A member with a low running balance (under $1,000) who'd just received a $21,000 gift from their husband asked how to handle proof of funds when the bank won't issue a 6-month average-balance letter.
- Banks cannot legally refuse to provide statements. Members were clear that a bank denying you statements outright isn't standard practice — push back and request them directly.
- Use your 6-month bank statement itself to demonstrate the average balance, rather than relying solely on a bank-issued average-balance letter.
- If the bank won't stamp a formal letter, download your statements via internet/online banking and then have the bank stamp that printout as an alternative form of verification.
- Get a gift deed (and gift deed affidavit) from the person gifting the funds. This documents the large sudden deposit as a legitimate gift rather than an unexplained inflow, which helps justify the jump in balance to IRCC.
Takeaway: a low running balance plus a large one-time gift isn't disqualifying — pair your 6-month statements with a gift deed affidavit to explain the deposit, and don't accept a bank's refusal to provide documentation.