Three countries, three completely different answers to one question: can you actually afford to land? The proof of funds UK Canada Australia comparison catches out more applicants than almost any other checklist item, because the numbers sit worlds apart and one of the three destinations never publishes a number at all. Skip this check and an otherwise strong file can stall at the financial-capacity stage, sometimes after the visa fee has already cleared.
By the Travel Explore editorial desk. Last updated 23 August 2026.
What This Comparison Covers
The UK’s Exact Number: £1,270
Britain is the only one of the three with a single, published figure. Skilled Worker applicants need to show £1,270 held in a personal account for 28 consecutive days before applying, unless a fully A-rated sponsor certifies on the Certificate of Sponsorship that it will cover maintenance for the first month. The Home Office is specific about how the money must sit: it has to belong to the applicant or their partner, not a parent or a friend, and the 28-day window has to end no more than 31 days before the application date. Miss that window by even a few days and the whole proof resets.
Canada’s Settlement Funds Table
Bilal, a Pakistani IT specialist applying through Express Entry, assumed his Canadian job offer would cover the funds requirement until he checked the fine print. Canada scales its number to family size rather than setting one flat figure: IRCC’s 2026 table lists roughly CAD $15,263 for a single applicant, rising for each additional family member. Applicants with a valid LMIA-backed job offer are exempt, and anyone invited strictly through the Canadian Experience Class skips the requirement entirely. Everyone else under the Federal Skilled Worker or Federal Skilled Trades streams needs to show funds that are liquid, unencumbered by debt, and never borrowed.
Why Australia Has No Published Number
Australia breaks the pattern completely. Skilled visa subclasses such as 189, 190, and 491 carry no fixed dollar threshold, unlike the student visa stream, which does publish a figure near AUD $29,710 a year. Case officers instead assess whether an applicant can cover accommodation, living costs, and a reasonable job search after arrival, and they can request evidence at any point in processing even if none was submitted upfront. That ambiguity trips up applicants who assume a missing number means no requirement at all. Before assuming your file is exempt from scrutiny, run it through our visa eligibility checker rather than guessing.
Not sure which of these three tables actually applies to your file? Get it checked at https://linktr.ee/travelexpore
Before You Book a Flight
- UK: £1,270, held 28 days, sponsor exemption possible.
- Canada: about CAD $15,263 for a single applicant, scaling with family size.
- Australia: no fixed figure for skilled visas, but funds can still be requested anytime.
- All three require money that is genuinely available, not borrowed on paper.
Proof Of Funds Questions We Get Weekly
Can a family member overseas hold the money for me?
For the UK, no. Funds must belong to the applicant or their partner. Canada requires the funds to be in the applicant’s own name as well.
Does a job offer remove the funds requirement everywhere?
Not universally. Canada exempts LMIA-backed offers and CEC invitations, but a UK job offer only helps if the sponsor is A-rated and certifies maintenance on the CoS.
Why does Australia not publish a number for skilled visas?
The Department of Home Affairs assesses settlement capacity case by case rather than setting one threshold, unlike its student visa stream.
What counts as not readily available money?
Funds tied up in property, pensions, or investments that cannot be quickly converted to cash typically will not satisfy any of these three tests.
Keep Reading
- What moving to Canada really costs beyond the settlement funds minimum
- Australia’s shortcut from a 482 visa to permanent residency
Share This Comparison
- The UK wants £1,270. Canada wants CAD $15,263. Australia won’t tell you a number at all.
- One of these three countries can request proof of funds at any stage, with no warning.
- Why a missing published threshold does not mean a missing financial requirement in Australia.
Get Your Number Confirmed Before You Apply
Three tables, three sets of rules, and only one of them ever changes without much notice. Have your file checked against the current figures before you submit anything at https://linktr.ee/travelexpore
Sources
- GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa knowledge of English and financial requirements, gov.uk, 2026 (T0 official)
- Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Proof of funds for Express Entry, canada.ca, 2026 (T0 official)
- Migratio, Proof of Funds for Australian Visas, migratio.com.au, 2026 (T2, no fixed official threshold exists for skilled visas; cited for context only)
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