Does your child qualify as a dependent child?

Your child qualifies as a dependent child if he/she meets the following requirements:

• under 22 years old
• single, without a spouse or common-law partner
• if 22 years old or older, he/she must be unable to support himself/herself financially because of a mental or physical condition, the financial dependency of which must have started before he/she reached 22 years of age

You must be able to show proof of income or capacity to support your dependent child in Canada.

What is the lock-in date used in determining the age of the dependent child?

The lock-in date fixes the age of your dependent child throughout the application process. Even if his birthday occurs while your application is still being processed, his age for assessment purposes will no longer change. Your dependent child’s age is locked-in on the date the visa office receives your complete application.

If your application is incomplete at the time of submission, the lock-in date has not been set at this point. It will only take effect once the visa office receives the complete application.

Why do you need to prove your ability to support your dependent child’s basic needs?

Applying to sponsor your dependent child means you are willing to take on the responsibility to provide for his/her basic needs and not be a burden on social assistance. Basic needs include housing, food, personal necessities, clothing, and health care not covered by public health insurance.

The period of undertaking to sponsor a dependent child to Canada is 10 years or the day the dependent child turns 22 years old, whichever comes first. If the dependent child is over 22 years old when he/she becomes a permanent resident, the period of undertaking is 3 years from the day he/she lands in Canada.

How long is the processing time and what are the processing fees?

Processing times depend on the volume of applications. At present, processing time is approximately 12 months from the day a complete application is accepted by the visa office.

The processing fee per dependent child who is under 22 years old and single is C$150. The processing fee per dependent child who is 22 years or older and financially dependent on you is C$550. There is no permanent resident fee for dependent children.

What are the key considerations in submitting an application?

The requirements might look simple on paper, but often applications are rejected because the documents submitted were inaccurate, incomplete, or non-compliant. Here are some key considerations when applying to sponsor dependent children to Canada:

• How do you prove that your overage dependent child has not been self-supporting since before the age of 22?
• How do you show that you are able to support your dependent children financially?
• What if your dependent child is married, in a conjugal relationship, or has been divorced?