People planning to apply for permanent residency in Canada need to be aware! The Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced that as of 9:00 a.m. (EST) on 30 April 2024, it will be increasing the Immigration Fees for Permanent Residency (PR) applications.

The IRCC notes that this fee adjustment is based on the increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) as published by Statistics Canada and will be implemented from April 2024 to March 2026.The IRCC also notes that the fee adjustment will be based on the increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) as published by Statistics Canada. The main adjustments are set out below:

The application fee for principal applicants for Permanent Residency and their spouses/civil partners will increase from the current $515 to $575.

The application fee will increase from $850 to $950 for principal applicants and their spouses/civil partners under the Fast Track (EE) and Provincial Nominee Programmes, and from $230 to $260 for accompanying children.

‘The application fee for principal applicants under the Family Reunification Programme will increase from $490 to $545; the fee for spouses/civil partners will increase from $570 to $635; and the application fee for accompanying children will increase from $155 to $175.

The application fee for principal applicants under the ‘humanitarian and compassionate grounds’ and ‘public policy’ categories, as well as their spouses/cohabiting partners, will increase from $570 to $635; and the application fee for accompanying children will increase from $155 to $175.

These fee adjustments cover the application processing fee, and IRCC adds that the Right of Permanent Residence Fee is waived for sponsored children under the age of 22 (no spouse/cohabiting partner) as well as for principal applicants under the categories of ‘humanitarian and compassionate grounds’ and ‘public policy’.

Since 2020, IRCC has been adjusting immigration fees every two years. This time, the adjustment is much larger compared to the previous one, close to 12-13 per cent. This means that people applying for permanent residency in Canada will have to pay higher fees in the future, and it's worth keeping an eye on.