On April 30th, 2022, the Canadian Government announced that they would increase the immigration fee for applicants to account for inflation. For the first time in about two years, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will be increasing the fees for permanent resident applicants. The fees, however, appear to be not that high but can accumulate if you have an accompanying spouse, common-law partner, or a dependent child/children. It is important to be aware of the price hike so that when you’re submitting your application and paying fees, you are well-versed of the difference. 

The Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada, also known as the IRCC, has stated that they will be implementing these hikes every two years to adjust for growing the program and service delivery costs. It is important to note that the fees for permanent resident cards and permanent resident travel documents will not be increasing. 

Here is a comparative table that states the price hike for every program and its different applicants. Keep this table handy for reference: 

In addition to the above-mentioned prices, you may have to pay a fee of  $500 as the right of permanent residence fee, which will now go up to $515, post April 30th. This fee is payable when you submit your application or when your application is approved. This fee is payable only by immigrants who get their applications approved. In case an immigrant’s application is denied, the fee will be refunded to them. This being said, the ‘Right of Permanent Residence Fee’ ought to be paid for an immigrant’s permanent residency status to be activated. 

To Whom Is The Right Of Permanent Residence Fee Not Applicable? 

• Dependent children of the applicant or sponsor, 
• Sponsored applications for an orphaned brother, sister, grandchild, nephew, niece, etc. 
• Applicants eligible on the grounds of humanitarian and compassionate grounds, and convention refugees who come under the ‘Protected Person’ program, and
• Sponsorship applications for adopted children. 

Immigration Fees From The POV Of Government Revenues: 

The Canadian Government secured over $1.3 billion from over 70 user fees in the year 2019-2020. Out of this, the permanent residence fees represented almost 23% of total IRCC revenue in fees. The fees collected by IRCC represent about half of the entire revenue fee collected by Canada’s Government. Even after the fee hike comes into play, Canada’s fees will remain competitive compared to other countries like the USA, Australia, New Zealand, and England. Many of these countries have much higher fees! 

Supporting a cost-effective approach for financing government programs, the Canadian Government ensures that most of these costs are covered by people who avail these services and not taxpayers. Program processing and management, internal services, and delivery partner costs are associated with service delivery. Being well informed about the status of your fee or any other clause of your application will help you go through your application process smoothly. 

At Chaudhary Law, our highly experienced immigration lawyers are passionate about working on your application in the most effective way possible for a stress-free process. Knowing what forms to submit for your application can be complex since you will come across numerous terms that you aren’t familiar with. This is where our immigration lawyers come in. All you need to do is provide us with all the legal documents that you will be asked for, all the legal work will be smoothly handled by us to make sure that your immigration status is approved without any hurdles. 

Get in touch with us at Chaudhary Law to book your consultation and take your application ahead with one of the most competent immigration lawyers in the market at your service!