Canada welcomed 471,550 new permanent residents (PRs) in 2023, according to recent data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). This number was more than 6,000 more PRs than the target set forth in IRCC’s 2023–2025 Immigration Levels Plan.
Additionally, more than 33,000 more PRs were welcomed in Canada in 2023 than there were in 2022 (437,600).
The majority of foreign nationals wishing to immigrate to Canada will do so through economic immigration, one of the numerous routes to permanent residence.
Depending on the program or path they choose to immigrate as a PR, applicants will need to pay different costs in order to achieve this goal. As a result, the IRCC has broken down the list of permanent residency fees for economic immigration streams in the following manner.
The fees mentioned in this article are all expressed in Canadian dollars.
Economic immigration fees in general:
The following fees, according to IRCC, are applicable in each of the following scenarios:
Pilot for agri-food
Pilot for immigration from the Atlantic
Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs), the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), and the Atlantic immigration program Express Entry-Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
Skilled workers chosen by Quebec for immigration pilot programs in rural and northern areas.
$850.00 Application Processing Fee
Processing Fee Including Spouse or Partner: $850.00
A Dependent Child* is Included at $230.00 (per child).
Regarding the definition of a dependent kid in the IRCC glossary, the immigration department makes it clear that this is a description meant to offer “explanations for different terminologies [used] online” rather than a legal definition.
Temporary Resident (TR) to Permanent Resident (PR) Pathway: Foreign nationals who wish to apply for permanent residence (PR) in Canada after first entering the nation as TRs—for instance, while on a work visa or study permit—must pay the same costs as other applicants for economic immigration (see above), but at a somewhat lower rate. The following are the TR to PR fees:
$570.00 Application Processing Fee
Processing Fee with Spouse or Partner Included: $570
Included in the Price: $155.00 (for each dependent child)
Other fees for permanent residence
Cards for Permanent Residency
$50.00 is the fee.
The IRCC employs PR cards, a particular kind of identity document, to verify a foreign national’s PR status. Additionally, Canadian PRs enter Canada using this card—which has their image on it—as a travel document.
Travel Document for Permanent Residents (PRTD)
$50.00 is the fee.
When a permanent resident of Canada does not have a valid PR card, they travel using a PRTD. “Does not bring [a] PR card or PRTD may not be able to board [their] airplane, train, bus, or ferry to Canada,” the IRCC warns PRs. To learn more about PRTDs, see here.
The RPRF, or Right of Permanent Residence Fee:
Cost: $515.00
When their application is accepted, the majority of applicants for permanent residence in Canada must pay the RPRF (see the list below for exceptions). The IRCC gives applicants the option to pay this cost at the same time as their other application payments in order to prevent delays. This fee must be paid before becoming a permanent resident of Canada.
The application processing fee ($850.00, as previously mentioned) for foreign nationals will be increased by $515.00 by the RPRF, for a total of $1365.00. The spouse or partner of an application would also be subject to a separate RPRF fee (if applicable).
It should be noted that those seeking permanent residence in Canada through the IRCC’s pathway from temporary resident to permanent resident, which has a slightly lower application processing fee (see above), are also eligible for the RPRF.
If an applicant’s application for permanent residence is denied or they decide to withdraw it, their RPRF will be reimbursed.
Note: After the department starts processing an application, the RPRF is the sole fee that can be refunded, according to IRCC.
The RPRF of the IRCC is not applicable in the following cases:
dependent offspring of the major applicant or sponsor Adopted child sponsorship applications.
Applications for sponsorship for an orphaned sibling, brother, niece, nephew, or grandchild
Protected individuals (including refugees under convention and applicants qualified on humanitarian and compassionate grounds).
Biometrics, if relevant
Cost ($85.00 per person).
Cost ($170.00) per household (two or more persons)
By “checking the applicants identify against Canadian criminal and immigration records,” the IRCC uses biometrics—photographs and fingerprints—from immigration applications “to strengthen [Canada’s] identity management” and improve national security.
The maximum charge for a family of two or more individuals submitting biometrics and applying at the same time and location is $170.00, according to the IRCC.
