Minimum Necessary Income for Family Sponsorship

When sponsoring family members to come to Canada, you need to prove you have enough income to support them. This is known as meeting the Minimum Necessary Income (MNI) requirement.

What is the Minimum Necessary Income (MNI)?

The MNI is a specific income level you must meet to sponsor your family members. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) uses MNI thresholds to make sure sponsors can financially support their family members. To be eligible, sponsors must meet the MNI requirements for their family size.

Who is Included in the Family Size Unit?

The family size unit includes:

• Yourself
• Your spouse or partner
• Your dependent children
• Your spouse’s or partner’s dependent children
• Any other person you previously sponsored and are still financially responsible for
• The parents and grandparents you want to sponsor
• The spouses, partners, and dependent children of those parents and grandparents
  
  

You also need to count dependent children, spouses, and partners who will not be coming to Canada with your parents or grandparents.

MNI for Parents and Grandparents Program Sponsorship

For sponsoring parents and grandparents, the sponsor must meet the MNI for three consecutive tax years (except in Quebec). This ensures sponsors are prepared for the financial responsibility of caring for elderly family members.

The MNI for individuals in 2024, living in Canada (excluding Quebec), is as follows:

MNI for Family Sponsorship in Quebec

In Quebec, the income requirements are different. Sponsors must have a gross income from Canadian sources equal to the amounts in the tables below, over the past 12 months and for the duration of their undertaking.

Table 1: Basic Annual Income Required

Table 2: Additional Income for Sponsored Persons

The income required increases by $5,166 for each additional person under 18 years of age and by $9,630 for each additional person 18 years of age or over.

Meeting these income requirements ensures that you are financially capable of supporting the family members you wish to sponsor.