On This Page, You Will Find:
- What changed in the 2026 Canada immigration fee schedule
- Permanent residence application fees
- The right of permanent residence fee (RPRF)
- Family sponsorship fees
- Temporary residence fees: visitor, study and work permits
- Citizenship fees
- Inadmissibility fees
- Biometrics and other service fees
- How to pay, and what to do if you paid the old fee
- Frequently asked questions
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) charges a fee for almost every application it processes, and those fees changed materially in 2026. On April 30, 2026, fees rose for every permanent residence application, and the right of permanent residence fee (RPRF) increased from $575 to $600. The right of citizenship fee rose on March 31, 2026, and inadmissibility fees were last increased on December 1, 2025.
All figures below are in Canadian dollars and reflect the IRCC fee list as published on canada.ca. Fees are set in regulation and change on fixed schedules – permanent residence fees, for example, are adjusted every two years for inflation – so always confirm the amount in your application guide immediately before you pay.
One rule catches applicants out more than any other: the fee you owe is generally determined by the date you pay, not the date you started your application. That matters most for the RPRF, which is often deferred until an application is approved.
What Changed on April 30, 2026
The 2026 increase was applied across the board to permanent residence streams. The list below shows the old and new amounts.
- Right of permanent residence fee (principal applicant and accompanying spouse or partner): $575 to $600
- Federal High Skilled, Provincial Nominee Program, Quebec Skilled Workers, Atlantic Immigration Program and most economic pilots – principal applicant: $950 to $990; accompanying spouse or partner: $950 to $990; accompanying dependent child: $260 to $270
- Business (federal and Quebec) – principal applicant: $1,810 to $1,895; accompanying spouse or partner: $950 to $990; dependent child: $260 to $270
- Family reunification – sponsorship fee: $85 to $90; sponsored principal applicant: $545 to $570; accompanying spouse or partner: $635 to $660; accompanying dependent child: $175 to $180
- Protected persons and humanitarian and compassionate – principal applicant: $635 to $660; dependent child: $175 to $180
- Permit holders class – principal applicant: $375 to $390
Two earlier changes still affect 2026 applicants. The right of citizenship fee rose from $119.75 to $123 on March 31, 2026. And on December 1, 2025, inadmissibility and status-restoration fees increased – including the temporary resident permit fee, now $246.25.
Permanent Residence Application Fees
The figures below are the totals payable per person. Where a fee “includes the RPRF,” it bundles the processing fee and the $600 RPRF into a single amount.
Economic immigration, including Express Entry, the Provincial Nominee Program, the Atlantic Immigration Program, the Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Workers, Federal Skilled Trades, Quebec-selected skilled workers, and the rural and francophone community immigration pilots:
- Your application (including RPRF): $1,590
- Your application (without RPRF): $990
- Include your spouse or partner (including RPRF): $1,590
- Include your spouse or partner (without RPRF): $990
- Include a dependent child: $270 per child
Business immigration – Quebec business immigration, self-employed persons and the Start-Up Visa:
- Your application (including RPRF): $2,495
- Your application (without RPRF): $1,895
- Include your spouse or partner (including RPRF): $1,590
- Include a dependent child: $270 per child
Note that intake for the Start-Up Visa Program and the Self-Employed Persons Program has been paused; see our Canada business immigration guide for the current position.
Home care workers (caregivers) – for the Home Care Worker Immigration pilots launched in 2025, the fees match the economic streams: $1,590 including the RPRF, or $990 without it, plus $270 per dependent child. Applications under the earlier caregiver programs (Home Child Care Provider Pilot, Home Support Worker Pilot, Live-in Caregiver Program and others being processed to completion) are charged $1,260 including the RPRF, or $660 without, plus $180 per child.
Protected persons: $660 for the principal applicant, $660 for an accompanying spouse or partner, and $180 per dependent child. Protected persons are exempt from the RPRF.
Humanitarian and compassionate applications, including the health-care worker pathway and the temporary public policy for Hong Kong residents: $1,260 including the RPRF, or $660 without, plus $180 per child.
Permit holders class: $990 including the RPRF, or $390 without.
Permanent resident card: $50. Permanent resident travel document: $50.
The Right of Permanent Residence Fee
The RPRF is $600. It is charged in addition to processing fees and must be paid before you can actually become a permanent resident. You may pay it upfront with your application to avoid delays, or wait until IRCC approves your application and asks for it.
The RPRF is the only IRCC fee that can be refunded once processing has begun – IRCC refunds it if you withdraw your application or it is refused. It does not apply to:
- dependent children of a principal applicant or sponsor
- sponsorship applications for adopted children
- sponsorship applications for an orphaned brother, sister, niece, nephew or grandchild
- protected persons, including convention refugees and applicants approved on humanitarian and compassionate grounds
A critical timing rule: if you applied before April 30, 2026 but had not yet paid the RPRF, you owe the new $600 amount. Paying the processing fee at the old rate does not lock in the old RPRF. An RPRF loan is available for applicants who cannot pay upfront.
Family Sponsorship Fees
Spouse, partner or dependent children (in or outside Canada):
- Sponsor your spouse or partner (including RPRF): $1,260
- Sponsor your spouse or partner (without RPRF): $660
- Include or independently sponsor a dependent child: $180 per child
Parents and grandparents:
- Sponsor your parent or grandparent (including RPRF): $1,260
- Sponsor your parent or grandparent (without RPRF): $660
- Include their spouse or partner (including RPRF): $1,260
- Include their dependent child: $180 per child
See our guides to sponsoring parents and grandparents and the Parents and Grandparents Super Visa for the eligibility rules that sit behind these fees.
Adopted children and other relatives:
- Sponsor a relative aged 22 or older (including RPRF): $1,260; without RPRF: $660
- Sponsor a dependent child, adopted child or orphaned relative: $180 per child
- Sponsor a relative under 22 who is not your dependent child: $780; without RPRF: $180
Adopted children are exempt from the RPRF – see family sponsorship for adopted children.
Temporary Residence Fees
Visitor visa (temporary resident visa), including the super visa: $100 per person, or a maximum of $500 for a family of five or more applying at the same time and place. Extending your stay as a visitor also costs $100. Restoring visitor status costs $246.25.
Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA): $7. See our eTA guide for who needs one.
Study permits, including extensions: $150 per person. Restoring student status and getting a new study permit costs $396.25 in total ($246.25 restoration plus $150 permit).
Work permits, including extensions: $155 per person; $465 for a group of three or more performing artists and their staff applying together. An open work permit holder fee of $100 applies on top of the permit fee where relevant. Restoring worker status plus a new work permit totals $401.25.
International Experience Canada: $184.75, increased from $179.75 on December 1, 2025. See our International Experience Canada guide.
Temporary resident permit: $246.25 per person.
Citizenship Fees
- Adult grant of citizenship (18 and over), including the $123 right of citizenship fee: $653
- Minor (under 18): $100
- Stateless adult born to a Canadian parent: $123
- Citizenship certificate (proof of citizenship): $75
- Search of citizenship records: $75
- Resume citizenship (18 and over): $530; under 18: $100
- Renounce citizenship: $100
Our guide to who qualifies for Canadian citizenship sets out the residence and language requirements.
Inadmissibility Fees
- Authorization to return to Canada: $492.50
- Rehabilitation – inadmissible on grounds of criminality: $246.25
- Rehabilitation – inadmissible on grounds of serious criminality: $1,231
- Temporary resident permit: $246.25
These amounts took effect on December 1, 2025. If you are working through a past conviction, read our criminal inadmissibility overview and rehabilitation guide before you pay anything.
Removal-expense repayment also rose on April 1, 2026 for people removed on or after April 1, 2025: $13,098.96 for an escorted removal by air (excluding medical escorts), and $3,905.28 for unescorted removals, non-air escorted removals and removals under medical escort by air. For removals before April 1, 2025, the amounts remain $899 (U.S.A. and St. Pierre and Miquelon) and $1,799 (any other country).
Biometrics and Other Service Fees
- Biometrics, per individual: $85
- Biometrics, per family of two or more applying together: $170 maximum
- Biometrics, per group of three or more performing artists: $255 maximum
- Employer compliance fee: $230; group of three or more entertainers: $690
- Verify your status or replace an immigration document: $30
The biometrics fee covers fingerprint and photo collection and the movement of your documents between the visa application centre and the visa office. Canadian passport and travel document fees are set separately.
How To Pay, and What Happens If You Paid the Old Fee
Most IRCC fees are paid online through the department’s payment tool, and you must include the receipt with your application. Two rules are worth memorising:
- Citizenship applications: if you mail your application, the applicable fee is based on the date you sign it. An underpayment gets the application returned.
- Permanent residence applications: if you applied online, IRCC receives the application immediately, so check the amount before you submit. If you mailed a complete application before a fee change, IRCC will normally not reject it – it will ask you to pay the difference.
To pay a difference, calculate the gap for each changed fee (including family members), use the “make an additional payment or pay other fees” category in the online payment tool, enter the total under “Quantity,” and submit the receipt as instructed.
Budgeting Beyond the Government Fees
Government fees are only part of the cost of immigrating. Depending on your stream, you should also budget for language testing, educational credential assessment, police certificates, medical examinations, translation and, for economic applicants, settlement funds. Study permit applicants must separately meet the financial requirement for international students, which is not a fee but a proof-of-funds threshold.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the right of permanent residence fee in 2026?
The right of permanent residence fee is CAN$600 as of April 30, 2026, up from $575. It applies to the principal applicant and an accompanying spouse or common-law partner, but not to dependent children. It must be paid before permanent resident status is granted.
Did Canada increase immigration fees in 2026?
Yes. On April 30, 2026, IRCC increased fees for all permanent residence applications, typically by four to six per cent. The right of citizenship fee also rose to $123 on March 31, 2026, and inadmissibility and status-restoration fees increased on December 1, 2025. Permanent residence fees are adjusted every two years for inflation.
What does it cost a single applicant to apply through Express Entry?
A single Express Entry applicant pays $1,590 in total if they pay the right of permanent residence fee upfront, or $990 if they defer it. Biometrics add $85. Language testing, credential assessment, medicals and police certificates are separate third-party costs.
What happens if I paid the old fee before the increase?
IRCC will normally ask you to pay the difference rather than reject your application, provided the application was complete and mailed before the change. If you deferred the right of permanent residence fee and pay it after April 30, 2026, you owe the full new $600 regardless of when you applied.
Which immigration fees can be refunded?
The right of permanent residence fee is the only fee IRCC can refund after processing has started, and it is refunded if you withdraw your application or it is refused. Processing fees are generally non-refundable once IRCC begins assessing the application.
How much is a Canadian study or work permit in 2026?
A study permit, including extensions, costs $150 per person. A work permit, including extensions, costs $155 per person, with a maximum group fee of $465 for three or more performing artists. Biometrics, where required, add $85 per person or $170 per family.