Proof of funds: acceptable sources and the seasoning question

Whether it is Express Entry settlement funds, a study permit's tuition-plus-living requirement, or a visitor's proof of means, the officer is asking two things: is the money actually there, and is it actually the applicant's to use.

Acceptable, with the right paper

• Savings and current accounts in the applicant's name — official statements showing the account holder, the institution, the balance, and the transaction history over several months.
• A gift from a close family member — acceptable in many lines if documented: a gift deed or letter, proof of the donor's ability to give, and the transfer into the applicant's account. Some programmes (Express Entry settlement funds) do not accept borrowed or gifted funds — check the specific rule.
• Fixed deposits, mutual funds, and similar — statements plus proof they can be liquidated.

Not acceptable or high-risk

• Property or business equity as a substitute for liquid funds where the programme requires the funds to be available and transferable.
• Loans, where the programme excludes borrowed funds.
• Third-party accounts the applicant does not control.

The seasoning question

A large deposit that appears a few weeks before filing invites an RFI. Where you can, have the client build or consolidate the funds several months ahead so the history shows stability. Where a recent large deposit is unavoidable (a property sale, a matured investment, a genuine gift), document its source contemporaneously — the sale deed, the maturity statement, the gift letter and the donor's proof of funds — and include that with the application rather than waiting to be asked.