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My wife and me are currently the legal custodians of my nephews who are 7 and 13 years old respectively. Their parents living in China sending them here to study and we are appointed to take care of the kids for them. Basically they pay all the tuition for the kids and we provide shelter, food and transportation and of course, raise them like we do for our own kids using our own money.
My question is are we eligible to apply Canada Child benefit for my nephews even though we're not their parents but we are custodians who are primarily responsible for their lives every day?
That's a very good question. I believe the answer depends on whether the kids are your children. A child is from birth or legal adoption. If you have legally adopted the children, then you can certainly claim the Canada Child Benefit because the children live with you and you are their primary caregiver. However, I suggest that you contact the Canada Revenue Agency to clarify, as I have not come across this situation before.