Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations

r. 303 Fee — $500

PART 19 Fees
DIVISION 4 Right of Permanent Residence
Fees

Last verified: June 2026 · Source: justice.gc.ca

The law says

IRPR r. 303

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(1)A fee of $500 is payable by a person for the acquisition of permanent resident status.

Indexation

(1.1)The fee set out in subsection (1) shall be indexed at 09:00:00 a.m. Eastern daylight time on April 30, 2022, and every two years after that on April 30 at that same time, in accordance with the cumulative percentage increase to the Consumer Price Index for Canada, published by Statistics Canada, for the two previous years, rounded to the nearest five dollars.

Exception

(2)The following persons are not required to pay the fee referred to in subsection (1):

(a)a person who is a family member of a principal applicant and is a dependent child referred to in paragraph (b) or (c) of the definition family member in subsection 1(3);
(b)a principal applicant who is a foreign national referred to in paragraph 117(1)(b), (f) or (g);
(b.1)a principal applicant in Canada who has made an application in accordance with section 66 and is a dependent child of a permanent resident or of a Canadian citizen;
(b.2)a member of the permit holder class who is a dependent child of
(i)a member of the permit holder class who has made an application to remain in Canada as a permanent resident, or
(ii)a permanent resident or a Canadian citizen;
(c)a protected person within the meaning of subsection 95(2) of the Act who has applied to remain in Canada as a permanent resident, and their family members;
(c.1)a person who is a member of the protected temporary residents class and is described in paragraph 151.1(2)(b) and the family members included in their application;
(d)a person who is a member of the Convention refugees abroad class, and the family members included in their application; and
(e)a person who is a member of a humanitarian-protected persons abroad class, and the family members included in their application.

Payment

(3)The fee referred to in subsection (1) is payable

(a)in the case of an application by or on behalf of a person for a permanent resident visa, before the visa is issued; and
(b)in the case of an application by or on behalf of a foreign national to remain in Canada as a permanent resident, before the foreign national becomes a permanent resident.

Remission

(4)The fee referred to in subsection (1) is remitted if the person does not acquire permanent resident status, in which case the fee shall be repaid by the Minister to the person who paid it.

Transitional — subsection (4)

(5)For the purpose of subsection (4), if the fee was paid before the day on which this subsection comes into force, the amount to be remitted and repaid — except to the extent otherwise remitted — is $975.

Transitional — remission

(6)Despite subsections (4) and (5), in the case where the fee of $975 was paid in accordance with paragraph (3)(a), a portion of that fee in the amount of $485 is remitted and shall be repaid — except to the extent otherwise remitted — by the Minister to the person who paid the fee if

(a)the person in respect of whom the fee was paid has, on or before the day on which this subsection comes into force, not yet acquired permanent resident status and they are a person referred to in any of paragraphs 117(1)(a), (c), (d) or (h); or
(b)the person in respect of whom the fee was paid acquires permanent resident status on or after the day on which this subsection comes into force and they are not a person referred to in any of paragraphs 117(1)(a), (c), (d) or (h).

Provisions this one cites

IRPA Authority

IRPA s. 95

Amendment History (2)

SOR/2004-167, s. 74; SOR/2005-61, s. 8; SOR/2006-89, s. 1; SOR/2011-222, s. 10
SOR/2020-45, s. 3

Justice Laws is the authoritative version. If this copy and it ever differ, Justice Laws wins.

Sections numbered under r. 303

Each of these is its own section of the Regulations, numbered after section 303.

IRPR r. 303.1

Fee — $230

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What that means

An employer hiring through the streams that skip the labour market test pays $230 for the offer itself. The employer pays before the worker files a permit application, and again on a renewal. The fee is charged per offer of employment, not per employer. It is refunded if the work permit is refused, or if the employer pulls the offer and asks for the money back before the permit issues. Offers made at the same time to a group of three or more performing artists and their staff cost $690 in total.

The law says

(1)A fee of $230 is payable by an employer who has made an offer of employment to

(a)a foreign national in respect of work described in section 204 or 205;
(b)a foreign national described in section 207; or
(c)a foreign national referred to in paragraph (a) or (b) who makes an application for renewal of a work permit.

Payment of fees

(2)The fee referred to in subsection (1) is payable before the foreign national to whom the offer of employment is made makes an application for a work permit or an application for renewal of the work permit.

(3)[Repealed, SOR/2019-174, s. 15]

(4)[Repealed, SOR/2019-174, s. 15]

Exception

(4.1)An employer who is exempt from the application of sections 209.11 and 209.2 under section 209.91 is not required to pay the fee referred to in subsection (1).

Exception

(5)An employer is not required to pay the fee referred to in subsection (1) if the offer of employment is made to a foreign national — other than a person referred to in paragraph 299(2)(i) — who under subsection 299(2) is not required to pay a fee for processing an application for a work permit.

Remission

(6)The fee referred to in subsection (1) is remitted, and must be repaid by the Minister to the person who paid it, if

(a)the work permit is refused; or
(b)the employer withdraws the offer of employment and requests a remission before the work permit is issued.

Maximum fee

(7)The total amount of fees payable under subsection (1) by an employer who has made offers of employment to a group of three or more foreign nationals, consisting of performing artists and their staff, is $690, if those offers are made at the same time.

IRPR r. 303.2

Fee — $100

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What that means

When no employer and no job offer is behind your permit, you pay the $100 privilege fee yourself, which is charged for the rights a work permit gives. It applies to people doing work that skips the labour market test without a specific offer. It also applies to certain in-Canada situations with no offer, and to family members in one of those cases. Most people exempt from the work permit processing fee are exempt from this one too. Student and young worker exchange participants (r.299(2)(i)) are the exception. They are exempt only when an international agreement allows no fee but a participation fee. The fee is refunded if the permit is refused or you withdraw before it issues.

The law says

(1)A fee of $100 is payable by a person for the rights and privileges conferred by means of a work permit if that person is

(a)a foreign national who intends to perform work described in section 204 or 205 but does not have an offer of employment to perform that work;
(b)a foreign national described in paragraph 207(b) who does not have an offer of employment; or
(c)a family member of a foreign national referred to in paragraph (b).

Exceptions

(2)The following persons are not required to pay the fee referred to in subsection (1):

(a)a person — other than a person referred to in paragraph 299(2)(i) — who under subsection 299(2) is not required to pay a fee for processing an application for a work permit;
(b)a person referred to in paragraph 299(2)(i) who intends to perform work under an international agreement between Canada and one or more countries, if the agreement
(i)prohibits the payment of a fee other than a participation fee, and
(ii)is in force at the time that the person makes an application for a work permit or for renewal of the work permit; and
(c)[Repealed, SOR/2017-78, s. 11]