“What is the Income Requirement for Sponsoring Parents in 2022?”
Canada’s Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship program allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their foreign parents and grandparents for permanent residency. This program has been operational for many years and has helped thousands of people move to Canada and live with their families.
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) are issuing 23,100 invitations to apply for people who wish to sponsor their parents and grandparents in 2022. The lucky candidates who receive this invitation must demonstrate that they possess enough funds to support the people they are sponsoring. This is referred to as the PGP minimum necessary income requirement.
Also, Canada has released the latest Immigration Levels revealing the parents and grandparents program targets, i.e. 28,500 applicants in 2023, 34,000 in 2024, and 36,000 in 2025.
This guide will go over the income requirement for sponsoring parents to help you
determine how much you will need.
What is Minimum Necessary Income (MNI)?
IRCC’s PGP program is designed to help parents and grandparents move to Canada and live with their children and grandchildren. They select candidates using several factors. However, one of the most critical factors is demonstrating that you can support the parents or grandparents you wish to bring to Canada.
IRCC refers to this as the “Minimum Necessary Income,” based on your earnings in the three tax years preceding your sponsorship invitation. This income must be earned inside Canada and reported to the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) through T4 income slips.
If your income doesn’t meet this minimum necessary income requirement, you can include your spouse’s income if you add them as a co-signer on the sponsorship application.
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How is Minimum Necessary Income Determined?
The minimum necessary income for someone who wishes to sponsor parents or grandparents is determined according to their family size. You must have earned the minimum income mentioned in the table below for each year in the three years preceding your sponsorship application.
| Family Size | Minimum Income Needed for Each Tax Year | ||
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | |
| 2 | $41,007 | $32,270 | $32,898 |
| 3 | $50,414 | $39,672 | $40,444 |
| 4 | $61,209 | $48,167 | $49,106 |
| 5 | $69,423 | $54,630 | $55,694 |
| 6 | $78,296 | $61,613 | $62,814 |
| 7 | $87,172 | $68,598 | $69,934 |
| Income for each additional member after 7 | $8,876 | $6,985 | $7,120 |
You should note that income requirements for 2020 and 2021 are approximately 30% lower than the income requirement for 2019. IRCC intentionally reduced the requirements for these years to factor in the income loss that most individuals experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. This income requirement will return to 2019 levels or higher in the future.
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How to Calculate Your Family Size?
Calculating your family size is essential to determine the minimum necessary income requirement for sponsoring parents. The following members are considered part of your family under IRCC’s rules:
- You
- Your partner or spouse
- Your dependent children, as well as your partner or spouse’s dependent children
- The parents and/or grandparents you intend to sponsor
- Any partner or spouse and dependent children your parents or grandparents have
- Anyone you have previously sponsored and is still required to financially support
Knowing who to include in your family size can be tricky in certain situations. Let’s look at three different example scenarios:
1. Single Individual Sponsoring Your Parents
If you are single and intend to sponsor both your parents, your family will consist of:
You + Parent #1 + Parent #2
This adds up to a total family size of 3. Based on the table above, you must have a minimum income of $50,414 in 2019, $39,672 in 2020, and $40,444 in 2021.
2. Married Individual Sponsoring Your Parents
If you are married and intend to sponsor both your parents, your family will consist of:
You + Your Spouse + Parent #1 + Parent #2
This adds up to a total family size of 4. Based on the table above, you must have a minimum income of $61,209 in 2019, $48,167 in 2020, and $49,106 in 2021.
3. Your Family Size Changed in the Last 3 Years
If your family size has changed in the last three years, you must perform calculations differently.
Let’s assume you got married in 2020. In this scenario, your 2019 family consisted of the following:
You + Parent #1 + Parent #2
Therefore you will need to meet the minimum income requirement for three people for 2019, which is $50,414.
Then in 2020 and 2021, your family consisted of the following:
You + Your Spouse + Parent #1 + Parent #2
So you will need to meet the minimum income requirement for four people for 2020 and 2021. This is $48,167 and $49,106, respectively.
When putting together, your minimum income requirement for the last three years will be:
- $50,414 for 2019 (i.e., When your family size was 3)
- $48,167 for 2020 (i.e., When your family size was 4)
- $49,106 for 2021 (i.e., When your family size was 4)
Minimum Necessary Income Requirements for Quebec
If you live in Quebec and intend to sponsor your parents or grandparents for Canadian permanent residence, you will need to meet the minimum necessary income requirement for just the one year preceding your sponsorship invitation. The amount of each family size is as follows:
| Family Size | Minimum Income for the Last Tax Year |
| 2 | $34,086 |
| 3 | $42,083 |
| 4 | $48,401 |
| 5 | $53,868 |
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Need help?
As you can see, calculating your family size and determining the minimum necessary income requirement for sponsoring parents can be complicated.
If you need assistance with this or want to learn about the income requirement for sponsoring parents, Book a consultation with our licensed experts.
Our skilled team of Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants understands this income requirement and can offer their expert guidance to help you bring your parents and/or grandparents to Canada.
