Canada increases permanent residency fees by 12%

India has been an important source of permanent residents in Canada. However, aspiring immigrants seeking permanent residence in Canada are now facing higher fees as Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that fees for major immigration programs will rise by approximately 12% starting at the end of this month.

“Permanent residence (PR) fees will increase on April 30, 2024 at 9:00:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time by the cumulative percentage increase in the Canadian Consumer Price Index published by Statistics Canada for the preceding two years, rounded to the nearest Close to five dollars,” the Department of Citizenship and Immigration said in a notice.

Recently, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acknowledged the challenges posed by the increase in temporary immigrants entering the North American country and said he has Beyond Canada’s absorptive capacity, situation needs to be “under control”.

Canadian permanent residency is similar to obtaining a U.S. green card and is a path to Canadian citizenship.

Effective April 30, the “Permanent Residency Fee” will increase from CAD 515 to CAD 575, in line with the rate of inflation.

This fee is payable at the time of application, except for dependent children.

Fees for various permanent residence immigration programs, including the federal Skilled Worker Program and the Provincial Nominee Program, will also increase from CAD 850 to CAD 950.

A traveling spouse or common-law partner will face the same fee increase, while the fee for accompanying dependent children will increase from CAD 230 to CAD 260.

India dominates immigration

According to the Indian government website, India continues to be Canada’s main source of immigrants, with more than 118,000 Indians expected to obtain “permanent resident” (PR) status by 2022, accounting for 27% of the total PR granted.

On the other hand, China, as the second largest source of immigrants, has fewer immigrants. Only 31,841 Chinese (7%) became new permanent residents,

The cost of the family reunification program will also increase, with the sponsorship fee rising from CAD 75 to CAD 85.

The application fee for the principal applicant will increase from CAD 490 to CAD 545.

Over the next three years, the goal is to reduce the number of temporary residents to 5% of Canada’s total population.

Regarding permanent residents, Canada plans to welcome 485,000 new immigrantsplanning to increase to 500,000 in 2025 and 2026.

Immigration Minister Mark Miller announced plans to expand immigration to include temporary and permanent residents starting this fall.

in January, Canada announces immediate two-year cap on international students Permits and a freeze on certain postgraduate work visas have limited the number of new immigrants amid a growing housing crisis.

The move, expected to reduce study permit approvals by 35 per cent to about 360,000 in 2024, comes as the federal government faces growing pressure over concerns that its ambitious immigration targets are exacerbating a national housing shortage .