Permanent Residence for under 22 children - Temporary Public Policy

by Rekha McNutt

This post follows up on our last post announcing the coming into force the change to the age of dependent children. 

You might be wondering how to gain permanent residence for a child who wasn't eligible prior to October 24, 2017. CIC has a temporary public policy in place which provides guidance on how to get this done.

The government announced the change to the age of dependency on May 3, 2017, even though it only came into force a few days ago. As such, this public policy only applies to those applications made by the parents of these children between May 3, 2017, and October 23, 2017. 

The Policy provides the following guidance for eligibility:

Based on public policy considerations, delegated officers may grant an exemption from the provisions of the Regulations listed below to foreign nationals who meet the following eligibility criteria and conditions:

A permanent residence application for a child can be made if the:

1. Child was 19, 20, or 21 as of May 3, 2017 (the date of final publication of the regulatory amendment) or as of date the parent’s permanent residence application was made, if received on or after May 3, 2017 and before October 24, 2017;
2. Parent or child had a permanent residence application that was either pending on May 3, 2017 or was received on or after May 3, 2017 and before October 24, 2017 (the child must have been previously identified as “additional family” on their parent’s application);
3. Child is not a spouse/common-law partner; and,
4. Child is not otherwise inadmissible.

The child can be:

1. Processed or added to an application (as a dependent child) if the permanent resident visa or Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) had not been issued at the time the Department was notified of the intention to add the child; OR
2. Sponsored as a member of the Family Class once the parent is granted permanent residence.

Note: Refugees and protected persons may add a child who was 19, 20, or 21 on May 3, 2017 and (not a spouse/common-law partner) as an accompanying or non-accompanying dependant on a pending application; non-accompanying dependants would be able to apply for permanent residence within the one-year window.

An application to sponsor a child who is eligible under this public and is 22 or over at time of sponsorship, must be received by the Department within one year after their parent is granted permanent residence. Children who are under 22 at time of sponsorship will be processed under the regular sponsorship regulations.

Notification Period: Parents who wish to apply for their child to come to Canada must notify the Department of their intention to do so by January 31, 2018, in accordance with instructions provided by the department.

For those parents whose PR applications have been finalized already, and who may still have children under 22, a simple/regular sponsorship of a child application is still possible. 

Age of Dependent Child - now 'under 22'

by Rekha McNutt

Today is the day! The age of dependent children is to revert back to 'under 22'. You can read the original release here.

The previous changes had lowered the age of dependent children to under 19 and removed the exception for those enrolled in post-secondary education.

Going forward, a "dependent child" is any biological or adopted child of the parent, who is in one of the following situations of dependency:

• Is under 22 and not a spouse or common-law partner;
• is 22 or older but has depended substantially on the financial support of the parent since before the age of 22 and is unable to be financially self-supporting due to a physical or mental condition 

Those who have pending permanent residence applications can now add their under 22 children to their application, if they were formerly prevented from doing so when the age limit was under 19. Those whose permanent residence applications have been finalized may be in a position to sponsor their under 22 child.

Change to Age of Dependent Child to "under 22"

The Government just released Regulations amending the age of dependency from "under 19" to "under 22". However, the changes will not come into force until October 24, 2017. As such, any applications made until that date will continue to face the current definition of a child being "under 19". Nevertheless, this opens up opportunities for those who were unable to include children as dependants to sponsor those who might still be under the age of 22 when the Regulations take effect. 

The Full-Text of the Regulations can be found here.

Humanitarian and Compassionate applications

A plea for humanitarian and compassionate relief can me used in a number of contexts where foreign nationals are otherwise unable to immigrate to Canada. It is often used to overcome otherwise insurmountable issues. These requests are highly technical and detailed.

Take a listen to this podcast that our very own Jean Munn, Q.C. did with fellow Alberta Immigration Lawyer Mark Holthe on this very topic! Jean officers tremendous insight into H&C applications. She and Mark talked about:

1. Background information on H&C applications.
2. Who is eligible and who is not eligible to apply – the typical scenario.
3. What factors are taken into consideration and what factors cannot be considered.
4. How to apply – including best practices.
5. How to make the strongest application possible.
6. Processing procedure.
7. A ton of other tips and strategies essential for getting an H&C approved.

You can find the podcast here or list to it on  iTunes [Season 1 Episode 37].

If you need help with any admissibility issue, or wish to know if you can benefit from making an H&C application, do not delay in contacting us!

Orphaned Children Stuck in Immigration Limbo for 2 years

Children becoming suddenly orphaned is an epic tragedy all on its own. But, can you imaging those children having to wait alone in their home country for 2+ years in immigration limbo while IRCC processes their application to Canada? That is the very tragedy faced by two young children from Cameroon who have been adopted by their Canadian aunt, whose sponsorship of them has languished for the last two years at the visa office in Senegal.

Read their full story and hear from our own Peter Wong on the reasons why such delays happen - http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/orphaned-african-children-caroline-ijang-cameroon-1.3597689