Canada | Permanent residency application fee increases

Canadian officials announced fee increases for all permanent residency applications, effective April 30.

‌Key Points:

• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada will increase permanent residence application fees, including:
  • Right of permanent residence — 575 Canadian dollars — about US$423 (up from CA$515)
  • Federal skilled, provincial nominee program, Quebec skilled workers and most economic pilots — CA$950 (up from CA$850)
  • Business category (federal and Quebec) — CA$1,810 (up from CA$1,625)
  • Family reunification — starting at CA$545 (up from CA$490)
  • Permit holders — CA$375 (up from CA$335)
• The fees are automatically adjusted every two years for all permanent residence applications, including the economic, family and humanitarian programs, based on the cumulative percentage increase to the Canadian consumer price index.

Additional Information: A sponsored or accompanying dependent child of a principal applicant under the family reunification class and principal applicants as well as dependent children under the humanitarian and compassionate consideration and public policy classes are exempt from the right of permanent residence fee. A complete list of the current and new permanent residence fees can be found here.

BAL Analysis: Officials stated that the increases ensure that Canada remains competitive and its fees are comparable to other countries. The new increases in each category are 12%-13% higher compared to the last increase in April 2022, which was on average 2%.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

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