The Minimum Necessary Income (MNI) is the income threshold that a Canadian family class sponsor must meet or exceed to be eligible to sponsor certain family members for permanent residence. The MNI is derived from Statistics Canada's annual Low-Income Cut-Offs (LICO) — a standard used to define what income level, adjusted for family size and geographic area, constitutes the threshold below which a family may be considered low-income.

Not all family class sponsorship applications require an MNI — the requirement depends on who is being sponsored. The MNI is most significant in the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP), where it applies strictly. For sponsoring a spouse, partner, or dependent child, an income requirement generally does not apply.

• Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR), reg 133 — the regulatory framework for sponsorship eligibility including income requirements
• IRCC: Income requirements for sponsors — Parents and Grandparents Program — canada.ca/pgp-income
• IRCC: Sponsor your spouse, partner or child — eligibility — canada.ca/spouse-sponsor-eligibility
• Form IMM 1283 and Guide 5482 — Financial Evaluation Form for PGP sponsors: canada.ca/guide-5482

What is LICO?

Statistics Canada publishes the Low-Income Cut-Off (LICO) annually. LICO represents the income threshold below which a family is considered to be in a low-income situation, taking into account family size and urban/rural area of residence. IRCC uses a simplified version of LICO (typically the "before-tax" LICO for Canada as a whole, adjusted for family size) to set the MNI for sponsorship purposes.

For the current year's MNI tables, refer to the IRCC income requirements page — the tables are updated annually and the specific dollar figures must be verified against the current published amounts.

Parents and Grandparents Program — MNI + 30%

To sponsor a parent or grandparent for permanent residence under the PGP, a sponsor must demonstrate that their income meets the MNI plus 30% for each of the three tax years immediately preceding the sponsorship application date. This means:

• The sponsor must produce evidence of their income (typically Notice of Assessment from the CRA) for the three most recent tax years before the application
• Each year's income must individually meet the MNI + 30% threshold — meeting it in one year and not the others is insufficient
• The threshold is calculated based on the total family size, which includes the sponsor, their spouse or partner (if applicable), the persons being sponsored, and any existing dependants

For the PGP specifically, sponsors must complete the Financial Evaluation Form (IMM 1283) as part of the sponsorship application to document income and family size.

Spouse, partner, and dependent child sponsorship

In most cases, there is no minimum income requirement for sponsors sponsoring a spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, or dependent child. This reflects the policy that keeping families together is a priority — financial capacity is not a barrier to reuniting with an immediate family member.

The exception arises when the person being sponsored already has their own dependants who also have dependants — specifically, when the sponsored spouse or dependent child has a dependent child, and that dependent child has their own dependent child. In this less common scenario, an MNI requirement applies. For the specific rules, refer to canada.ca/spouse-sponsor-eligibility.

Calculating family size

The family size used to determine the applicable LICO threshold includes:

• The sponsor
• The sponsor's spouse or common-law partner (if applicable)
• The sponsor's dependent children
• The person(s) being sponsored
• Any dependent children of the persons being sponsored who are also included in the application
• Any persons the sponsor has previously sponsored who are still subject to a sponsorship undertaking

Super Visa income requirement

The Super Visa (a long-duration multiple-entry visitor visa for parents and grandparents) has a separate income requirement for the Canadian host child or grandchild — this is also based on LICO but is assessed against the current year's threshold at the time of the Super Visa application. The Super Visa income requirement is distinct from the PGP sponsorship income requirement. For current Super Visa income thresholds, refer to the IRCC Super Visa financial support page.

LICO tables are updated annually — always verify the current thresholds against the IRCC income requirements page before calculating eligibility. Using an outdated LICO table can lead to incorrect eligibility conclusions. The income assessment for PGP sponsorship is based on the three most recent tax years' Notices of Assessment from the Canada Revenue Agency — sponsors should ensure CRA filings are up to date before applying.

Income from a co-signer (a Canadian citizen or PR who agrees to co-sign the sponsorship undertaking) can be combined with the principal sponsor's income to meet the MNI in some circumstances for the PGP. The co-signer takes on the same sponsorship undertaking obligations as the principal sponsor if the sponsored person requires social assistance.