Family Member Not Immigrating Settlement Funds Express Entry: Why the Money Still Counts
A lot of South African families plan the Express Entry move in stages — one parent and the kids go first, a spouse stays behind to sell the house or finish out a work contract, or an adult child chooses to remain in Cape Town rather than come along. That raises the family member not immigrating settlement funds express entry question directly: shouldn’t someone who isn’t travelling be left out of the money you need to show? IRCC’s rule says otherwise, and it’s a myth worth killing early.
The rule, stated plainly
Does settlement funds include family staying home? Yes. IRCC’s own guidance is direct on this: “You must include your spouse or common-law partner and dependent children, even if they’re Canadian citizens or permanent residents” or “not coming to Canada with you.” The family member not immigrating settlement funds Express Entry question has a clean answer — travel plans don’t change the family-size count.
To work out your number, you include yourself, your spouse or common-law partner, and your dependent children — plus your spouse or partner’s dependent children, if that applies to your household. Whether every one of those people is boarding a plane with you is irrelevant to the calculation.
Why this trips people up
The instinct makes sense on the surface: settlement funds exist to prove you can support yourself while you get established in Canada, so if fewer people are actually landing, shouldn’t the number be smaller? But that’s not how IRCC frames it. The rule is built around family size as declared, not around who physically arrives. A spouse who’s already a Canadian citizen, a dependent child staying with grandparents for a year, an adult dependent who’s chosen to remain in South Africa — none of it shrinks the required figure.
What the numbers look like
IRCC’s settlement funds table scales with family size: $15,263 for a single applicant, $19,001 for two, $23,360 for three, $28,362 for four, up through $32,168 for five, $36,280 for six, and $40,392 for seven, with $4,112 added for each additional member beyond that. If your household is five people on paper but only three are travelling, you still need to show funds calculated against five — not three.
Who this rule doesn’t apply to at all
Settlement funds are a requirement for the Federal Skilled Worker Program and Federal Skilled Trades Program specifically. You’re exempt entirely if you’re applying under the Canadian Experience Class, or if you’re authorised to work in Canada and hold a valid job offer, even under FSW or FST. If you fall into an exempt category, this whole calculation is moot — though IRCC still generally asks for a proof-of-funds document from everyone, with exempt applicants uploading an explanatory letter instead of a funds statement.
What actually counts as proof
Funds have to be available to you both when you apply and again when a permanent resident visa is issued — this isn’t a one-time snapshot. Borrowed money doesn’t count, and equity in real estate can’t be used either; you need to be able to show legal access to the actual funds, typically through bank statements.
The practical takeaway
If your household is planning a staggered move, work out your proof of funds family size Express Entry figure based on your full family as IRCC defines it — everyone who counts as a dependant or partner, regardless of who’s actually flying. Getting this number wrong at the application stage, in either direction, is the kind of mistake that’s genuinely worth avoiding through careful reading of the current table before you apply.
This article explains how the settlement funds rule works in general; it isn’t a substitute for reviewing your own family’s specific circumstances with a licensed RCIC or Canadian immigration lawyer, particularly in a staggered-move situation where the details can get complicated. Settlement fund figures also update annually, so always check the current table rather than working from an older number you’ve seen elsewhere.