How much income do I need to sponsor my parents and grandparents?

You, the sponsor (and your co-signer, if you have one) must prove you have enough income to support all the people you’ll be financially responsible for once you become a sponsor. This includes yourself.

If you’re invited to apply, you have to provide proof that you meet the income requirements for each of the 3 tax years before the date you apply.

We can’t assess whether you meet the income requirements until you apply (if you’re invited).

Note: For the 2023 intake, we’ll assess sponsors and co-signers on their income for tax years 2022, 2021 and 2020.

This table applies to you, as a sponsor and co-signer, if you live in any province or territory except Quebec. If you live in Quebec, the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration (MIFI) will assess your income.

Income required for the 3 tax years right before the day you apply (sponsors applying in 2023)

Since many sponsors and co-signers may have been affected financially by the COVID-19 pandemic, the income requirement for the 2020 and 2021 tax years have been reduced to the minimum necessary income, instead of the minimum necessary income plus 30%.

Also, family class sponsors and co-signers will be able to count these benefits in their income calculations for the 2020 and 2021 tax years:

• regular Employment Insurance benefits (rather than just special Employment Insurance benefits)
• any Canada Emergency Response Benefits issued under the
  • Employment Insurance Act or
  • Canadian Emergency Response Benefit Act
• other temporary COVID-19 related benefits
  • as long as they’re not part of provincial or territorial social assistance programs

Note: This doesn’t affect the income requirements for the 2022 tax year.

Combined proof of income between the sponsor and co-signer (for example, the sponsor submits 2 years of Notices of Assessment and the co-signer submits 3 years of Notices of Assessments) doesn’t meet the requirements under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations. Both the sponsor and co-signer (if there is one) must each submit 3 Notices of Assessment, or equivalent documents, issued by the Minister of National Revenue. The assessments must be for the 3 tax years immediately before the date we receive the application.