Some family sponsorship programs require that the sponsor meet a minimum income level to support themselves and their family members, including the family members they are applying to sponsor. To assess their ability to financially support their family members, IRCC uses the Minimum Necessary Income (MNI).

Depending on the program under which they are applying, and where they live in Canada, a citizen or permanent resident can only be deemed eligible to sponsor one or more family members to Canada if they meet the Minimum Necessary Income (MNI) for their family unit size. The family unit size includes those they currently support in Canada as well as those they intend to sponsor. If applying to the parent and grandparent sponsorship program, the sponsor must prove that they have exceeded the low-income cut-off for three consecutive years and sign an undertaking that promises to repay any and all social assistance received by their family members.