> Important Notice: The minimum settlement fund amounts shown on this page are from the IRCC table explicitly labelled "Updated July 7, 2025." IRCC updates these figures annually. Confirm the current amounts at canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/documents/proof-funds.html on the day you apply.
In this guide
If you are preparing an Express Entry profile or have just received an invitation to apply, gathering the right documents is one of the most important steps. A complete and accurate application helps your permanent residence process go smoothly. This page explains exactly how much money you need to show, what your bank letter must contain, what does not count, and what every document in the checklist is for.
Category: Immigration Portals
Meta title: Express Entry Proof of Funds and Document Checklist 2025
Meta description: Full Express Entry proof of funds table by family size, who is exempt, what your bank letter must say, and the complete document checklist. Updated July 2025.
Who needs to show proof of funds?
Proof of funds is a minimum eligibility requirement if you are applying under the Federal Skilled Worker Program or the Federal Skilled Trades Program. If you receive an invitation to apply, you must provide written proof that the required money is available to support yourself and your family in Canada.
(Official IRCC source: canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/documents/proof-funds.html)
Who is exempt from proof of funds?
You do not need to show settlement funds if either of the following applies to you:
- You are applying under the Canadian Experience Class.
- You are authorized to work in Canada and you have a valid job offer.
The second exemption requires both conditions to be met at the same time. A work permit on its own, including an open work permit, is not a valid job offer. IRCC is explicit on this point.
Even if you are exempt, the Express Entry system may still display a mandatory proof of funds upload field. If this happens, IRCC instructs you to upload a letter explaining that you were invited under the Canadian Experience Class, or that you have a valid job offer and authorization to work in Canada.
(Official IRCC sources: canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/documents/proof-funds.html | canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/documents/job-offer.html)
Current minimum proof of funds amounts
The amount you need depends on the size of your family. The table below is from the IRCC page, which carries the label "Updated July 7, 2025."
| Family members | Minimum funds required (Canadian dollars) |
|---|---|
| 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 above 7 | Add $4,112 |
IRCC updates these figures every year based on 50 percent of the low income cut off totals. If you have more than the minimum amount, you should declare the full amount in your profile or application, not just the minimum.
Reconfirm on publish day: Settlement fund amounts change annually. Check the IRCC proof of funds page on the date of publication.
(Official IRCC source: canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/documents/proof-funds.html)
How to calculate your family size
Your family size must include every person in the following list, even if they will not be coming to Canada with you, and even if they are already a Canadian citizen or permanent resident:
- The principal applicant
- The applicant's spouse or common law partner
- The applicant's dependent children
- The spouse or common law partner's dependent children
When must the funds be available?
The money must remain available to you at two specific moments: when you submit your permanent residence application, and when IRCC issues your permanent resident visa if your application is approved. You must be able to legally access and use the money for your family's settlement and living costs in Canada.
(Official IRCC source: canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/documents/proof-funds.html)
Acceptable proof of funds: what your bank letter must contain
IRCC requires official letters from every bank or financial institution where you hold an account. The IRCC page uses mandatory wording: you "must get official letters." Ordinary monthly bank statements are not listed as a substitute for the official financial institution letter, though statements can help explain account history, transfers, or large deposits.
Each letter must be printed on the financial institution's official letterhead and must include:
| Required item | Details |
|---|---|
| Institution contact information | Address, telephone number, and email address |
| Your name | As it appears on your application |
| Outstanding debts | Including credit card debts and loans |
| Account number | For every current banking and investment account |
| Date the account was opened | For every current banking and investment account |
| Current balance | For every current banking and investment account |
| Average balance for the previous six months | For every current banking and investment account |
(Official IRCC source: canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/documents/proof-funds.html)
1Joint accounts and a spouse's account
IRCC permits you to use money in a joint account held by you and your accompanying spouse. You may also potentially use money held only in your spouse's name, provided you can prove that you have access to it.
2What does not count as proof of funds
IRCC expressly excludes two categories:
- Money borrowed from another person
- Equity in real property, such as the value built up in a house or other real estate
The money must be legally accessible and available for settlement expenses.
3Items not clearly confirmed by IRCC
The current IRCC proof of funds page does not expressly establish a universal rule for gift deeds, cryptocurrency, retirement accounts with withdrawal restrictions, non liquid shares or investments, or whether a specific TFSA, RRSP, mutual fund or brokerage account will be accepted in every case. IRCC also does not publish a mandatory period for which the full minimum balance must have been continuously held, nor a maximum permitted age for the bank letter. Any guidance about these items is case specific documentation practice, not a published IRCC guarantee.
Full Express Entry document checklist
IRCC separates the documents you need to create your Express Entry profile from the documents you must upload after you receive an invitation to apply. After you complete the online permanent residence form, the system generates a personalized document checklist. This personalized checklist is the controlling list for your specific application, and it overrides any general list.
(Official IRCC sources: canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/documents.html | canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/apply-permanent-residence.html)
1Part A: Documents to prepare before you create your Express Entry profile
| Document | Official requirement or condition |
|---|---|
| Passport or travel document | Needed for identity and profile information. IRCC recommends renewing it if it will expire within six months of the date of application. |
| Language test results | Required from an approved test. Accepted tests: CELPIP General, IELTS General Training, PTE Core, TEF Canada, TCF Canada. IELTS Academic and IELTS One Skill Retake are not accepted. Results must be less than two years old when the profile is completed and when permanent residence is submitted. |
| Proof of Canadian education | Used when claiming Canadian education. |
| Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) | Required for Federal Skilled Worker principal applicants with foreign education and when claiming Express Entry points for foreign education. Must be an ECA for immigration purposes and less than five years old when the profile and permanent residence application are submitted. |
| Written Canadian job offer | Include if you have one. It must meet IRCC's Express Entry definition of a valid offer. |
| Proof of work experience | IRCC gives an employer reference or experience letter as an example. Common supporting documents include employment contracts, pay stubs, employer letters showing duties, dates and salary, and tax documents. |
| Certificate of qualification | Include if you hold a certificate of qualification in a trade issued by a Canadian province or territory. |
| Proof of funds | Required where you are not covered by an exemption. |
| Police certificates | Begin preparing early as they can take a long time to obtain. |
| Provincial nomination | Required if applying through an Express Entry aligned Provincial Nominee Program stream. |
(Official IRCC sources: canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/documents.html | canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/documents/language-test.html | canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/common-supporting-documents.html)
2Part B: Documents to upload after an invitation to apply
Your invitation to apply is valid for 60 days. You must upload copies of the documents used to support your profile, plus the additional documents generated by your personalized checklist.
Core supporting documents
Upload the following for every applicable category:
- Passport or travel document pages requested by the checklist
- Language test results
- Canadian educational credentials, where claimed
- ECA report, where foreign education was used for eligibility or points
- Work experience documents
- Written job offer and supporting documents, where applicable
- Trade certificate of qualification, where applicable
- Provincial nomination, where applicable
- Proof of funds, or an exemption explanation letter
- Police certificates
- Proof of the immigration medical examination
Civil status and family documents
Depending on your answers in the online form, the checklist may require:
| Situation | Document required |
|---|---|
| Dependent children declared | Birth certificate for each child |
| Married | Marriage certificate |
| Common law | Statutory Declaration of Common Law Union, IMM 5409 |
| Divorced | Divorce certificate and legal separation agreement |
| Widowed | Death certificate |
| Adopted dependent child | Adoption certificate |
| Relative in Canada claimed for points or eligibility | Proof of relationship to that relative |
| Other names or aliases | Documents confirming the aliases |
Representative and information release forms
- IMM 5476, Use of a Representative: required if you have appointed a representative
- IMM 5475, Authority to Release Personal Information to a Designated Individual: required if applicable
Digital photo
A digital photograph confirming your identity must be uploaded when it appears in your personalized document checklist.
(Official IRCC source: canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/apply-permanent-residence.html)
3Part C: Immigration medical examination
As of August 21, 2025, Express Entry applicants must complete an upfront immigration medical examination. The exam must be performed by an IRCC panel physician.
After the exam, the panel physician provides either an information printout sheet or IMM 1017B, Upfront Medical Report. One of these must be uploaded with your online Express Entry permanent residence application.
If you completed an immigration medical exam for a previous application within the past five years and are living in Canada, IRCC may be able to reuse it. Upload the earlier information sheet, IMM 1017B, previous IME, or unique medical identifier number. IRCC will send instructions if the old result cannot be reused.
(Official IRCC sources: canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/medical-police/medical-exams/requirements-permanent-residents.html | canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/apply-permanent-residence.html)
4Part D: Police certificates
The online system normally requests police certificates for the principal applicant and family members aged 18 or older. You need a certificate for every country outside Canada where the person stayed for six consecutive months or longer during the previous 10 years, but only for periods after the person turned 18. An officer may later request additional certificates covering any period since age 18.
Certificates must be uploaded as colour scans of the original documents. For your current country of residence, the certificate must have been issued no more than six months before you submit the application. For any other country, it must have been issued after the last stay of six consecutive months or longer.
(Official IRCC source: canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/documents/police-certificates.html)
5Part E: Translations
For any document that is not in English or French, you must upload:
- An English or French translation completed by a certified translator, or a translation accompanied by an affidavit if a certified translator cannot complete it
- A scan of the original document, or the certified photocopy used for the translation
- Translations of all non English or non French stamps and seals
A family member, representative, or consultant cannot translate your documents.
(Official IRCC source: canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/apply-permanent-residence.html)
Questions people actually ask
Prepared by KGraph Immigration. Last updated July 2026. General information, not legal advice.
