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This article was edited on January 10, 2014, to update the MNI figures based on 2014 amounts.

If you are a permanent resident or citizen of Canada, you may sponsor your parents/grandparents to become permanent residents of Canada if you meet the following criteria:

• You are at least 18 years old
• You live in Canada
• Your income in the past three years, meets the new minimum necessary income (MNI) criteria
• Documents issued by Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) verify your income

If your income does not meet the criteria, your spouse may co-sign your application. However, s/he needs to meet the following criteria:

• Be a permanent resident or citizen of Canada
• Be at least 18 years old
• Lives in Canada
• His/her income is verifiable by the documents issued by CRA

If you have an eligible co-signer, then your total income needs to meet MNI for the past three years.

What is MNI for Sponsoring Parents and Grandparents

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) publishes a list of Low-Income Cut-Off (LICO) every year. This least shows the minimum necessary income to sponsor a relative to Canada. However, the amount necessary for sponsoring parents and/or grandparents is 30% above this amount. The following table shows the MNI for sponsoring parents/grandparents and other relatives.

The MNI table is based on LICO for 2014. To be on the safe side of the sponsor/cosigner, total income is better to be more than amounts published on this table. Consult with your immigration consultant and/or the CIC website at the time of filing the application to make sure you meet the minimum necessary income.

The MNI is based on the number of people in your household plus the number of people you are sponsoring. For example if you are married and have two children, then your family has a total of 4 members. If you are sponsoring your parents and your 12 year old sister, then you are sponsoring 3 people. As a result, the total number of people for MNI in this example is 7 (or rather 4+3) and your minimum income in the past three years needs to be at least $80,153 in each year. If your personal income is $50,000 and your spouse’s income is $40,000 per year, you may file sponsorship application if your spouse co-signs the application.

Restrictions on Accompanying Family Members

When you sponsor your parents/grandparents you may also sponsor their children only if their children are younger than 18. Consult with a Regulated Immigration Consultant or the CIC website regarding this criterion.

Undertaking

The sponsor and her/his co-signer will remain responsible for the basic needs of their parents/grandparents for 20 years after they enter Canada as permanent residents. This simply means their parents cannot receive social assistance within the first 20 years of their entry to Canada.

Application Cap

CIC accepts a maximum of 5000 sponsorship applications for parents and grandparents in 2014.

Interested in Sponsoring Your Parents/Grandparents?

If you intend to sponsor your parents/grandparents and willing to hire a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant, click here to fill out a simple form. We will get in touch with you within 48 hours.

Sponsoring Parents/Grandparents Evaluation Form

Disclaimer:
“This article provides information of a general nature only. It may no longer be current. It does not provide legal advice nor should it be relied upon. If you have specific legal questions you should consult a lawyer.”