Canadian Immigration Processing Fees

Every Canadian immigration pathway has processing fees set by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Canadian immigration fees are a crucial part of the process if you’re considering moving to Canada. This is regardless of your nationality, country of origin, or the type of visa you’re applying for. Each visa or permanent residence program has different fees and costs depending on your situation, the number of people moving to Canada, and your chosen visa program.  Use our CRS calculator to find out if you can move to Canada. 

Understanding the Canada immigration fees and how they work is important for successfully planning your move to Canada. It helps you budget correctly and avoid any unexpected costs. Always remember that these fees are non-refundable regardless of whether your application is approved. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure that you meet all eligibility requirements before submitting your application. 

How Canadian Immigration Fees Work

Canadian immigration fees vary depending on the type of visa you are applying for, the number of people included in the application, and whether or not you use an immigration lawyer or consultant. These fees are required to cover the administrative costs of processing applications, conducting background checks, and carrying out other necessary procedures involved in the immigration process.

The Canada visa fees can be paid online using a credit card when submitting your application. The IRCC website provides a detailed guide on how to pay fees online. It's advisable to keep a copy of your payment receipt as proof of payment.

Different visas have different fees due to the varying levels of complexity and resources required for processing. For instance, a temporary resident visa may cost less than a permanent resident visa because the latter involves a more rigorous process, including medical exams, police checks, and language testing. Fees for business immigration programs may be higher due to the additional assessments required for business viability and economic contribution.

Additional costs may be incurred depending on personal circumstances. For example, you may need to pay for medical examinations, language testing, or obtaining certain documents. Family sponsorship applications also involve additional fees for each family member included in the application.

To help you learn more, here are the different fees for each Canadian immigration pathway.

Permanent Residence Fees

What is the Right of Permanent Residence Fee?

The Right of Permanent Residence Fee (RPRF) is paid by permanent resident applicants when their applications are approved. Permanent residence status is not granted until the RPRF is paid. RPRF applies to all permanent residence applicants except:

• Dependent children of a principal applicant or sponsor,
• a child to be adopted, or
• an orphaned
  • brother,
  • sister,
  • niece,
  • nephew, or
  • grandchild;
• and Protected Persons,
  • including Convention refugees.

The RPRF can be paid simultaneously with your application fees to help reduce delays during processing. If you don’t pay the RPRF upfront, we will contact you with instructions on how to pay. If you paid the RPRF upfront and your application is not approved, it will be refunded. The right of permanent residence fee is as follows: 

Business Immigration Processing Fees

These fees apply to:

• Quebec business immigration;
• Self-employed people;
• Start-up Visa.

Caregiver

These fees apply to:

• Live-in Caregiver Program;
• Home Child Care Provider Pilot (without the work permit fee);
• Home Support Worker Pilot (without the work permit fee).

Economic Immigration

This includes Express Entry. These fees apply to the following programs:

• Agri-food Pilot;
• Atlantic Immigration Program;
• Canadian Experience Class;
• Federal Skilled Workers;
• Federal Skilled Trades;
• Provincial Nominee Program;
• Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot; and
• Quebec-selected Skilled Workers.

Canadian economic immigration fees are as follows:

Humanitarian and Compassionate

The fees below apply to the following:

• Healthcare worker permanent residence pathway;
• Pathway to permanent residence – In-Canada families of Canadian victims of recent air disasters;
• Temporary public policy for Hong Kong residents;
• Temporary public policy for out-of-status construction workers in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA); and
• Temporary resident to permanent resident pathway (TR to PR pathway).

The fees for Humanitarian and Compassionate pathways are as follows:

Permanent Residence Cards

Your permanent resident (PR) card may only be delivered to an address in Canada. Should you be outside Canada without a valid PR card, or if your card is lost or stolen, you must apply for a permanent resident travel document to return to the country. The fees for permanent residence cards are as follows:

Canada Visa Fees

If you're unsure if you want to move to Canada permanently or don't yet qualify for permanent residence, there are many ways you can get your start in Canada through one of Canada's many visa programs. However, much like permanent residence, each visa comes with Canada visa fees. Each visa has different fees, so here is how each one works. 

Temporary Resident Permit

Even if you have a visa, like a work, study, or working holiday permit, you will still need a temporary resident permit to enter and stay in Canada. The fees for this permit are as follows.

Work Permit

Applicants must pay the following fees for both open and closed work permits. Learn more about your work permit and how it affects your fees.

Please Note:

When restoring your permit status, you must pay the restoration fee (200 CAD) and the cost of a new work permit (155 CAD).

Study Permit

To study at one of Canada's world-class universities, you must pay the following fees to get a Canadian study permit.

International Experience Canada

Suppose you're from an eligible country and plan to explore Canada and perhaps enter Canada's job market. In that case, you'll likely want to get your start through International Experience Canada (IEC). IEC allows young, eligible internationals to travel and work in Canada via either:

• A Working Holiday Visa
• The Young Professionals Class
• An International Co-op Internship

To travel to Canada via IEC, you must pay the following fee:

Additional Fees You Can Expect

Several other fees come with your application process. These include:

• Educational Credential Assessment (ECA)
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS) fees
• TEF (Test d'évaluation de français) exam fees
• Medical Examinations
• Biometrics
• Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA)
• Translations of your applications into either French or English

If you're unsure which of these visa programs is right for you, you could hugely benefit from a consultation with a certified immigration professional like a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC). An RCIC can help you determine your eligibility and help you prepare for your application effectively.

FAQs

How Much Money Do I Need to Move to Canada?

Processing fees aren't the only costs you must consider for moving to Canada. Here's a full breakdown of the costs you must prepare for:

Will I Get a Refund if My Application Gets Returned?

Yes, you can get a refund if your application is returned. Your application will be returned if:

• It was incomplete;
• It was received before the program re-opened;
• The program was full; and
• Refunds can take up to eight weeks to complete. If you’ve been waiting longer, submit a refund request.

It’s good to note that your biometrics fee is not refundable.

How Long is the Immigration Process?

Once all the required documents, forms, and applications have been submitted, it usually takes up to 18 months to complete the process and, in some cases, more. Please note that the processing time is estimated and can change without notice, under the discretion of the Canadian government.

Some programs are exempt from the above such as Express Entry, which has a much faster processing time of 6 months. Learn more about Canadian Immigration processing times.

What Can Permanent Residents Do?

If you are a permanent resident, you may have access to the following:

• Social benefits, for example, healthcare;
• Work, live, or study anywhere in Canada;
• The protection offered by Canadian law;
• The protection of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms; and
• Canadian citizenship applications.

Which Canada Immigration Fees Must I Pay?

With the knowledge of Canadian immigration processing fees, the next thing to do is find out if you’re eligible to move to Canada! To ensure you know which fees you need to pay so you can start your journey the right way, we recommend talking to a certified immigration professional like an RCIC.