Canada hikes immigration fees
Canada will raise permanent‑residence and citizenship application fees starting March 31 and April 30, 2026 — a direct cost increase for applicants and a new point to factor into relocation or relocation‑support negotiations. At the same time, provincial immigration allocations are being increased by about a third for 2026, which could widen talent supply while keeping the market competitive. (m.economictimes.com) (cicnews.com)
Right of permanent residence fees were raised by program-specific amounts, including a $25 increase to the Right of Permanent Residence Fee from $575 to $600 for principal applicants. (canada.ca) The “right of citizenship” fee for adult applicants was bumped $3.25 from $119.75 to $123 while the adult citizenship grant processing fee remains $530. (canada.ca) Program-level processing fees changed as follows: Provincial Nominee Program processing rose $40 (from $950 to $990), Business program processing rose $85 (from $1,810 to $1,895), Family-class principal applicant fees rose $25 (from $545 to $570), Protected Persons and humanitarian cases rose $25 (from $635 to $660), and Permit‑holders processing rose $15 (from $375 to $390). (canada.ca) The federal 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan assigns 91,500 Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) admissions for 2026—up from 55,000 in 2025, a ~66% increase that restores PNP capacity close to 2023–24 levels. (cicnews.com) A provincial nomination confers an extra 600 Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points to an Express Entry profile, effectively guaranteeing a federal Invitation to Apply when a PNP nomination is issued. (canada.ca) The headline fee changes add CAD 68.25 of direct federal charges for a candidate who pays the new Right of Permanent Residence Fee (+$25), a PNP processing rise (+$40) and the higher right‑of‑citizenship charge (+$3.25), and applicants who deferred paying the RPRF until final processing must pay the higher RPRF even if the application was filed before the increase. (canada.ca) Labour-market compliance and hiring costs remain material: employers are legally responsible for the $1,000 LMIA processing fee when applicable, and many Canadian tech employers routinely include relocation assistance that covers visa or permit support, flights and temporary housing in hiring packages. (lawyerinfo.ca)
