Paritally depends on where in the country you will be studying. 36k will not support a family in a large portion of Canada. If you are studying in Vancouver or Winnipeg for example would make a big difference in terms of cost of living. Your savings spread over 5 years also means an extra 6k per year which is not a lot of money. Where are you studying? Will you have other means to make more money? The availability and access to childcare could also be a limiting factor on both your budget and your family’s ability to bring in extra funds. I would include information about whether you will be able to secure childcare in the city you will be living and detailed information about spot you have secured or information about your ability to easily secure a spot and at what cost. I would include this as part of your SOWP and TRV application and you study permit application. Your spouse’s ability to earn an income and your ability to spend the hours necessary at school will likely depend on your ability to secure childcare. In some areas of Canada parents must remain at home because they can not secure a daycare spot for the child or the only available spot is very expensive often 2.5k/month. In general it is much easier to live as a student without much money as a single person or couple but babies are expensive and you can’t avoid many of the costs involved like diapers, car seat, decent nutrition, furniture, stroller, single family housing, etc. You will not qualify for child care benefit for the first 18 months. You may also want to enquire about mature student campus housing. There is typically limited supply but that may be an option to find more reasonable price housing close to or on campus.
