Canadian Immigration Applications: Increase in the Age Definition of Dependent Children

October 24, 2017, was the day, which is marked as a moment when the age definition of dependent children on Canadian immigration applications Canada was increased. Now the children below 22 years of age fall under the definition of dependent children. During May 2017, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) declared that from October 24, 2017, the eligible applications for Canadian immigration should be processed under the new definition.

Hence, the immigration applications filed by the principal applicants on or after this date may include their children under the age of 22. However, only the children who are single or don’t have a common-law relationship, fall under this category.

Previous regulations

During the regulations imposed on August 2014, the age definition of dependent children was decreased to 19 years. The amendments made on October 24, 2017, have increased the maximum age of dependants. However, the recent increase in the maximum age of dependent children will not affect the fate of applications submitted before October 24, 2017, or after August 1, 2014.

The IRCC justifies its decision of not to impose this regulation on the previous immigration applications in the following words.

“Applying the change to in-process applications would require a pause in finalizing many permanent residence applications and would impact processing times in many programs.”

Socioeconomic Trends

The decision regarding the increase of age definition of dependent children unfolds the family reunification initiatives of the Canadian government. In addition, it also takes into account the impact of socioeconomic trends, which exhibits that during the past few years, children above 19 years of age are showing interest in living with their parents.

According to a Census data of August 2017, almost 35% of young adults aged between 20 to 34 are living with at least one parent. The reason behind this trend may include the emotional, logistical, or financial benefits. These benefits allow young adults to pursue their post-secondary studies or look for an employment (Full-time).

Impacts of the New Regulation

The new regulation will have a positive impact on the life of young adults. The increase in the age limit of dependent children means that more immigrant children can live with their parents. This will give them a chance to overcome the socioeconomic issues they may face during the Canadian immigration process, completing their education, and finally entering the labor market of Canada.

Ahmed Hussein, the Federal Immigration Minister has shared his thoughts in the following words.

“Raising the age of dependants lets more families stay together. This will bring economic and social gains to our country as it enhances our attractiveness as a destination of choice for immigrants and refugees.”

We have seen numerous regulatory changes since the Liberal’s came into government in 2015. The Canadian government has always focused on the family reunification initiatives. The measures taken in this regard are as under.

• Increasing the intake threshold for parent and grandparent sponsorship applications from 5,000 to 10,000
• Minimizing the processing times and streamlining the application process for spousal and common-law partner sponsorship
• Provision of extra points under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) for federal Express Entry candidates having a sibling in Canada