The maximum age of a child who can be considered a dependant on an immigration application has changed from “under 19” to “under 22.” This change applies to all new permanent residence (PR) applications received by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on or after October 24, 2017.
To help even more families stay together, IRCC is allowing those with existing PR applications in process as of May 3, 2017 (or whose PR applications we received after May 3, 2017) to benefit from the expanded age of dependants. Until January 31, 2018, applicants may request to sponsor or add an eligible dependant who was between the ages of 19 and 21 on May 3, 2017 (or on the date we received the PR application, if it was after May 3) to their application.