Canada hikes permanent residence and citizenship fees

The federal government is increasing fees for all permanent residence (PR) applications, effective April 30, 2026.

Fees will similarly go up for citizenship applications (via the right of citizenship fee) as of March 31, 2026.

Consult with a lawyer at Cohen Immigration Law

The PR fee changes affect processing fees across every PR category, including economic programs like Express Entry and the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), family sponsorship, protected persons, and humanitarian and compassionate cases.

The Right of Permanent Residence Fee (RPRF) will also be increased.

If you applied online and paid the old fees before April 30 or March 31 (depending on your application), you won't be affected by these changes.

Those who mailed a paper application before this date may need to pay the difference, since there can be a delay between when you send it and when Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) receives it.

Below is a full list of the PR fees affected by this change.

IRCC will also raise the right of citizenship fee:

You can find the exact fee for your application using IRCC's online fee tool, which walks you through the correct amount based on your program and situation.

Important: if you deferred your RPRF payment

If you applied for PR before April 30 but chose to pay the RPRF later, you must pay the new amount of $600 — even if you already paid the processing fee at the old rate.

The RPRF is based on the amount in effect when you pay it, not when you applied.

I paid the old fee — what should I do?

If you applied online before April 30 (for PR applications) or March 31 (for citizenship applications), IRCC received your application and fees right away. You don't need to do anything.

If you mailed a paper application before the fee change, IRCC generally won't reject it as long as it was complete and sent before the relevant date.

However, if you do need to pay the difference between the old and new fees, IRCC will contact you with instructions.