Canada Permanent Residence Application Fees Increase

Foreign nationals applying for Permanent Residence in Canada are required to pay application fees to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). These fees are used to cover the Canadian government's costs in processing immigration applications and providing assistance to newcomers to Canada. The latest application fee increase for Permanent Resident applications occurred on April 30, 2024 at 9 AM EST. Going forward, the PR fees will be reviewed every two years and adjusted for inflation.

The total fees required for each application will depend on the program being applied for, and the number of family members included. 

Application fees: two categories

Application fees to apply for permanent residence in Canada's immigration system are technically divided into three categories - processing fees, biometrics fees and the Right of Permanent Residence Fee (RPRF). 

IRCC processing fees are required by the Canadian government in order to pay for the costs of processing immigration applications. These fees are required to be included with any permanent residence application that is submitted to IRCC, including Express Entry, Federal skilled workers, Canadian Experience Class, Provincial Nominee Program, Spouse or Common Law partner sponsorship, etc. The application fees are paid upfront and no refund is provided by IRCC if the application is refused. There are different levels of fees for the principal applicant, accompanying spouse or partner, and any children included in the application.

Biometrics fees are collected by the Canadian government in order to cover the cost of having applicants submit their fingerprints and photo at a biometrics collection center. The biometrics fees must be paid with every application for Permanent Residence, no matter if the applicant has submitted biometrics previously. Biometrics fees must be paid for anyone included in the application who is 14 years of age or older.

The final set of immigration application fees is the Right of Permanent Residence Fee, or RPRF. More details about the RPRF are included below.

All fees - processing fees, biometrics and RPRF - are returned to the foreign nationals in the event than an application is considered incomplete and therefore not accepted for processing.

What Does it Cost to Apply for Permanent Residence in Canada?

The cost to apply for immigration to Canada will vary with the different immigration programs. The total cost of your application depends on the program you are applying for, and the number of people included in your application. 

The federal government fees for any PR application will consist of the processing fee, the biometrics fees, and the Right of Permanent Residence Fee (RPRF). If you are applying for a provincial nomination, the province will have its own processing fees under their provincial nominee programs, and these fees also vary by category or program. 

The amounts for federal application fees charged by Canada Immigration for processing PR applications, as well as the RPRF, are set out below.

What are the Processing Fees?

The new processing fees for some of the most popular programs are listed below:

What is the Right of Permanent Residence Fee?

The Right of Permanent Residence Fee (RPRF) is essentially a tax requested from the Government of Canada on every successful application for Permanent Residence. The funds are used to run programs that are available to new permanent residents, such as settlement support services, language classes, etc.

Only the principal applicant and accompanying spouse or partner need to pay the Right of Permanent Residence Fee; accompanying children do not.

The RPRF can be paid at the time you submit your application for processing, or you can wait until further into the processing when IRCC will send you a request to make the payment. It is generally faster if you submit the RPRF payment upfront with your application. The processing times are long enough; in this small way you can cut down on wait times a bit by avoiding the need for IRCC to request the payment, and give you time to make it before finalizing your application.

The Right of Permanent Residence Fee (RPRF) was increased from $515 per adult to $575 per adult on April 30, 2024.

How to Pay Application Fees for Canada Immigration

The application fees for Canadian Permanent Residence applications are paid online using either a credit card or debit card. Depending on the application you are submitting, there are two ways that you may need to make payment:

1. Express Entry Fees – application fees for an Express Entry application are paid at the time the application is submitted, using a credit or debit card, as part of the application submission process. Once you indicate that you are ready to submit your application, you will be taken to the payment screen and payment must be received before the application will enter the processing queue.
2. Fees for other applications for Permanent Residence – the application fees for applications for Permanent Residence in other immigration streams outside of Express Entry are submitted through the online PR portal. When applying through this portal, applicants need to first submit payment, via credit or debit card, through the IRCC payment portal and receive a PDF fee payment receipt. You must then upload the fee receipt along with the other supporting documents for your PR application.

The Way Immigration has been successfully obtaining Canadian Permanent Residence for our clients since 2008. We stay up to date on all of Canada's immigration policies to ensure that our clients have the highest success rate possible. Are you interested in immigration to Canada? We can assess your options and make an action plan that will work for you. Contact our office today, to ensure that your application for Canadian Permanent Residence has the best chances for success.