Canada has imposed a broad set of immigration-application fee increases effective 1 December 2025, impacting Hong Kong residents who use the popular International Experience Canada (IEC) working-holiday scheme and several inadmissibility-related services. The IEC participation fee has risen from CAD179.75 to CAD184.75, while authorisations to return, temporary-resident permits and criminal-rehabilitation applications now cost between CAD246 and CAD1,231. The measures are part of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) cost-recovery overhaul amid surging demand for permits.
Hong Kong is one of 35 IEC partner economies, and its quota of 5,000 places typically fills within days of opening. Mobility managers sending interns or young professionals to Canada must therefore budget for higher government charges in 2026 pools and ensure any paper applications lodged before 1 December top-up the fee difference to avoid processing delays.
![Canada Hikes IEC and Immigration Fees — Hongkongers Face Higher Costs to Work or Travel]()
For employers using intra-company transferee or study-to-work pathways, ancillary costs could also rise as the IRCC reviews other fee categories next year. The hikes coincide with Ottawa’s broader immigration reset: annual targets remain at 500,000 newcomers, but IRCC is shifting resources toward backlog reduction and digital portals, expecting applicants to shoulder more of the administrative burden.
Hongkongers pursuing criminal-rehabilitation waivers—often required for visa refusals linked to past minor offences—face the steepest jump, up more than 40 percent. Immigration lawyers advise early filing before another scheduled indexation in April 2026. Companies moving talent into Canada should review assignment budgets, update cost-estimates in global mobility policies and communicate changes to assignees.
Despite the added expense, Canada remains an attractive destination: Hong Kong’s share of IEC approvals has grown 12 percent since 2023, and post-pandemic interest in two-year open work permits remains strong. Forward-looking firms may choose to pre-pay fees before each new rise, or explore provincial nominee programs that offer employer-driven streams with more predictable cost structures.
Hong Kong is one of 35 IEC partner economies, and its quota of 5,000 places typically fills within days of opening. Mobility managers sending interns or young professionals to Canada must therefore budget for higher government charges in 2026 pools and ensure any paper applications lodged before 1 December top-up the fee difference to avoid processing delays.
For employers using intra-company transferee or study-to-work pathways, ancillary costs could also rise as the IRCC reviews other fee categories next year. The hikes coincide with Ottawa’s broader immigration reset: annual targets remain at 500,000 newcomers, but IRCC is shifting resources toward backlog reduction and digital portals, expecting applicants to shoulder more of the administrative burden.
Hongkongers pursuing criminal-rehabilitation waivers—often required for visa refusals linked to past minor offences—face the steepest jump, up more than 40 percent. Immigration lawyers advise early filing before another scheduled indexation in April 2026. Companies moving talent into Canada should review assignment budgets, update cost-estimates in global mobility policies and communicate changes to assignees.
Despite the added expense, Canada remains an attractive destination: Hong Kong’s share of IEC approvals has grown 12 percent since 2023, and post-pandemic interest in two-year open work permits remains strong. Forward-looking firms may choose to pre-pay fees before each new rise, or explore provincial nominee programs that offer employer-driven streams with more predictable cost structures.
