Canada PGP Sponsorship Rules 2025: New Family Size, Income and Co‑Signer Guide for Parents and Grandparents

The internal instructions confirm that officers must now assess PGP sponsor income and family size year‑by‑year over the three required tax years, adding or removing relatives as they join or leave the family, instead of using a single static family size. This approach can increase or decrease the minimum income requirement depending on marriages, births, deaths, divorces and expired undertakings between 2022–2024 for the 2025 intake.

IRCC also clarifies how co‑signers are treated: a spouse or common‑law partner who co‑signs must be counted in the family size for all three tax years, regardless of when the relationship started, while non‑co‑signing partners are only counted from the year they joined the family. There is new, explicit guidance on separated spouses, including when a separated Canadian or permanent resident spouse can still co‑sign and how this interacts with later common‑law relationships.

Explainer: how IRCC counts family size for PGP sponsors

For PGP sponsors, income must meet the required threshold for each of the three tax years before the application is filed (for the 2025 intake, those are 2022, 2023 and 2024). Family size is calculated separately for each year based on who was legitimately part of the family in that year, which can lead to different family sizes across the 3‑year window.

When family size increases (marriage, common‑law, birth, new undertakings)

Any new spouse, common‑law partner, children or people covered by valid undertakings are added starting in the year they became part of the family.
Example: a sponsor had a baby and got married in 2024 and intends to file a PGP application in 2025. IRCC will test income for 2022, 2023 and 2024. The spouse and new child are only counted in family size for 2024; they are not retroactively counted in 2022 and 2023.
If that spouse is a co‑signer, they must be counted in all three years (2022–2024), even though the marriage only occurred in 2024.

When family size decreases (death, divorce, former dependants, expired undertakings)

Deceased family members, legally divorced spouses, former common‑law partners, former dependent children and past undertakings are excluded from the family size count for all three tax years, even if they were alive or part of the family during earlier years.
Example: the sponsor’s father (married to the mother) dies in 2023, and in 2025 the sponsor applies to bring the mother only. Although the father was alive in 2022 and 2023, IRCC excludes him from family size for 2022, 2023 and 2024 when calculating the income requirement.

This year‑by‑year method can be favourable in cases of death or divorce (reducing the required income), but can raise the bar when new dependants join part‑way through the period.

Co‑signers vs non‑co‑signers: who must be counted and when

Co‑signers are crucial in PGP cases, because their income can be added to the sponsor’s to meet the minimum necessary income (MNI). IRCC’s guidance draws a sharp line between co‑signing and non‑co‑signing partners.

Co‑signing spouse/common‑law partner:
- Must be included in family composition for all three relevant tax years, regardless of when the marriage/common‑law relationship began.
- Officers always add the co‑signer to family size for 2022, 2023 and 2024 in the 2025 intake, even if they only started living together in 2023 or married in 2024.
Non‑co‑signing spouse/common‑law partner:
- Counted only from the year the relationship started.
- Example: a sponsor became a common‑law partner in 2023 and files PGP in 2025 without a co‑signer. IRCC counts the partner in family size for 2023 and 2024 only, not for 2022.

This distinction means that adding a co‑signer strengthens income but will also be assumed in family size across all three years, which can raise the MNI threshold more than a late‑joining non‑co‑signer.

Special case: separated spouses and common‑law partners

The instructions also tackle complicated relationships:

A separated spouse who is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident can legally co‑sign a sponsorship, because they are still considered a spouse until a divorce is granted—even if one or both parties are also in a common‑law relationship with another person.
In that scenario, the common‑law partner cannot co‑sign while the sponsor remains legally married, because there is no equivalent exclusion for Canadian/permanent resident spouses as there is for foreign nationals under IRPR R5(b)(ii).
If the separated spouse is a foreign national, they cannot co‑sign a sponsorship, but they are still considered a spouse unless they themselves are in a common‑law relationship with another person.

This makes relationship structuring and timing a strategic issue: a sponsor might need to finalize a divorce if they prefer their current common‑law partner to act as co‑signer.

Sponsorship and family size: practical implications

Because family size includes:

The sponsor
The sponsor’s spouse/common‑law partner and dependent children
The parents/grandparents being sponsored (and their dependants)
Any other persons still under an active undertaking

each addition can materially increase the income threshold for all three years. Couples planning more children, or who recently ended relationships, should model their family size year‑by‑year before choosing the PGP intake year that gives them the best chance of meeting income.

Officers will also ignore people who are no longer part of the family at the time of application, even if they were present in earlier tax years—such as deceased relatives or divorced spouses—because they no longer contribute to current obligations.

Use this checklist to pre‑screen yourself before a PGP intake opens.

Confirm basic sponsor eligibility

You are a:
- Canadian citizen, or
- Permanent resident living in Canada, or
- Registered Indian under the Indian Act living in Canada.
You are at least 18 years old.
You are not subject to a sponsorship bar (e.g., certain prior defaults, some criminal or financial bars, or being on social assistance without a valid reason).

Map your family size for each of the last 3 tax years

List, year by year (e.g., 2022, 2023, 2024):
- Yourself.
- Spouse/common‑law partner (note whether they will co‑sign).
- Your dependent children (including those not living with you).
- Any persons currently under your existing undertakings.
- Parents/grandparents and their dependants you plan to sponsor.
For each year, adjust for:
- New marriages/common‑law relationships.
- New births or adopted children.
- Deaths.
- Legal divorces or ended common‑law relationships.
- Undertakings that expired before that year.

Decide whether to use a co‑signer

If your spouse/common‑law partner will co‑sign:
- Count them in family size for all three tax years.
- Add their income to yours for each year.
If they won’t co‑sign:
- Only count them from the year the relationship began.

Check your income against the minimum required income (MNI)

For each year’s family size, look up the applicable MNI for that year (per IRCC tables for PGP).
Confirm whether you meet or exceed the income level for:
- Year 1 (e.g., 2022),
- Year 2 (2023),
- Year 3 (2024),
  with or without your co‑signer.

Validate your relationship situation

If separated from a Canadian/PR spouse and planning to use them as co‑signer, ensure they understand they are still considered your spouse until divorce.
If you prefer your current common‑law partner as co‑signer, you may need to finalize divorce first.
If the separated spouse is a foreign national, remember they cannot co‑sign and may still be counted as spouse unless they have established a new common‑law relationship.

Prepare for documentation

Gather CRA Notices of Assessment for all three tax years for you and any co‑signer.
Document all family changes (marriages, births, deaths, divorces, end of undertakings).
Be ready to explain any change in family composition across the three years.

Time your application strategically

If an upcoming intake allows you to pick the filing year, choose one where:
- You meet the three‑year MNI, and
- Family size is as favourable as possible (e.g., after a divorce or bereavement reduces obligations, or before adding more dependants).

By aligning your personal timelines with IRCC’s detailed family‑size and co‑signer rules, you significantly improve your odds of passing the financial test the first time and avoiding refusals or lengthy reassessments.