper instructions add that failure to account for all periods will delay processing.

Nothing on IRCC's pages says a gap alone causes a refusal, but gaps are what officers ask about, and what you leave out matters more than the delay. IRCC's Guide 5289 warns that the background declaration counts for misrepresentation, and that applicants and their dependants could be found inadmissible to Canada for five years under subsection 40(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) if information is misrepresented or withheld.

To close gaps cleanly:

• Make the end date of each period the start date of the next, month by month.
• Cover short unemployment, job searches, parental leave and full-time study as their own entries.
• Keep your personal history consistent with your resume. IRCC says the resume you provide helps it verify this section, so the dates should match.
• Keep addresses consistent with the address details on your other forms and documents.

What if IRCC asks for IMM 5669 after you apply?

IRCC can ask for more documents at any point. Its guides say it "may ask you to submit more documents at a later date if we need more information to assess your application." Applicants on public forums report request letters and emails asking for a Schedule A after they submitted their application.

If you get one:

1. Read the letter for the exact form name and version, and check that it is IMM 5669 and not eIMM 5669.
2. Fill out a fresh form for each person named, covering the full period with no gaps.
3. If something changed since your first form, such as a new job or address, include it, and explain any correction in a short letter.
4. Submit it the way the letter says, before the deadline in the letter.

Common IMM 5669 mistakes

• Leaving gaps between jobs, studies or addresses.
• Using initials or abbreviations instead of full names and full addresses.
• Writing "N/A" in question 9 instead of the sentence IRCC asks for.
• Using a P.O. box as a home address.
• Forgetting the form for a spouse or a dependant aged 18 or older who is not coming to Canada.
• Downloading eIMM 5669, the refugee claim version, instead of IMM 5669.
• Signing the bottom interpreter section, which IRCC says not to complete at this time.

If your application also names a representative, IRCC needs the IMM 5476 Use of a Representative form. To see which permanent residence programs fit your profile before you start the forms, run a free PR assessment.

Frequently asked questions

How do I fill out IMM 5669?

Use the version your program asks for (the PR Portal digital form or the 05-2021 PDF), complete one form per adult, answer all 11 background questions, list your education, personal history and addresses for the past 10 years or since age 18 (whichever is more recent) with no gaps, write the required wording where a section does not apply, and sign the declaration.

Does my spouse need IMM 5669 if they are not coming to Canada?

Yes. IRCC requires the form from your spouse or common-law partner and from dependent children aged 18 or older, whether they are accompanying you or not.

Is IMM 5669 the same as eIMM 5669?

No. eIMM 5669 is a separate form used only for refugee protection claims made within Canada (Guide 5746). Permanent residence applicants use IMM 5669.

How many years does IMM 5669 cover?

The personal history and addresses cover since your 18th birthday or the past 10 years, whichever is more recent. If you have not worked in the past 10 years, the online instructions ask for your history since age 18.

What happens if I make a mistake on IMM 5669?

Correct it before you submit. If you already submitted, tell IRCC in writing or answer the request it sends you; an honest correction is very different from information that is left out, which can be treated as misrepresentation.

Sources

• Schedule A: Background/Declaration Form (IMM 5669)
• Schedule A: Sponsorship Background/Declaration Form (eIMM 5669)
• Permanent Residence Portal
• Provincial Nominee Program (non-Express Entry): documents
• Sponsor your parents and grandparents: apply
• Guide 5289: Sponsor your spouse, partner or dependent child
• Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, section 40

This is general information, not legal advice. Got a request letter for IMM 5669, or want your forms checked before you submit? Book a consultation with a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) at Go Far Global, RCIC R515110.