“How much money do I need to show?” is the question that decides whether a family even starts the process. The amount is only half of it — how long you’ve held it and whose account it sits in matter just as much. Here is the 2026 picture, country by country.

What “proof of funds” actually proves

Every destination wants to see one thing: that you can pay first-year tuition plus living costs without working illegally or running out of money. So the formula is broadly the same everywhere — tuition + a set living-cost figure + sometimes travel — even though the numbers and rules differ.

Country-by-country (2026 planning figures)

• check_circle United Kingdom: first-year tuition (minus any deposit paid) plus living costs of about £1,529/month in London or £1,171/month outside London, for up to 9 months — held for 28 consecutive days
• check_circle Australia (subclass 500): tuition plus living costs benchmarked at about AUD 29,710 per year for you, with more for any family members
• check_circle Canada (study permit): first-year tuition plus cost-of-living funds of CAD 23,448 for a single applicant outside Quebec (applications from 1 September 2026), plus travel
• check_circle USA (F-1): no fixed government threshold, but you must prove ability to cover the full cost on your I-20 — typically one full year's tuition plus living costs
• check_circle New Zealand: tuition plus living funds in the region of NZD 20,000 per year (or sponsorship), confirmed against the current Immigration NZ figure

The holding-period trap

This catches more Sri Lankan applicants than the amount itself. The UK requires funds to sit in the account for 28 consecutive days, with the closing balance never dipping below the required level, and the statement dated within 31 days of applying. Other countries scrutinise recent large deposits even without a fixed rule. Do not move a big lump sum into the account the week before you apply — it reads as borrowed money and triggers a source-of-funds query.

Whose account can it be in?

Generally your own account, or a parent’s / legal guardian’s with a letter consenting to fund you and proof of relationship. Funds from more distant relatives, friends, or a company are far weaker and often rejected. Education loans are accepted by many countries if from a recognised financial institution and properly documented.

Acceptable forms of evidence

• check_circle Bank statements / passbook showing the maintained balance
• check_circle Fixed deposits and savings certificates
• check_circle A GIC (Canada) or blocked-account-style arrangement where used
• check_circle A sanctioned education loan letter from a recognised bank
• check_circle A sponsor letter plus the sponsor's own bank evidence and proof of relationship

Getting the paperwork issued

Meeting the threshold on paper and holding certified evidence of it are two different jobs. Sri Lankan banks issue balance certificates and fixed-deposit confirmations on request, and where the funds need arranging rather than simply documenting, our partner Show Money Sri Lanka handles student-visa proof-of-funds documentation — fixed deposits, balance certificates and source-of-funds letters — through Central Bank–approved institutions. Whatever route you take, the evidence must match the holding-period rule above; a certificate dated after the balance dropped is worth nothing.

The bottom line

Hit the right amount, hold it for the required period, keep the source clean and documented, and put it in an acceptable account. Get those four right and proof of funds becomes the easy part of your application instead of the reason it’s refused.

Next steps

Work out your exact target with our proof-of-funds calculator, put two destinations’ thresholds side by side on the country comparison tool, then bring us your funding picture — savings, fixed deposits, a possible loan, parental support — and we’ll build a proof-of-funds plan that satisfies your destination’s exact rules.