Canada Visitor Visa Lump Sum Deposits
A lump on a low balance is not source, availability, or ongoing income. A $52,179 balance failed all three.
If your note says lump sum deposits, the officer is not arguing with the closing balance. They are saying your file does not show source, availability, and ongoing income. In 2025 FC 1382 a parent’s $52,179 balance lost on those three. The same check is on your statements.
How this applies to your file
2025 FC 1382 is the pattern. Read your own statement the same way: the balance before the lump, whose account it is, and whether a document names the deposit.
- Source
Lump sums. No paper. Purchase, not a sale.
- Availability
Mother’s account. Letter did not show access.
- Ongoing income
Low balances before the lumps.
- Closing balance
$52,179 on 5 Jun 2024
- Letter vs list
$70,680 in the letter · $61,680 on the list
- Decision
2025 FC 1382 · dismissed 15 Aug 2025
Counsel described the $52,179 figure as USD or equivalent. The officer’s finding did not turn on the currency. It turned on lump sums sitting on low balances, with no source paper.
The letter hides the lump sums. The note does not.
If your PDF only says your assets are insufficient, the lump sums are in the note. Answer those lines in the new letter. GCMS notes are $5. If you are outside Canada, a person in Canada files the ATIP request with your consent.
I am not satisfied that you will leave Canada at the end of your stay as required by paragraph R216(1)(b) of the IRPR. I am refusing your application because you have not established that you will leave Canada, based on the following factors: Your assets and financial situation are insufficient to support the stated purpose of travel for yourself (and any accompanying family member(s), if applicable).
Bank statement for PA’s mother provided. Bank statement shows lump sum deposits and pre-existing low balances. In the absence of satisfactory documentation showing the source of these funds, I am not satisfied the applicant will have access to the funds provided in support of the application, as their bank accounts demonstrate volatile balances and inconsistent income. […] I am not satisfied that applicant has sufficient and available financial resources to pay the tuition fees for the program of studies that they intend to pursue and to pay for living expenses while in Canada. For the reasons above, I have refused this application under R216(1)(b) and R220(a) and (b).
What failed there, and what to check on yours
The officer wrote lump sums, no source, and no access. The Court, applying Sayyar, called that source, nature, and stability. On your file those are source, availability, and ongoing income.
| Check | In the case | On your application |
|---|---|---|
| Source | Lump sums. The line said “services.” The property paper was a purchase, not a sale. | Match each lump to one document: same amount, same date, same account. A transfer code is not that document. |
| Availability | Mother’s personal account and a support letter. No proof the applicant could use the money. | If the account is a parent’s, show you can spend it. The letter alone did not do that here. |
| Ongoing income | Low balances before the lumps. An unsigned contract that ended 29 September 2024. | Check the balance before your lump. Income that continues is pay already in the account, not a contract that stops during the trip. |
“It is not a simple matter of reviewing the applicants’ bank account and, if they have sufficient funds, granting them a permit.”
How to apply this case to your next application
- Step 1
Source, on your statement
Mark every lump that is larger than a normal month. For each one, attach the paper with the same amount, date, and account. In the case, the line said “services” and the property paper was a purchase of ₦20 million, not a sale. A code or a purchase does not explain your deposit.
- Step 2
Availability, on your account
If the account is not in your name, the letter is not access. Show a transfer into your account, or that you can withdraw the sponsor’s. The Court did not require a comment on the mother’s letter once her statements failed to show you could use the money.
- Step 3
Ongoing income, before the lump
Read the balance in the months before the deposit. If it was low, the lump is the whole file. Here the only work paper was unsigned and ended 29 September 2024. On yours, ongoing income is pay that already landed and keeps landing.
- Step 4
One total, in your letter
Your cover letter, your document list, and the closing balance have to be the same figure in the same currency. This file used $70,680, $61,680, and $52,179. Then answer the lump-sum lines from your GCMS notes, not only the sentence on the refusal PDF.
Run the same three words on your note in the Source of Funds Checker.
FAQ
My letter says my assets are insufficient. Where are the lump sums?
On the GCMS note, not always on the letter. In 2025 FC 1382 the letter only said assets and financial situation were insufficient. The note said lump sum deposits and pre-existing low balances. On your file, order the notes ($5) and answer those lines. The letter is the short version.
My closing balance covers the trip. Is that enough?
No. This file cited $52,179 on 5 June 2024. The Court agreed a closing number is not the test. On your statements, look at the balance before the lump. If it was low, the lump is what the officer is reading.
The deposit line says “services” or a transfer code. Is that the source?
No. In this case a ₦20 million deposit was described as a services transfer. The Court said that line does not show a property sale. On your statement, a code is not a source. Attach the document that names the payer, the amount, and the date.
I uploaded a property paper for the lump. Does that count?
Only if you are the one receiving the money. Here the paper showed an agreement to pay ₦20 million to buy an interest. The same amount landed 12 days later. The Court said a purchase is not income. On your file, read who pays whom before you call it a sale.
The account is my parent’s, and their letter says they will pay. Is that availability?
Not by itself. Availability means you can use the money. This file had the mother’s personal account and a support letter. The Court said a letter of bald assurances is seldom enough, and that not commenting on the letter was not an error once the statements failed to show access. On your file, show a transfer into your account or that you can withdraw theirs.
The letter says my parent has supported me for years and runs a business. Is that in the file?
Only if the statements show it. The Court found no evidence of 20 years of support. The statements were a personal account, not a business account, and only ran from 9 December 2023 to 5 June 2024. On your file, the months before the lump have to show the income the letter describes.
My contract or job letter is unsigned, or it ends during the trip. What happens to ongoing income?
It failed here. The contract was unsigned, for remote work from 30 April 2024 to 29 September 2024, with no proof anyone signed it or paid it. On your file, ongoing income is pay that already hit the account and keeps hitting it. An unsigned contract is not that.
My cover letter total and my bank total don’t match. Will that matter?
This letter said $70,680. The attachment list said $61,680. Tuition was written as both $6,500 on 29 May 2024 and $9,500. Counsel also called the $52,179 balance USD or equivalent. The refusal turned on source and access, not the arithmetic, but mismatched numbers do not prove the balance. On your file, use one currency and one total, and tie each line to one exhibit.
The Court dismissed this case. Can I fix the same note by reapplying?
The review was dismissed on 15 August 2025, with no costs and no certified question. The Court does not re-weigh a funds finding that the documents allowed. On your next application, add the paper behind each lump. This is general information, not advice on whether your own file has a reviewable error.
Want the full analysis?
This article only looks at the money. Officers also look at ties at home and whether the trip looks temporary.
Get the full analysis →Sources
- IRCC — Apply for a visitor visa (account details, including balances)
- Akindumila v. Canada (Citizenship and Immigration), 2025 FC 1382
- Sayyar v. Canada (Citizenship and Immigration), 2023 FC 494 (source, nature, and stability)
- IRCC Help Centre — fee for an Access to Information request (GCMS notes)
General information from the public judgment and IRCC’s page. Not legal advice. Not a prediction of a visa decision.