Language selection

Search

Help Centre what do you need help with?

How do I calculate my family size to sponsor my parents and grandparents?

You, the sponsor (and your co-signer, if this applies), must prove you have enough income to support all the people you’ll be financially responsible for once you become a sponsor. We call this your “family size.”

Your family size is calculated on a yearly basis.

If you live outside of Quebec, you must meet the income requirement for each of the 3 tax years before you apply. For example, if you submit an application in 2023, you must meet the income requirement for the 2022, 2021 and 2020 tax years.

If you live in Quebec, the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration will assess your income.

To calculate your family size, include:

1) The people in your family (including people you sponsored before)

  • yourself (the sponsor)
  • your spouse (even if you’re separated, in most cases) or common-law partner
    • if your spouse or common-law partner is co-signing, include them and their dependent children in all 3 years
    • if they aren’t co-signing, only include them starting the year they met the definition of a spouse or common-law partner
  • your dependent children and the dependent children of your spouse or common-law partner, and any dependent children of the dependent children
    • only include children for the years they meet the definition of a dependent child
  • any other person you (and your co-signer, if you have one) sponsored or co-signed, for whom undertaking is still in effect
    • include the family members (for example, spouse, common-law partner, or dependent children) of the person you sponsored or co-signed for, whether or not they were included in the undertaking

2) The people you want to sponsor and their family

  • the sponsored principal applicant
  • the sponsored principal applicant’s spouse (including their separated spouse unless either spouse is in a common-law relationship with another person) or common-law partner
  • the principal applicant’s dependent children and the dependent children of the principal applicant’s spouse or common-law partner
    • also include the dependent children of the dependent children
  • Include these family members even if they:

    • aren’t coming to Canada
    • are permanent residents of Canada or Canadian citizens

You can also review our summary sheet for more information about how to count family size.

Here are examples to help you calculate your family size.

Example 1 — Sponsor with a co-signing spouse

Angel is sponsoring her father (who has no dependants) and will submit her application in 2023. Her husband Diego will co-sign the application to help her meet the income requirement. They married in 2021 and have no children.

Angel must calculate her family size on a yearly basis. Since co-signers must be included in all years, she must include Diego in the family size for all 3 years even though they married in 2021. This means that for 2022, 2021, and 2020, Angel’s family size is 3:

  • Angel
  • Angel’s husband, Diego
  • Angel’s father

For all 3 years (2022, 2021 and 2020), Angel and Diego must check if they meet the income requirement for 3 persons.

Example 2 — Sponsor with a new born child

Julie is sponsoring her 2 parents and will submit her application in 2023. Julie’s wife, Sarah, will co-sign the application to help her meet the income requirement. Julie and Sarah have a young child who was born in 2021.

Julie must calculate her family size on a yearly basis.

For 2022 and 2021, Julie’s family size is 5:

  • Julie
  • Julie’s wife, Sarah
  • Julie and Sarah’s child
  • Julie’s 2 parents

For 2020, Julie’s family size is 4:

  • Julie
  • Julie’s wife, Sarah
  • Julie’s 2 parents

Because Julie and Sarah’s child was born in 2021, they only count the child in the family size starting the year the child was born.

For 2 years (2022 and 2021), Julie and Sarah must check if they meet the income requirement for 5 persons.

For 1 year (2020), they must check if they meet the income requirement for 4 persons.

Example 3 — Sponsor with a non-dependent child

Amir is sponsoring his 2 parents and will submit his application in 2023. Amir’s wife, Mariam, will co-sign the application to help him meet the income requirement. Amir and Mariam have a son, Ali, who turned 22 years old in 2021.

Amir must calculate his family size on a yearly basis.

For 2022, Amir’s family size is 4:

  • Amir
  • Amir’s wife, Mariam
  • Amir’s 2 parents

For 2021 and 2020, Amir’s family size is 5:

  • Amir
  • Amir’s wife, Mariam
  • Amir’s and Mariam’s son, Ali
  • Amir’s 2 parents

Because Amir and Mariam’s son met the definition of a dependent child (under 22 years old) in 2021 and 2020, they must count Ali in the family size for those years.

For 1 year (2022), Amir and Mariam must check if they meet the income requirement for 4 persons.

For 2 years (2021 and 2020), Amir and Mariam must check if they meet the income requirement for 5 persons.

Example 4 — Non-accompanying dependants

Maria is sponsoring her mother, Irina, and will submit her application in 2023. Maria is single and has no children. Her mother has been married to Oleg (Maria’s stepfather) since 2009. Oleg has a 15 year old son, Alexei (Maria’s stepbrother). Maria’s stepfather and stepbrother will not come to Canada with Irina.

Maria must calculate her family size on a yearly basis. She must include all family members, even those not coming to Canada.

For 2022, 2021 and 2020, Maria’s family size is 4:

  • Maria
  • Maria’s mother, Irina
  • Maria’s stepfather, Oleg
  • Maria’s stepbrother, Alexei

Maria includes her stepfather and stepbrother because they are Irina’s dependants (her spouse and dependent childeven though they’re not coming to Canada.

For all 3 years (2022, 2021 and 2020), Maria must check if she meets the income requirement for 4 persons.

Example 5 — Sponsor with a separated spouse

Juan and Lise, who are both permanent residents, are married and had a child in 2020. Juan and Lise separated in 2022. Juan is sponsoring his mother and will submit his application in 2023. Lise won’t co-sign the application. Juan’s mother doesn’t have any dependants.

For 2022, 2021 and 2020, Juan’s family size is 4:

  • Juan
  • Juan’s spouse, Lise (even though they’re separated)
  • Juan and Lise’s child
  • Juan’s mother

Even though Juan and Lise separated in 2022, they’re still legally married. Lise counts towards the family size until they’re divorced.

For all 3 years (2022, 2021 and 2020), Juan must check if he meets the income requirement for 4 persons.

Example 6 — Principal applicant with a separated spouse

Kabir is sponsoring his mother, Naya, and will submit his application in 2023. He has no dependants. Naya separated from her husband, Jai, in 1995. Neither Naya nor Jai are in a common-law relationship with another person.

For 2022, 2021 and 2020, Kabir’s family size is 3:

  • Kabir
  • Kabir’s mother, Naya
  • Naya’s spouse, Jai (even though they’re separated)

Even though Naya and Jai separated in 1995, they’re still legally married. Jai counts towards the family size until:

  • they’re divorced or
  • one of them enters a common-law relationship with another person

For all 3 years (2022, 2021 and 2020), Kabir must check if he meets the income requirement for 3 persons.

Example 7 — Principal applicant with a separated spouse and a common-law partner

Fatima is sponsoring her father Yusuf and will be submitting an application in 2023. Fatima has no dependants. Yusuf separated from his wife in 2010 and has been in a common-law relationship with Zainab since 2018.

For 2022, 2021 and 2020, Fatima’s family size is 3:

  • Fatima
  • Fatima’s father, Yusuf
  • Yusuf’s common-law partner, Zainab

While Yusuf and his wife are still legally married, Yusuf isn’t a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and has a common-law partner, Zainab. This means that Zainab counts towards the family size instead of his wife.

For all 3 years (2022, 2021 and 2020), Fatima must check if she meets the income requirement for 3 persons.

Did you find what you were looking for?

What was wrong?

You will not receive a reply. Telephone numbers and email addresses will be removed.
Maximum 300 characters

Thank you for your feedback


Answers others found useful

Glossary term

Date modified: