Sponsor your dependent children to live with you in Canada as PR
The dependent children pathway lets Canadian citizens and permanent residents sponsor biological or adopted children under 22 for permanent residence. Older children may qualify if dependent due to a medical condition. The age lock-in rule protects eligibility from processing delays once IRCC receives the complete application.
Family reunification for biological and adopted children.
The dependent children sponsorship pathway lets Canadian citizens and permanent residents bring their children to live with them in Canada as permanent residents. Unlike the parents and grandparents program, this stream operates as a standard Family Class pathway: there is no lottery and no fixed annual cap. The sections below walk through who qualifies as a dependent, how the age lock in rule protects eligibility, and what financial obligations the sponsor commits to.
Who qualifies as a dependent child?
The standard rule
A dependent child is less than 22 years old and not a spouse or common-law partner on the day the sponsorship application is received by IRCC.
Defined under IRPR section 2(b)(i). The age is locked in on the date IRCC receives the complete application. Marital status must be maintained throughout processing until permanent residence is granted.
Exception · Medical
22 years old or older may qualify
If substantially financially dependent on the parent since before age 22 and unable to be financially self-supporting due to a physical or mental condition. Both conditions must be met.
Relationship · Adoption
Biological or adopted
A dependent must be the biological or adopted child of the parent. Biological children who have been adopted by another person do not qualify.
Source: IRPR section 2 · canada.ca
Why filing date matters
The dependent child’s age is captured the day IRCC receives the complete application. If processing takes years, the child cannot age out of eligibility based on the passage of time. But other conditions still apply at the time of decision.
Filing date
IRCC receives application
Age is locked in
Processing
Often a year or more
Marital status must remain unchanged
PR granted
Final decision
All conditions verified
Locks in at filing
The child’s age is fixed on the day IRCC receives the complete application. Time spent processing does not change eligibility based on age.
Does not lock in
Marital status, common-law status, and financial dependency must be satisfied at filing and when permanent residence is granted.
Source: IRPR section 25.1(1) · canada.ca
Verify your eligibility
Confirm you meet the requirements
Sponsoring a dependent child generally does not require meeting a minimum income threshold, but sponsors must still satisfy residency, admissibility, and undertaking obligations. Reviewing eligibility before filing protects the age lock in date and prevents refusals on technical grounds.
Financial commitment and obligations
Sponsoring a dependent child requires signing an undertaking, a legally binding promise to financially support the child for a defined period after permanent residence is granted. Outside of specific cases, no minimum income is required, but the obligations remain serious.
Standard undertaking
10 years
For a child under 22, or until age 25, whichever comes first.
Overage dependants
3 years
For dependent children 22 or older who qualify under the medical exception. The undertaking begins when permanent residence is granted.
Income requirement
Not required
No minimum income applies in standard cases. The exception is when the sponsored child has one or more dependent children of their own.
Quebec
Separate
Quebec residents must sign an undertaking with MIFI. Different durations apply, and intake is currently paused for sponsored children 18 or older until June 2026.
The undertaking is a sponsorship obligation to the government and does not replace parental support obligations under family law, which continue independently.
Source: IRCC Guide IMM 5289 · canada.ca
Three pathways for adopted children
Direct Route
Adoption already finalised abroad
Used when the sponsor is already the legal parent under the laws of the child’s country of origin. The simplest pathway: the child is sponsored as a dependent without further provincial intervention.
Hague Convention
Country of origin is a signatory
When the child’s country of origin signed the 1993 Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption. Requires an Article 23 certificate and approval from the provincial adoption authority where the sponsor lives.
Non-Hague Convention
Country of origin is not a signatory
More complex pathway with additional safeguards. Provincial adoption authority involvement is required, and IRCC applies extra scrutiny to verify the legitimacy of the adoption and the best interests of the child.
All adoptions must create a genuine parent-child relationship and the best interests of the child must be the primary consideration. Adoptions of convenience, entered into mainly for immigration status, are refused under IRPR section 4.
Source: IRPR 117(2) and 117(3) · Guide IMM 5196 · canada.ca
What you need to submit
Complete dependent child applications include four document categories. Missing or incomplete items are the most common reason for return without processing.
Sponsor forms
- IMM 1344 · Application to Sponsor and Undertaking
- IMM 5532A · Sponsorship Evaluation
- IMM 1283 · Financial Evaluation (when the child has dependants)
- IMM 5476 · Use of Representative (if applicable)
Applicant forms
- IMM 0008 · Generic Application for Canada
- IMM 5669 · Schedule A Background and Declaration
- IMM 5604 · Declaration from Non-Accompanying Parent (for minors)
- IMM 5534 · Document Checklist
Civil documents
- Birth certificate proving the parent-child relationship
- Passport or travel documents
- Two photos to IRCC specifications
- Custody documents (when applicable for minors)
- Country-specific civil documents
Background checks
- Medical exam when requested by IRCC
- Police certificates for any country lived in 6 or more consecutive months since age 18
- Biometrics for applicants 14 to 79 years old
Source: IRCC Guide IMM 5289 · Document Checklist IMM 5534 · canada.ca
Current processing times
IRCC publishes dependent child processing times by country and updates them weekly. The age lock in date is set when IRCC receives the complete application, regardless of how long processing takes afterward.
Service standard
12
months
Outside Canada applications
IRCC publishes a 12 month service standard only for applications from outside Canada. In-Canada applications have no published service standard, and times vary by country. Detailed timelines by country, updated weekly, are in our processing times tool.
See live processing times by country →Appeal a refusal
Challenge the decision within 30 days
Dependent children refusals can be appealed to the Immigration Appeal Division within 30 days. Common grounds include medical inadmissibility findings, age determination disputes, and parent child relationship documentation. Appeals are litigation style proceedings with strict deadlines and limited remedies once the period expires.
Why hire an RCIC?
Family sponsorship refusals most often stem from insufficient documentation, missed eligibility conditions, or incomplete submissions. Family Class refusals can be appealed to the Immigration Appeal Division (IAD) within 30 days, but appeals are litigation-style proceedings. Mistakes are expensive: lost fees, family separation, and limited remedies.
Under Canadian law, paid representation before IRCC is restricted to Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants (RCICs), lawyers, and Quebec notaries. RCICs are licensed and regulated by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC), with mandatory continuing education and a binding code of ethics.
Megrez Immigration Consultants is a CICC licensed firm and has operated in Vancouver since 1996.
Related Services
Family Class sponsorship requires precise eligibility analysis and complete documentation.
Book a free assessment with a licensed RCIC. We review your case against IRCC requirements and prepare the strongest possible application.
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