Proof of Funds for Visa Applications: What It Means and What Evidence May Be Accepted
A visa application can ask two different things: how much money the rules require, and which document is accepted as proof. Meeting one without the other does not satisfy the route. The rules belong to that application. They are not a worldwide bank-statement checklist, and they are not the budget for a year of study. What a university asks an international student to show, and how that differs from a real study budget, is in proof of funds for international students.
Fees, thresholds, and the papers that count can change. Use the government page for the application you are filing.
The amount is not the evidence
The amount is the figure in the rules, for the people the application covers. The evidence is the paper that shows the money exists, that you can use it, and that it meets any rule about whose name is on the account and how long it has been there. A balance that appears the day before you apply can fail a holding-period rule. A letter that names the wrong person can fail even when the balance is large enough.
A UK work route
For a Skilled Worker visa, GOV.UK’s costs page, checked on 25 September 2026, says you must have at least £1,270 in your bank account to show you can support yourself. You need to have held that money for 28 days in a row, and day 28 must fall within 31 days of the application. You usually have to show the proof unless you have been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months, or your employer will cover your costs for the first month, up to £1,270. If the employer covers it, the certificate of sponsorship has to say so, in the “sponsor certifies maintenance” field. A partner or child who applies also has to show they can support themselves. The amount for them is on the dependants page, not in this £1,270 line. The application fee and the immigration health surcharge are charges you pay. They are not this savings test.
A Canadian permanent-residence route
IRCC’s Express Entry proof-of-funds page says proof of funds is required for the Federal Skilled Worker Program and the Federal Skilled Trades Program. How those programs sit in the pool is in how Express Entry works. The Canadian Experience Class is different. The page says the online system still asks everyone for a document, and that someone who does not need proof of funds uploads a letter explaining why, including that they are applying under the Canadian Experience Class or that they have a valid job offer and are authorized to work in Canada. The same page says the money must be available both when you apply and when permanent residence is issued, that you need an official bank letter on letterhead, and that you cannot use equity in property or money borrowed from another person. Family members change the amount, including family members who are not coming with you.
The dollar table on that page was labeled as updated on 7 July 2025 in the official text retrieved on 25 September 2026, and the page itself did not open in a direct check. The Canadian dollar figures are not copied here. Read the current table on canada.ca before you rely on a number from an older screenshot.
What to match to the route
- Whose application is this: a worker, a skilled-worker permanent-residence program, or a student? Student files stay with the student article.
- What amount applies to you alone, and what changes if family members are counted?
- Does the rule require a holding period, a bank letter, or an employer statement on a certificate?
- Are borrowed funds or property equity excluded?
- Is there an exemption, and is the exemption written on the form the authority will see?
