Effective August 1, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is implementing new eligibility rules for accompanying dependants.
In order to be considered eligible to accompany a Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) applicant to Manitoba, a dependent child must be:
- under the age of 19 and not married or in a common-law relationship; or
- 19 years of age or older, dependent substantially on the financial support of the parent since before the age of 19 and unable to be financially self-supporting due to a physical or mental condition.
CIC’s amendment of the definition of dependent child affects all federal and provincial immigration programs.
MPNP’s dependant definition before August 1, 2014 was:
These are members of your immediate family who will move with you to Manitoba to settle as permanent residents, and for the purposes of immigration are limited to:
- your spouse – by legal marriage or common-law relationship of at least one year
- children under age 18 of whom you have legal custody and who are your biological or adopted children, or those of your spouse
- adult children who are:
- under age 22 and not married or in a common-law relationship
- over age 22 and not financially independent due to a physical or mental condition
- over age 22 and pursuing full-time education or vocational training
To have your MPNP application considered under the pre-amendment definition of dependent child, it must be received by the MPNP no later than July 31.