Surprising but appreciated move of Canada Government – Raise Maximum Limit of Children to 21 on Immigration Applications A move that is highly anticipated and appreciated by the Canadian and permanent citizens along with prospective candidates for Canada PR as the Canada Government has announced its decision to raise the bar on minimum age of dependent children to 21 years that are to be mentioned in the immigration application. Once this decision gains approval from proper authorities it should be effective from 2017 fall and would be applicable for prospective applicants who have applied either on or after this change has been substantiated in the rules and regulations. At present the children of prospective principal candidate can only be added in immigration application on dependent basis if their age is 19 or below for Canadian permanent residence or to be counted eligible for principal candidate for sponsorship under category of family class immigration. Under prior government rules, dependent children maximum age allowed was lowered on 1st August 2014 and prior to that was done between 28th June 2002 and 31st July 2014 wherein the maximum age allowed for dependent children in immigration was less than 22. This change basically goes back to previous age allowed before the change on 1st August 2014. As per the survey done it is found out that between 2002 and 2014 up to 11% of dependent children were either 19 years old or above that. Commitment Towards Family Reunification Current Government in Ottawa, the Liberal Party, has committed themselves towards reunion of families and has thus based their immigration policies on this reunification which can be possible due to this change of increasing the maximum age as then more and more families can reside together while hoping and garnering permanent residence status of Canada. The IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) keeping this change in policy has stated that it will offer opportunity of Permanent Resident status to those: “young adults [who] would be unlikely to be eligible for permanent resident status as principal applicants under an economic immigration program, until they have completed post-secondary education and gained significant work experience.” Subsequently this change will not only result in reunion of many immigrant families who can now live together and thus will also be able link up the society that much faster, but it also offers the choice of having a successful life in Canada through various education and job opportunity which they would not have been able to avail for earlier. IRCC in their statement also emphasized on Education as one of the important factor for this change in age. They said that “Given the importance placed on education, it is not unusual for some children to remain with their nuclear family while pursuing higher education before entering the labor market . . . The proposed increase of the maximum age of dependent children is consistent with the underlying socioeconomic trend that children remain at home longer with their parents, particularly those studying for lengthier periods,” Another statement that pressed on the favorability of this change in accordance with education factor was - “Notably, the proposed higher age limit would enable many postsecondary students — who complete a degree at a median age of 24.8 years of age — to be eligible as dependent children through much of their undergraduate studies.” John McCallum, Immigration minister of Canada, has been an avid advocator of post-secondary education of International students in Canada and has always voiced his opinion in their favor. His support to this change is because it will give an opportunity to students of other nationalities to complete their education in prestigious education institutions of Canada which would not be possible in current scenario. Right Step at Right Time and Direction In words of David Cohen, an Attorney, the fact that IRCC is planning to their current policy on age back to the one they had before is perfectly timed and goes in the correct direct for betterment of all – Canada as well as the immigrants. He stated that - “The rationale behind the decision to increase the maximum age reflects the reality of so many families today who want their children to obtain the best education possible. Realistically, this often means that children remain dependent on their parents for longer — but the reward is significant. With this change, not only will families be able to stay together, but more young people will be able to benefit from the fantastic opportunities Canada can offer to students and young professionals. Likewise, Canada is sure to benefit from an increase in talented young people at the beginning of their careers — these ‘best and brightest’ that Minister McCallum is so keen to attract.” This decision of Canada Government and IRCC is much welcomed by many immigration agencies as well. One such agency is Immigration Xperts, that house proficient immigration agents who are well equipped to handle all sorts of immigration queries and issues without much hassle towards their clients. To book an appointment with them you can either connect online via their website – www.immigrationxperts.com or call on their Toll Free Number - 8010357357.