Liberal government raises age of dependency to 22
Age for dependent children in Canada’s immigration programs was 18 under Conservatives
The age for dependent children has been restored to under the age of 22 as of October 24, 2017.
This means that applicants for permanent residence to Canada can include their dependent children up to the age of 22 in an application for permanent residence in any of Canada’s immigration programs whether family sponsorship, Express Entry, business immigration, caregiver or refugee applicants.
Restoring the age for dependent children to under the age of 22 was one of the Liberal government’s major immigration election platforms in 2015.
This is the second immigration election promise to finally be implemented this month with the changes to the Citizenship eligibility requirements taking effect on October 11.
The age for a dependent child had been under the age of 22 for many years; however on August 1, 2014 the former Conservative government lowered the age of the dependency to 18 or younger, noting that adult children could apply for permanent residence on their own merit.
For many families the inability to include their young adult children in their immigration applications was a deterrent to coming to Canada.
When introducing this statutory change, the Regulatory Impact Assessment Statement (RIAS) noted that “when families are able to remain together as an economic household unit, their integration into Canada and their ability to work and contribute to their communities improves.”
The restoration of the age of dependency up to 22 is positive news for prospective immigrant families as well as for Canada.