Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has quietly implemented the first inflation-indexed increase to permanent-residence (PR) application fees since 2024, and the higher tariffs are already in force for all dossiers received on or after April 30. An IRCC notice published in the Canada Gazette explains that the across-the-board adjustment reflects the two-year change in the Consumer Price Index, a requirement introduced when Parliament adopted fee-indexation legislation in 2023.
What changed? The Right of Permanent Residence Fee—the payment every approved applicant must make before a Confirmation of PR is issued—has risen to CAD 600 (up from CAD 575). Economic-class candidates under the Provincial Nominee Program now face a core processing fee of CAD 990 (-formerly CAD 950), while business-class applicants will pay CAD 1,895. Family-class sponsorship fees climbed a more modest CAD 25 to CAD 570, and humanitarian or public-policy applicants now remit CAD 660.
![Canada Raises Permanent-Residence Application Fees Across All Immigration Classes]()
For applicants and HR teams unsure how the new tariffs affect their particular case, VisaHQ can walk you through every step. The firm’s dedicated Canada portal (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) tracks live fee changes, produces compliant payment receipts, and offers concierge-level document review—helping organizations and individuals avoid costly rejections while staying within budget.
Although the increments look small in absolute terms, they arrive at a moment when many employers and prospective immigrants are already shouldering higher costs for biometrics, language tests and credential assessments. Consulting firms tell corporate mobility managers to audit budgets for intra-company transferees and graduate-hire programmes that include a PR pathway; a family of four sponsored by a Canadian subsidiary will now pay roughly CAD 2,700 in federal fees alone, before provincial levies and legal costs. Practically, employers with global transfer pipelines should verify that any offer letters or relocation packages referencing “old” PR fees are updated, because IRCC will return applications submitted with incorrect fee receipts.
Mobility teams also need to adjust cost projections in shadow-payroll models, as the fee hikes apply retroactively when a candidate adds a dependent between invitation and e-APR submission. The next automatic indexation is scheduled for April 2028, but officials note that Parliament could shorten the cycle if inflation remains elevated. Until then, companies should build a small contingency buffer into cost estimates for every PR case filed in Canada’s economically driven streams.
What changed? The Right of Permanent Residence Fee—the payment every approved applicant must make before a Confirmation of PR is issued—has risen to CAD 600 (up from CAD 575). Economic-class candidates under the Provincial Nominee Program now face a core processing fee of CAD 990 (-formerly CAD 950), while business-class applicants will pay CAD 1,895. Family-class sponsorship fees climbed a more modest CAD 25 to CAD 570, and humanitarian or public-policy applicants now remit CAD 660.
For applicants and HR teams unsure how the new tariffs affect their particular case, VisaHQ can walk you through every step. The firm’s dedicated Canada portal (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) tracks live fee changes, produces compliant payment receipts, and offers concierge-level document review—helping organizations and individuals avoid costly rejections while staying within budget.
Although the increments look small in absolute terms, they arrive at a moment when many employers and prospective immigrants are already shouldering higher costs for biometrics, language tests and credential assessments. Consulting firms tell corporate mobility managers to audit budgets for intra-company transferees and graduate-hire programmes that include a PR pathway; a family of four sponsored by a Canadian subsidiary will now pay roughly CAD 2,700 in federal fees alone, before provincial levies and legal costs. Practically, employers with global transfer pipelines should verify that any offer letters or relocation packages referencing “old” PR fees are updated, because IRCC will return applications submitted with incorrect fee receipts.
Mobility teams also need to adjust cost projections in shadow-payroll models, as the fee hikes apply retroactively when a candidate adds a dependent between invitation and e-APR submission. The next automatic indexation is scheduled for April 2028, but officials note that Parliament could shorten the cycle if inflation remains elevated. Until then, companies should build a small contingency buffer into cost estimates for every PR case filed in Canada’s economically driven streams.
