Canadian immigration, proof of funds requirements
As part of the permanent resident application process you will need to prove to the Canadian government that you have enough monitory funds to support yourself and any accompanying family members when you arrive in Canada. This is because the government will not provide any financial support for new immigrants and therefore they need to be sure that you arrive with enough money to establish yourself in Canada.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) set guidelines as to the required funds they consider you need as a minimum in order to establish yourself in Canada. The amount required depends on the size of your family. These amounts can vary from time to time, so you should check these figures at the point you need to use them.
At the time of your application you must show that you have at least the required amount in order for your application to be processed. The money has to belong to you and cannot be borrowed from another person. The money must be readily available in transferable currency for settlement in Canada.
Obviously you can take any amount above the required funds with you to Canada. There is no upper limit, although there are restrictions on how much cash you can physically take with you at the time of landing.
You may be wondering what type of funds you can use and what type of proof is required. Well, there are several things to consider:
Savings: If you have savings which match or exceed the required amount then you can simply supply a copy of your bank statement showing the funds in your account. You should be able to show the funds in your account for a minimum of three months and if the funds have recently been transferred you will need to show where they came from.
You will also need to show that you are not just sending a statement just after being paid and that all the funds will disappear from the account the following week. If your money is split between several accounts, you will need to provide details of each up to the amount required.
Shares, Bonds etc: This type of investment is not acceptable for CIC purposes as these are volatile accounts and you could still loose your money. If you want to use this type of funding, you will need to cash-in the money from the shares etc and deposit them in a suitable bank account and send the statements as above.
Possessions: Again this is not acceptable by CIC. you will need to liquidate the assets and deposit the money in a suitable account. This also applies to vehicles.
Real Estate: Money in property is probably the most widely used proof of funds. Many people plan to sell property owned in their home country before landing in Canada and will use the equity to establish themselves.
This is totally acceptable by CIC and they appreciate that you may not have actually sold the property at the point you are required to supply this information and make allowances for this.
You will be allowed to supply a mortgage statement from your lender stating how much money is owed on the property. You should then get your property valued by three independent companies. These can be real estate agents, property valuation companies, your mortgage lender etc. Make sure you get the valuation on letter headed paper and signed.
If you send both the mortgage details and the valuations the CIC can see how much equity you have available.
N.B. You do not have to show that you have these funds if you have arranged employment in Canada
