Name them in the planning now, even though derivative eligibility is decided later. Eligible spouses and unmarried children under 21 may accompany or follow the investor, and age protection is fact-specific rather than automatic. Knowing who is included changes the household budget, the documents to gather, and how much delay the family can absorb.
Let a child's age influence project selection
If a child will turn 21 during the expected process, that fact belongs in the choice between offerings, not only in the immigration file. Ask counsel how age is assessed in the applicable route and what evidence should be preserved. A project with a slower or less certain path can matter more to that household than a modest difference in projected return.
Record each family member's birth country as well, since chargeability usually follows place of birth rather than residence or passport. Hypothetical example: an investor considering a rail siding and transload facility has a child who will turn twenty-one roughly eighteen months into the expected process. That fact should influence which offering is chosen, not merely how the forms are completed.
A first review would ask counsel how the child's age is assessed on the applicable route, what evidence should be preserved from the outset, and which steps in the process affect the calculation. It would also record each family member's country of birth, since chargeability generally follows place of birth rather than residence or the passport held, and that determines which queue the family is actually in.