Canada PR Fees Increase April 30: What to Do Before the Deadline

Permanent residence fees are increasing tomorrow. On April 30, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is raising processing fees across nearly every PR program category — and the rate that applies to your application is set by the date you submit, not the date IRCC approves it. If your application is complete and ready to go, filing today saves real money. For a couple applying through Ontario’s Provincial Nominee Program, the difference between submitting today and tomorrow is $130.

What’s Changing and By How Much

Under Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, permanent residence fees are adjusted every two years based on the cumulative percentage increase in Canada’s Consumer Price Index. IRCC confirmed the following increases on its official notice page at canada.ca:

• Right of Permanent Residence Fee (RPRF): $575 → $600 (+$25 per person)
• Provincial Nominee Program (processing): $950 → $990 (+$40)
• Family Class (processing): $545 → $570 (+$25)
• Business Class (processing): $1,810 → $1,895 (+$85)
• Protected Persons (processing): $635 → $660 (+$25)
• Humanitarian and Compassionate / Public Policy (processing): $635 → $660 (+$25)
• Permit Holders Class (processing): $375 → $390 (+$15)

The RPRF increase applies on top of the program-specific processing fee for most applicants — so the total increase is the sum of both. A principal applicant going through the Provincial Nominee Program currently pays $950 (processing) + $575 (RPRF) = $1,525 total. Starting April 30, that same application costs $990 + $600 = $1,590, an increase of $65. Add a spouse on the same application and you are looking at $130 more for the household.

Family class applicants sponsoring a spouse or partner from outside Canada face a combined $50 increase per applicant: $25 on the processing fee and $25 on the RPRF.

What This Means If You Are in the Process Right Now

The fee that applies is the fee in effect on the day IRCC receives your application — not the day you began preparing it, and not the day it gets approved. If you submit through IRCC’s online portal today, April 29, the current fee schedule applies. If you submit on April 30 or later, the new rates apply automatically.

There is no way to appeal a fee increase after the fact, and IRCC does not offer refunds of the difference if fees change while your application is in processing. The submission date is what locks in your rate.

This matters most to three groups of applicants:

1. Workers in Ontario with a PNP nomination who are preparing their permanent residence application through the OINP’s employer job offer streams. If you received an Invitation to Apply and have been gathering your documents, check whether you can submit before midnight tonight.
2. Express Entry candidates who have received an Invitation to Round (ITA) and are within their 60-day application window. If your application is substantially complete, submitting early can save you $65 per adult applicant.
3. Sponsors applying for a spouse, partner, or dependent child from outside Canada or another country. Family class fees are also going up. If you have an outland or inland sponsorship application that you have been finalizing, today’s the day to submit if you can.

What to Check Before You Submit

Rushing an incomplete application to beat a fee deadline can cause more problems than the fee increase itself. A returned or refused application does not guarantee a refund of the application fee, and an incomplete submission can cost you significant processing time. Before you submit today, confirm:

1. Your documents are complete. Every required form, schedule, and supporting document must be included. For PNP applicants, this includes your nomination certificate, work permit, employment records, biometrics (if not already on file), police certificates, and medical exam results where required.
2. You are within your eligibility window. PNP nominations and ITA letters have expiry dates. Confirm your nomination or ITA is still valid before submitting.
3. The correct fee amount is entered in your portal. IRCC’s Permanent Residence Portal calculates fees automatically based on your program and applicant count. Verify the amount shown matches the current schedule before payment.
4. You have received your medical results. For most applicants, the medical examination must be completed and results received by IRCC before or at the time of submission. Check whether your IME results are already in the system.

If your application is not ready today, submit it correctly rather than prematurely. The extra $65 is real money, but a refused application or a significant processing delay costs considerably more.

If You Are Not in the Process Yet

If you are still exploring your options — whether you are a national living in Canada on a work permit, a Canadian citizen thinking about sponsoring a family member, or someone in your home country considering their pathway to Canada — the April 30 fee increase does not affect you today. What it does is establish the new baseline you will be budgeting against when you do apply.

The increases are modest, and they do not change any eligibility criteria or affect how IRCC assesses applications. What matters most is choosing the right pathway for your specific situation and preparing a complete, well-documented application — not racing a fee deadline before you are ready.

That said, if you have been sitting on the fence about booking a consultation, now is a reasonable time to get your assessment done and understand your options before additional changes arrive. The OINP is also undergoing a significant restructuring with existing streams closing on May 30, 2026 — another reason to get a clear picture of where you stand sooner rather than later.

Book your free assessment to discuss your options.