Foreigners who wish to be permanent Canadian residents will have to pay more to do so.
This, as the government of Canada increased permanent residence fees last month. This was the first time that such increase happened since 2002, according to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Below is the new fee structure:
1. From $1,050, principal applicants applying for business class will now have to pay $1,575;
2. Fees for principal applicants applying to economic non-business class also increased from $550 to $825, but those under the Caregivers program were not affected by the hike;
3. Fees for spouses or common-law partners of all economic classes also jumped from $550 to $825, while the fees for their dependent children went up from $150 to $225; and
4. The right of permanent resident fee also rose from $490 to $500.
The updated fees took effect at 9 a.m. EDT on April 30. This is expected to remain until 2022.
Those who registered prior to this schedule won’t have to worry about the increase as the old fee structure will be applied to them. However, applications received on or after this time that do not have the updated fees will be returned to the applicant.