Family Sponsorship Income Requirements in Canada

There is generally no minimum income to sponsor a spouse, partner or dependent child. The income test applies mainly to the Parents and Grandparents Program. There, sponsors need the minimum necessary income (the LICO) plus 30% in each of the 3 most recent tax years. For a family of 2, that meant $47,549 for tax year 2024.

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Last verified: November 2026

$47,549
Minimum necessary income plus 30% for a family of 2, tax year 2024 (2025 intake)
3
Tax years a parent or grandparent sponsor must meet, each on its own
20 years
The undertaking a co-signer signs for parents and grandparents
IMM 5768
The consent for IRCC to get your notices of assessment from the CRA

IRCC publishes a separate figure for each tax year and updates them for each intake. Confirm the figures for your intake on canada.ca.

Who has to meet an income test?

A spouse, partner or dependent child: in most cases, no minimum income: Sponsors of a spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, or a dependent child are generally exempt from the minimum necessary income requirement. There is no LICO income test for a straightforward spousal or partner sponsorship.
Parents and grandparents: the minimum necessary income plus 30% for 3 years: Sponsors of parents and grandparents must demonstrate income at or above the minimum necessary income plus 30% for each of the 3 most recent tax years before applying. This plus-30% income test does not apply to spousal or partner sponsorship.

The exceptions for partners and children are narrow. If the dependent child you sponsor has their own dependent child, or the partner you sponsor has a dependent child who in turn has a child, an income requirement can apply. Confirm your situation on canada.ca.

How much income do parent and grandparent sponsors need?

IRCC sets the PGP income requirement at the minimum necessary income (MNI) plus 30%. The MNI is Statistics Canada’s before-tax Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) for your family size (IRPR s. 2), and IRPR s. 133(1)(j)(i)(B) adds the 30% for parents and grandparents.

You must meet the requirement for each of the 3 tax years before you apply, and IRCC sets a separate dollar figure for each of those years. The table shows the figures IRCC published for the most recent (2025) intake, which assesses tax years 2024, 2023 and 2022.

Minimum necessary income plus 30%, figures IRCC published for the 2025 intake
Family size	Tax year 2024	Tax year 2023	Tax year 2022
2 people	$47,549	$44,530	$43,082
3 people	$58,456	$54,743	$52,965
4 people	$70,972	$66,466	$64,306
5 people	$80,496	$75,384	$72,935
6 people	$90,784	$85,020	$82,259
7 people	$101,075	$94,658	$91,582
Each person beyond 7	add about $10,291	add about $9,636	add about $9,324

Your family size includes the sponsor, the sponsor’s spouse or partner, any dependent children, the parents or grandparents (and their dependants) being sponsored, any co-signer, and anyone the sponsor or co-signer has previously sponsored whose undertaking is still in effect.

The rule

Sponsors of parents and grandparents must demonstrate income at or above the minimum necessary income plus 30% for each of the 3 most recent tax years before applying.

IRPR s.133(1)(j)(i)(B)Verify on justice.gc.ca

What counts as income?

IRCC counts the income on your CRA notices of assessment, minus the amounts the Regulations leave out (IRPR s.134(1.1)(b)). The lists below reflect how IRCC treats common income sources for PGP sponsorship; confirm the current rules on canada.ca.

Examples of income on a notice of assessment:

Employment income (reported on T4)
Self-employment income (net, reported on T1)
Rental income (net)
EI special benefits (e.g. maternity and parental benefits)
Canada Pension Plan (CPP) / Quebec Pension Plan (QPP)
Private and workplace pension income
Investment and other taxable income on your T1

Subtracted, so it does not count:

Regular Employment Insurance benefits (special benefits still count)
The Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS)
The Canada child benefit
Provincial or territorial social assistance
Provincial/territorial allowances for an instruction or training program
Federal resettlement assistance payments
Income of other household members who are not co-signing the undertaking

How are the 3 tax years tested, and what proves them?

PGP sponsors must demonstrate the minimum necessary income plus 30% for each of the 3 most recent tax years before the application date. This means:

Each of the 3 years must individually meet the threshold for your family size that year; IRCC does not average a low year against a strong one.
IRCC names the specific tax years for each intake. The 2025 intake assessed tax years 2024, 2023 and 2022.
CRA Notices of Assessment (NOA) are the primary proof. IRCC needs the actual NOA (or your authorization to obtain it), not just a T4 or a bank statement.
If the CRA reassessed a year, it sent you a notice of reassessment (NOR), its updated summary of that year.
A missing year, or a year below the required income, generally means the application does not meet the income requirement.

You can access and download your Notices of Assessment for past years in your CRA My Account at canada.ca, or call CRA to request printed copies. Do not submit T4 slips alone: the NOA is specifically required.

Can a spouse or partner co-sign to meet the income?

If the sponsor’s income alone does not meet the income requirement, the sponsor’s spouse or common-law partner may join the application as a co-signer (co-sponsor).

The co-signer signs the same undertaking (20 years for parents and grandparents) and becomes jointly responsible for the sponsored people.
The co-signer must also be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, or a person registered under the Canadian Indian Act.
The sponsor and co-signer can combine their incomes to meet the income requirement.
A spouse’s income only helps if that spouse actually co-signs; a high-earning partner who does not co-sign does not count toward the requirement.
Proof of income (the notices of assessment, or your consent for IRCC to get them from the CRA) is needed for each of the 3 tax years, for the incomes you combine.

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What do people ask?

Is there an income requirement for spousal sponsorship in Canada?

Generally no. Sponsors of a spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner or dependent child usually face no minimum income test. The narrow exception is when a sponsored child, or a sponsored partner's child, has a dependent child of their own. The income test applies mainly to the Parents and Grandparents Program. Our Spousal Sponsorship guide covers the rest of the partner application.

What is the minimum income to sponsor parents or grandparents?

It is the minimum necessary income (the before-tax LICO) plus 30%, met in each of the 3 most recent tax years. For the 2025 intake, tax year 2024 required $47,549 for a family of 2, $58,456 for 3 and $70,972 for 4. The rule sits in IRPR s.133(1)(j)(i)(B). The income table in this guide lists every family size and year.

Which tax years count for family sponsorship income?

The 3 tax years before you apply, as IRCC names them for each intake. The 2025 intake assessed tax years 2024, 2023 and 2022. IRCC counts the income on your CRA notice of assessment for each year, minus the amounts the Regulations leave out. Send the NOAs, or consent on IMM 5768 for IRCC to get them from the CRA. If the CRA reassessed a year, it sent you a notice of reassessment, its updated summary of that year.

What counts as income for family sponsorship?

Employment, net self-employment, net rental, pension and investment income generally count, as do EI special benefits such as parental benefits. IRCC subtracts regular EI, the GIS, the Canada child benefit, provincial social assistance, training allowances and federal resettlement payments. Income from household members who do not co-sign does not count. Self-employment counts net, so expenses lower your figure.

My income fluctuates. Do I need to meet the threshold every year?

Yes, for parents and grandparents. Each of the 3 tax years must meet the minimum necessary income plus 30% for your family size that year on its own. IRCC does not average a strong year against a weak one, so one year below the line generally means the application misses the income requirement for that intake. The income table in this guide shows each year's figure.

What if I didn't file taxes for one of the 3 years?

File the missing return with the CRA before you apply. IRCC needs a Notice of Assessment for each of the 3 required tax years. A year with no NOA, or with income below the requirement, generally means the application misses the income test. You can download past NOAs from CRA My Account.

Can my spouse co-sign to meet the income requirement?

Yes. Your spouse or common-law partner can co-sign the undertaking, and your incomes are then combined. The co-signer must be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident or registered under the Indian Act, and becomes jointly responsible for the 20-year undertaking. Proof of income covers both of your incomes for all 3 years. A partner who does not co-sign adds nothing.

Does the income requirement apply if I live in Quebec?

Quebec runs its own assessment. Quebec's Ministère de l'Immigration et de l'Intégration (MII) sets and checks its own income requirement, and Quebec can set its own income rules and undertaking lengths. You still meet the federal eligibility rules on canada.ca. If you live in Quebec, check both sets of requirements before you apply.

Part of:Sponsoring family

Official sources

This page is based on law and policy published by the Government of Canada.