As Zemp Law Group reported on May 13, 2013, the Government of Canada, as part of the Economic Action Plan 2013, proposed regulatory amendments to the age of dependent children for all immigration programs that will reduce the age limit to under 19 and will remove the exception for full-time students.
At this time, we would like to remind you that this amendment has a coming into force date of January 1, 2014. For applicants who submit any sponsorship application or permanent resident application on or after this date, only children under the age of 19 will be eligible to be included as dependents. For all applicants who submitted a permanent resident application prior to January 1, 2014, the existing definition of a dependent child will continue to apply.
We strongly encourage you to consider any sponsorship application or permanent resident application where there is a potential for dependent children 19 years of age or older to accompany the family. These applications must be submitted prior to January 1, 2014 to qualify.
Please contact us as soon as possible regarding any current or upcoming applications that may be affected, as we are here to continue to make every effort to meet the needs of our clientele.