Canada Permanent Residency Fees Rise. What Express Entry and PNP Applicants Pay

(CANADA) – Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada raised permanent residency application fees across most categories on April 30, 2026, lifting costs for economic streams such as Express Entry and Provincial Nominee Programs, family sponsorships, business cases, humanitarian applications and permit holders.

IRCC announced the biennial adjustment on March 27, 2026 and tied the increases to inflation, higher administrative costs and heavier application volumes. Applicants who filed on or after April 30, 2026 must pay the new rates, while earlier filings keep the old pricing unless dependants are added later.

The new schedule raises the Right of Permanent Residence Fee to $600 from $575. That fee applies to most principal applicants and accompanying spouses or partners, with exemptions that include protected persons.

Economic immigration streams now carry a higher processing charge for principal applicants. The fee for programs including Express Entry and Provincial Nominee Programs rose to $990 from $950, an increase of $40.

Permit holders also face higher costs. Their processing fee rose to $390 from $375, while the permit holder total with the Right of Permanent Residence Fee increased to $990 from $975.

Family-class applications moved up as well. The sponsorship application fee now stands at $90, the sponsored principal applicant fee increased to $570 from $545, the accompanying spouse or partner fee rose to $660 from $635, and the dependent child fee increased to $180.

Business immigration saw the largest jump in dollar terms among the listed categories. The principal applicant fee climbed to $1,895 from $1,810, an increase of $85.

Humanitarian and protected-person categories were not spared. The fee for protected persons rose to $660 from $635, the humanitarian and compassionate category moved to $660 from $635, and the dependent child fee in humanitarian cases increased to $180 from $155.

Live-in caregiver and pilot streams also changed. The principal applicant and spouse fee in those pathways now stands at $660, up from $635, while the child fee is $180.

IRCC framed the latest increase as part of a biennial mechanism under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations. A previous fee increase took effect in April 2024, and the next adjustment is expected in April 2028.

The department’s fee changes arrive as Canada keeps large immigration targets in place. Canada admitted more than 1.4 million permanent residents since 2023, and it lists a target of 395,000 permanent residents for 2026.

Demand has remained high despite rising costs. Canada welcomed approximately 485,000 new permanent residents in 2025, while Indian nationals accounted for 118,095 permanent residency approvals in 2022, a rise of 260% from 2013.

Those figures help explain why categories tied to skilled migration draw close scrutiny. Express Entry, the Canadian Experience Class, the Federal Skilled Worker stream and Provincial Nominee Programs remain among the central routes to permanent residency for applicants seeking economic immigration.

Families filing together will feel the increases more sharply because the changes stack across each application line. Federal fees alone for a family of four applying through a Provincial Nominee Programs stream now come close to $3,200, before biometrics, medical exams or provincial charges are added.

Biometrics fees did not change in the accounting. Biometrics are $85 for an adult and $55 for a child.

Exchange rates add another layer for applicants paying from abroad. A Provincial Nominee Programs family application could add roughly Rs 5,000-15,000 for Indian families once the latest fee increases are converted.

Processing times remain part of the financial calculation because applicants often face long waits after filing. Backlogs mean processing can stretch from 6-24 months, though 80% of Express Entry processing was running under 6 months.

Canada is also opening another route for some workers already in the country. A one-time measure in 2026-2027 will accelerate permanent residency for up to 33,000 work permit holders, with the new fees applying to those cases as well.

The latest adjustments do not change the structure of the main programs, but they raise the upfront cost of entering them. In practical terms, a principal applicant in an economic class now faces the higher $990 processing charge, and most adults in successful cases will also owe the $600 Right of Permanent Residence Fee.

Applicants in family streams face a layered bill of their own. A sponsor pays the $90 sponsorship fee, then separate charges attach to the principal applicant, spouse or partner, and each dependent child.

Canada’s immigration mix remains broad even with the fee increases. The 2026-2028 plan emphasizes skilled workers, who are set to account for 58% of intake, and family immigration, which is listed at 22%.

Economic pathways still draw much of the attention because they connect labor demand with selection systems. Provincial Nominee Programs, which let provinces pick candidates for local labor markets, and Express Entry, which manages several federal economic classes, sit at the center of that system.

Applicants who submitted before April 30, 2026 avoided the new rates on their original filings. Anyone filing after that date, or adding dependants afterward, falls under the updated schedule.

Payments continue to move through IRCC’s online system by credit or debit card, and receipts remain available through an applicant’s IRCC account. The fee adjustments reflect an average rise of 3-5%, below the 12% increase cited for 2024.

Higher fees have not displaced Canada’s broader immigration push. Free language classes, job matching through settlement agencies and provincial incentives continue to support newcomers after arrival, while permanent residency remains the destination for workers, sponsored relatives and people in humanitarian streams.

That leaves applicants facing a more expensive entry point but not a narrower set of pathways. As of April 30, 2026, the bill is higher across nearly every route, from Express Entry and Provincial Nominee Programs to family sponsorship and humanitarian cases, and the added cost starts before a single file enters the queue.