When you apply to sponsor your parents or grandparents for Canadian immigration, you have to prove that you have made enough money to meet the income requirement.
The income requirement varies for Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) applicants, depending on the size of your family, the number of people being sponsored, and whether you are sponsoring your family members in Quebec or another Canadian province.
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Count family members
The size of the family unit is based on who you, the sponsor, are currently supporting in Canada, as well as who you are planning to sponsor.
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will want to see that you have enough money to support yourself as well as your family. When counting how many people are in your family for the purpose of the PGP, include:
- yourself;
- your spouse, or common-law partner;
- your dependent children;
- your spouse or partner’s dependent children;
- any other person you previously sponsored in the past for whom you are still financially responsible;
- the parents and grandparents you want to sponsor; and
- your parents’ and grandparents’ spouse, partner, and dependent children even if they are not coming to Canada with them.
Also keep in mind, for the PGP, you can only sponsor your parents or grandparents and any dependent children they have. If their children are over the age of 22 or otherwise not considered “dependent,” they will have to apply for Canadian immigration under another program.
Minimum Necessary Income for PGP sponsorship outside Quebec
IRCC looks at your income for the three consecutive taxation years before you apply. For this year, that means your annual income from 2018, 2019, and 2020.
The Minimum Necessary Income (MNI) applies to you, the sponsor, not your parents and grandparents. If you cannot meet the income requirements, you can include your spouse or common-law partner as a co-signer to help meet the requirements of the undertaking.
The MNI for each year is typically calculated based on IRCC’s Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) figures plus 30 per cent. The MNI for 2020 due to the economic challenges that many Canadians faced during the pandemic.
| Size of Family Unit | MNI 2020 | MNI 2019 | MNI 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 persons | $32,270 | $41,007 | $40,379 |
| 3 persons | $39,672 | $50,414 | $49,641 |
| 4 persons | $48,167 | $61,209 | $60,271 |
| 5 persons | $54,630 | $69,423 | $68,358 |
| 6 persons | $61,613 | $78,296 | $77,095 |
| 7 persons | $68,595 | $87,172 | $85,835 |
| Each additional person | $6,985 | $8,876 | $8,740 |
If your family added or lost a member within in these years, then the MNI will apply to the number of persons in the household for that year. For example, if you and your spouse had your first baby in 2019, you would then have to meet the MNI requirements for a family unit of three for 2019 and 2020.
In order to prove your income for these years, you need to provide your Notice of Assessment from the Canada Revenue Agency for each of the three taxation years.
Income requirements for PGP sponsorship in Quebec
If you are living in Quebec, you will have different income requirements. This is because Quebec has more autonomy over its immigration system compared to other provinces, even if IRCC gets the final say on permanent residency status.
As a sponsor from Quebec, you are presumed to be able to financially support your relatives if you have met a certain income requirement over the previous 12 months. Your spouse or common-law partner may also be a co-signer if you cannot meet the requirements on your own.
You need a gross income that is more than or equal to the sum of the two tables below. The first table applies to the minimum income required of the sponsor just to support their family. So, if you are an individual applying to sponsor your parents for immigration this year you will need to have an annual income of at least $24,602, for example. If it is you and your spouse, you will need $33,209.
The following amounts are required of those applying for the PGP 2021. In order to be eligible, you need to have made the following amounts in the 12 months prior to your application:
| Size of Family Unit | Basic annual income required |
|---|---|
| 1 person | $24,602 |
| 2 persons | $33,209 |
| 3 persons | $41,001 |
| 4 persons | $47,156 |
| 5 persons | $52,482 |
| More than 5 persons, for each additional person add | $5,326 |
The second table applies to the relatives that you are sponsoring. To find out if you meet the requirement, you have to add whatever you got in the previous table to the right-side column of the table. For example, if you are a solo person applying to sponsor your mom through the PGP, your income requirement will be $24,602 + $17,994 = $42,596.
| Additional income required of the sponsor to satisfy the basic needs of the sponsored person and his or her family members | ||
| Number of persons 18 years of age or over | Number of persons under 18 years | Gross annual income required of the sponsor |
| 1 | $8,515 | |
| 2 | $13,496 | |
| The gross annual income required increases by $4,500 for each additional person under 18 years of age. | ||
| Number of persons 18 years of age or over | Number of persons under 18 years | Gross annual income required of the sponsor |
| 1 | $17,994 | |
| 1 | 1 | $24,177 |
| 1 | 2 | $27,300 |
| The gross annual income required increases by $3,121 for each additional person under 18 years of age. | ||
| Number of persons 18 years of age or over | Number of persons under 18 years | Gross annual income required of the sponsor |
| 2 | $26,388 | |
| 2 | 1 | $29,560 |
| 2 | 2 | $31,912 |
| The gross annual income required increases by $2,342 for each additional person under 18 years of age and by $8,389 for each additional person 18 years of age or over. | ||
Rules about co-signers
If you are having trouble meeting the income requirements on your own, you may be able to list your spouse or common-law partner as a co-signer. Common-law partners will have to submit a form to confirm common-law status along with the PGP application.
Regardless of how long you have been together, IRCC will look at the co-signer’s income for the past three years if they are from outside Quebec, and for the past 12 months for Quebec residents.
The co-signer must also meet the same eligibility requirements as you, the sponsor, and agree to financially take care of your sponsored parent or grandparent for a period of time. They have to be at least 18, living in Canada as a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or person with Indian status, among other criteria.
If you fall short of your financial obligations, you and your co-signer will be held equally liable.
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