An Express Entry Family of Five and Its Settlement Funds Table
Two parents, two kids, and one more on the way, or perhaps a grandparent living with the family — a household of five isn’t unusual among South African applicants, but the funds figure that comes with it surprises a lot of people the first time they see it. Here’s a checklist for exactly what that number is and how it’s built.
The core figure
The settlement funds requirement family of five Express Entry applicants need to show is $32,168 in Canadian dollars, per IRCC’s official table. That’s a meaningful jump from the $28,362 required for a family of four, and roughly double the $15,263 a single applicant needs to show.
The checklist
1. Confirm you actually need to show this at all. Settlement funds apply to the Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades programmes. If your invitation comes through the Canadian Experience Class, or you’re authorised to work in Canada with a valid job offer, you’re exempt — even under FSW or FST.
2. Count everyone who belongs in your household of five, correctly. Family size for this purpose includes yourself, your spouse or common-law partner, your dependent children, and your spouse’s dependent children if applicable. Critically, this count doesn’t shrink just because someone in that group is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident already, or isn’t travelling with you — they still count toward the five.
3. Confirm your funds meet the “available twice” test. The money has to be accessible to you both when you submit your application and again when a permanent resident visa is actually issued — not just at one snapshot in time.
4. Rule out anything that doesn’t qualify. Borrowed money doesn’t count. Neither does equity in real estate. What you need is legal, demonstrable access to the funds themselves, typically shown through bank statements covering the relevant period.
5. Check the table’s current date stamp before you rely on it. IRCC updates the settlement funds figures annually, based on 50% of the low income cut-off totals. The table is meant to refresh roughly once a year, and previous refreshes have landed in early July — so a family of five budgeting around $32,168 today should double-check the live table isn’t about to move, especially if their application timeline stretches out over months.
6. If IRCC does refresh the table while you’re already in the pool, note that candidates already sitting there are typically given a deadline to update their proof of funds and stay eligible — and updating your profile in response doesn’t reset your place in line, since your original received date is preserved.
7. Uncertain whether you’re exempt or not? Even applicants who expect to be exempt are generally asked to upload a proof-of-funds document by the system — exempt applicants substitute a letter explaining their CEC eligibility or valid job offer instead of a funds statement.
Why the jump between family sizes looks steep
Going from four to five people adds $3,806 to the required figure — noticeably more than the roughly $4,360–$4,999 gaps between the smaller family sizes below it. The table isn’t a simple per-person multiplier; it’s built around the low income cut-off methodology, which accounts for the actual cost structure of larger households rather than scaling linearly.
A caution on timing
None of the figures above are permanent. Fee and funds tables are, in IRCC’s own framing, some of the fastest-changing numbers in the whole system, and a table that’s overdue for its annual refresh could be updated without much warning. Before treating $32,168 as your target number, confirm it against the live IRCC page rather than this article or any other secondary source. And because this checklist explains the general mechanics of the funds requirement rather than your specific application, any questions about your own family’s eligibility or exemption status are best directed to a licensed RCIC or Canadian immigration lawyer.