What is a dependent child?

A dependent child under IRPR s.2 is a child of the principal applicant or accompanying spouse/partner who meets one of these tests:

• Under 22 years of age AND single (not married, not in a common-law relationship)
• 22 or older but unable to be financially independent due to a physical or mental condition that has prevented self-support since before age 22

Children who are 22+ and single but otherwise able to support themselves are not dependent children for IRCC purposes.

Why age 22 matters

The age-22 threshold has shifted over time:

• Prior to 1 August 2014: 22 (with limited "full-time student" exception)
• 1 August 2014 to 23 October 2017: 19
• 24 October 2017 onwards: 22 (current; full-time student exception removed)

Age lock-in date

The age at which the dependent child is assessed is "locked in" at the age lock-in date — usually the date IRCC receives a complete PR application. After lock-in, even if the child turns 22 during processing, they remain a dependent child for the application.

For Express Entry: age lock-in date = the date you submit the eAPR after receiving the ITA, OR (in PNP cases) the date of the provincial nomination.

Marital status — single requirement

To be a dependent child, the child must be single (not married, not in a common-law relationship at the time of application). A child who marries during application processing may become ineligible — disclose all status changes immediately.

Step-children and adopted children

• Adopted children are treated as dependent children if the adoption is recognized in both the country of origin and Canada
• Step-children are not automatically dependent children but can be sponsored if certain criteria are met (typically through the family relationship with the natural parent)

Failing to declare children

Failing to declare any dependent children — even those not accompanying you — is grounds for misrepresentation with a 5-year bar from any future Canadian immigration application. This is a serious issue we routinely have to address for clients whose prior representatives didn't ask about all children.