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 2022, you must meet the income requirement for the 2021, 2020 and 2019 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 in all 3 years
- if they are not 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 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
- are not 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 2022. 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 2021, 2020, and 2019, Angel’s family size is 3:
- Angel
- Angel’s husband, Diego
- Angel’s father
For all 3 years (2021, 2020 and 2019), 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 2022. 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 2020.
Julie must calculate her family size on a yearly basis.
For 2021 and 2020, Julie’s family size is 5:
- Julie
- Julie’s wife, Sarah
- Julie and Sarah’s child
- Julie’s 2 parents
For 2019, Julie’s family size is 4:
- Julie
- Julie’s wife, Sarah
- Julie’s 2 parents
Because Julie and Sarah’s child was born in 2020, they only count the child in the family size starting the year the child was born.
For 2 years (2021 and 2020), Julie and Sarah must check if they meet the income requirement for 5 persons.
For 1 year (2019), 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 2022. 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 2020.
Amir must calculate his family size on a yearly basis.
For 2021, Amir’s family size is 4:
- Amir
- Amir’s wife, Mariam
- Amir’s 2 parents
For 2020 and 2019, 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 2020 and 2019, they must count Ali in the family size for those years.
For 1 year (2021), Amir and Mariam must check if they meet the income requirement for 4 persons.
For 2 years (2020 and 2019), 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 2022. 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 2021, 2020 and 2019, 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 child) even though they’re not coming to Canada.
For all 3 years (2021, 2020 and 2019), 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 2019. Juan and Lise separated in 2021. Juan is sponsoring his mother and will submit his application in 2022. Lise won’t co-sign the application. Juan’s mother doesn’t have any dependants.
For 2021, 2020 and 2019, 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 2021, they’re still legally married. Lise counts towards the family size until they’re divorced.
For all 3 years (2021, 2020 and 2019), 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 2022. 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 2021, 2020 and 2019, 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 (2021, 2020 and 2019), 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 2022. Fatima has no dependants. Yusuf separated from his wife in 2010 and has been in a common-law relationship with Zainab since 2018.
For 2021, 2020 and 2019, 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 has a common-law partner, Zainab. This means that Zainab counts towards the family size instead of his wife.
For all 3 years (2021, 2020 and 2019), Fatima must check if she meets the income requirement for 3 persons.
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