Canada PR Fee Increase April 30, 2026: Submit Before the Deadline

If you are planning to apply for Canadian permanent residence, you have less than one month to act. On April 30, 2026, IRCC is increasing the fees for permanent residence applications across all economic immigration streams — including Express Entry, the Provincial Nominee Program, the Start-up Visa, and family sponsorship.

Applications submitted and paid before April 30 will be processed at the current fee. Applications paid on or after April 30 will be subject to the new, higher amount.

Which Programs Are Affected?

The fee increase applies broadly to permanent residence applications processed by IRCC. The programs most commonly affected include:

• Express Entry — Federal Skilled Worker, Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Trades
• Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) — All provincial streams that lead to a federal PR application
• Atlantic Immigration Program
• Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot
• Start-up Visa Program
• Family sponsorship — Spouses, partners, dependent children, parents and grandparents
• Caregiver programs

Fees for temporary residence applications (study permits, work permits, visitor visas) are not affected by this announcement.

Current vs. New Fees

As of this writing (April 2026), IRCC has confirmed the increase is scheduled for April 30 but has not published the exact new amounts in a final fee schedule. The current fees are:

Note: Always verify exact amounts at the time of submission on IRCC's official website. These figures are current as of April 2026.

What to Do If Your Application Is Almost Ready

If you are in the process of gathering documents or waiting on one more piece of your application, consider whether it's worth submitting with what you have by April 29 versus waiting until after the fee increase.

Generally:

• Express Entry: You cannot submit until you receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA). If you've received an ITA and are within your 60-day window, prioritize submitting before April 30.
• PNP applicants: If you've received your provincial nomination and are preparing your federal application, submit before April 30 to save on fees.
• Family sponsorship: If your undertaking is complete and documents are ready, April 29 is your target submission date.

The Bigger Picture: Rising Immigration Fees in 2026

The April 30 PR fee increase is part of a broader trend. Just weeks earlier, on April 1, 2026, Canada raised passport fees for the first time since 2013, and adjusted the Right of Citizenship fee. Immigration to Canada remains competitive and in demand — and IRCC is gradually aligning its fees with the administrative cost of processing millions of applications each year.

For applicants in the pipeline, the message is clear: act sooner rather than later. Filing costs are going up, and there is no indication that fees will be reduced in future cycles.

Frequently Asked Questions