Who is a dependent child?
Age is only the first question.
A biological or adopted child generally qualifies if they are under 22 and do not have a spouse or common-law partner.
A person who is 22 or older may still qualify where a mental or physical condition prevents financial self-support and they have depended substantially on a parent for financial support since before age 22. Except for the locked-in age rule, the child must continue to satisfy the applicable dependency requirements until processing is complete.
If a Canadian citizen is the parent, the first step may be a citizenship analysis. A child who is already Canadian cannot be sponsored for permanent residence.
Medical issues
A medical condition does not automatically prevent child sponsorship.
Medical examination still required
Sponsored children and declared non-accompanying children generally must complete the required immigration medical examination. The examination protects public health and safety and creates the family-member record.
Excessive demand exemption
A child who is a member of the family class is not inadmissible merely because their anticipated health or social-service needs may create excessive demand. This is an important statutory protection for family reunification.
Other medical grounds remain
The exemption does not remove the separate grounds concerning danger to public health or danger to public safety. The diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, compliance and actual statutory test must be assessed carefully.
Do not assume disability means refusal
Special education, therapy, disability or long-term care needs do not by themselves answer the legal question. Obtain advice before responding to a medical request or procedural fairness letter.
Every child must be addressed
Non-accompanying does not mean undeclared.
A child in the other parent’s custody must still be declared even if the child will not immigrate.
Omitting a child can permanently damage future sponsorship rights.
Family members normally must be declared and examined when the parent applies for permanent residence, even when a custody order says the child will remain with the other parent. Failure to declare or have a child examined can make that child an excluded family member and can also put the parent’s own status at risk. A temporary public policy for some previously undeclared family members ended on September 10, 2026; applications filed afterward cannot assume that relief is available.
Child is not immigrating now
Identify the child, explain the custody and family circumstances, complete medical and background steps where required, and preserve the possibility of future sponsorship.
Examination cannot be obtained
Do not simply leave the child out. Document genuine efforts, legal barriers and the other parent’s position. Any request to proceed without examination has serious future consequences and needs informed legal advice.
Consent, custody and the other parent
Immigration approval does not replace parental authority.
When only the child is sponsored
If the child immigrates without the other parent or legal guardian, IRCC normally requires the non-accompanying parent or guardian’s informed consent, commonly documented with the prescribed declaration, identification and supporting custody records.
Consent is not a formality. Where consent cannot be obtained, the application may require a court order giving the travelling parent authority to relocate the child, proof that the other parent has no legal rights, a death certificate, or detailed evidence explaining why consent is legally unnecessary or impossible.
Divorce orders, parenting agreements, birth registrations, guardianship documents and adoption orders must be consistent. International child-abduction concerns, Hague Convention obligations and the child’s best interests must be addressed before permanent travel.
Intercountry adoption
Adoption and immigration must be coordinated.
Intercountry adoption is not simply a sponsorship with an adoption certificate attached. The adoption must comply with the laws of the child’s country, the sponsor’s province or territory and Canada’s immigration law. Hague Convention procedures may apply. Authorities examine whether the adoption creates a genuine legal parent-child relationship, permanently severs the prior legal relationship where required, was in the child’s best interests and was not entered into mainly for immigration.
Provincial approval
Begin with the responsible provincial or territorial adoption authority.
Foreign process
Complete the lawful adoption or guardianship process in the child’s country.
Immigration route
Determine whether citizenship or permanent-residence processing is appropriate.
Entry and status
Coordinate travel documents, medical steps and final status before travel.
Children of workers and students
School authorization depends on where the child applies.
Apply before travel
A minor child coming to Canada with a parent who is applying for or holds a work or study permit generally applies for a study permit before entry. When applying together from outside Canada, a school letter of acceptance is not normally required for the child’s application.
Permit may not be mandatory
A minor already in Canada may attend preschool, primary or secondary school without a study permit when a parent is authorized to work or study. The child must keep valid temporary status. A study permit is still often useful for continuity, certain services and later co-op eligibility.
Status and school-fee rules are different questions.
Federal permission to study does not determine provincial school-board tuition or enrolment rules. The parent’s permit type, physical presence, the child’s status and the province must all be checked.
How we help
Protect the child’s status and the family’s future options.
We assess dependency, citizenship, custody, consent, medical admissibility and prior immigration records; coordinate child sponsorship and adoption files; prepare explanations for non-accompanying children; and respond to procedural fairness concerns. We can also plan temporary status and study authorization for children accompanying work-permit or study-permit holders.
General information only—not legal advice. Dependency, custody, medical and examination rules are fact-specific and can change.