Express Entry Proof of Funds Checker
Check the funds or income required for Express Entry, the Rural & Atlantic pilots, Quebec, study permits, family sponsorship, and the Super Visa — and convert your funds to Canadian dollars.
🇨🇦 Express Entry
Federal Skilled Worker / Federal Skilled Trades settlement funds, by family size.
How many people are in your family?
Count yourself, your spouse or common-law partner, and any dependent children of either of you — whether or not they are coming with you to Canada.
Minimum funds required
$15,263
for a family of 1
How much do you have available?
* Amounts are updated periodically — consult a licensed consultant and verify current figures at canada.ca.
Based on IRCC's official Express Entry settlement funds table (Federal Skilled Worker / Federal Skilled Trades). Figures verified as of 2026-07-29.
How much money do you need for Express Entry?
The amount depends only on how many people are in your family — not on which province you are moving to, and not on how much the move will actually cost you. A single applicant needs $15,263; a family of four needs $28,362. Your family size counts you, your spouse or partner, and your dependent children — including any who are not coming with you to Canada, and including your spouse's dependent children.
| Family members | Funds required (CAD) |
|---|---|
| 1 | $15,263 |
| 2 | $19,001 |
| 3 | $23,360 |
| 4 | $28,362 |
| 5 | $32,168 |
| 6 | $36,280 |
| 7 | $40,392 |
| Each additional family member | + $4,112 |
Settlement funds are separate from what IRCC charges to process your application — see the IRCC fee calculator for those figures.
Immiracle last reviewed this figure on 2026-07-29.
Who does not need to show proof of funds?
Two groups are exempt. You do not need to show settlement funds if you are applying under the Canadian Experience Class, or if you are authorised to work in Canada and hold a valid job offer — both conditions, not either one.
This catches people out in both directions. CEC applicants sometimes assemble months of bank records they never needed, while Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades applicants sometimes assume a job offer alone exempts them when they are not yet authorised to work here. If you are not sure which program you fall under, the program eligibility checker tests all three at once.
What actually counts as proof of funds
The money has to be genuinely available to you — both when you apply and again when the permanent resident visa is issued. Two exclusions matter most, because they are the ones applicants most often get wrong:
- Borrowed money does not count. Funds lent to you by another person are not settlement funds, however they are held.
- Equity in property does not count. You cannot use the equity in real property as proof of settlement funds.
You prove it with official letters from each institution holding your money. IRCC expects each letter to be on the institution's letterhead and to show:
- — the institution's address, telephone number and email address
- — your name
- — your outstanding debts, such as credit card debts and loans
- — for each account: the account number, the date it was opened, the current balance, and the average balance for the past six months
That last line is the one that costs people time. Because the letter must show a six-month average, money moved into an account shortly before applying does not quietly become six months of history — which is why funds are worth organising well before you expect an invitation.
Why the required amounts change
IRCC updates these figures every year, set at 50% of the Statistics Canada low-income cut-off totals. That means the number can move between the day you create your profile and the day you submit an application after an invitation — and it is the amount in force when you apply that governs. It also means any figure you find quoted in an older article or forum post is worth re-checking rather than relying on.
Amounts above are the Express Entry settlement-funds figures only; the rural and Atlantic pilots, Quebec, study permits and the Super Visa all use different tables, which the tool above covers under their own tabs. Source: canada.ca — Express Entry: Proof of funds. This is general information, not legal advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
A single applicant needs $15,263 and a family of four needs $28,362, with $4,112 added for each family member beyond seven. The full table by family size is above. IRCC updates these figures annually at 50% of the Statistics Canada low-income cut-off, so check the current number rather than one quoted in an older article — and note that the amount in force when you submit your application is the one that counts.
You do not need to show settlement funds if you are applying under the Canadian Experience Class, or if you are authorised to work in Canada and have a valid job offer — that second exemption needs both conditions, not just the job offer. Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades applicants who do not meet either condition must show funds. If you are unsure which program applies to you, the program eligibility checker tests all three at once.
Yes. Your family size for this calculation includes you, your spouse or common-law partner, and your dependent children — and it includes dependants who are not accompanying you to Canada, as well as your spouse's dependent children. This is one of the most common reasons an applicant shows the wrong amount: they budget for the people travelling with them rather than for everyone IRCC counts.
No to both. IRCC states plainly that you cannot borrow the money from another person, and that you cannot use equity on real property as proof of settlement funds. The funds have to be genuinely available to you both at the time you apply and at the time your permanent resident visa is issued. Money that is committed elsewhere, or that only exists as property value, does not meet that test.
An official letter from every institution holding your money, printed on its letterhead. Each letter must show the institution's address, telephone number and email address; your name; your outstanding debts such as credit card debts and loans; and, for each account, the account number, the date it was opened, the current balance, and the average balance over the past six months. That six-month average is the practical constraint — money moved in shortly before you apply will not show the history the letter has to report.
You declare your funds when you create your Express Entry profile, and you provide the documents with your application after you receive an invitation to apply — the point at which you normally have 60 days to submit everything. The funds must be available at both moments. Because the documents themselves report a six-month average balance, the practical answer is that your funds should be in place well before you expect an invitation, not assembled after one arrives. The post-invitation application steps cover what else falls into that window.
Not sure your financial documents will be accepted?
A licensed Canadian immigration consultant (RCIC) can review your financial documents before you submit them.
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