The Right of Permanent Residence Fee is $600 CAD per adult, and it must be paid before Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) grants permanent resident status. Principal applicants owe it. So do accompanying spouses and common-law partners. Dependent children, protected persons, and a few other categories are exempt. The fee is separate from your application’s processing fee, and unlike the processing fee, it is refundable if your application is refused or withdrawn.
How Much You Pay
As of April 30, 2026, the fee is $600 per person. It went up from $575, so applicants who paid the older amount on a still-pending file may need to top up the difference.1Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Citizenship and Immigration Application Fees: Fee Changes
Do not confuse this with your processing fee. For economic immigration programs like Express Entry, the processing fee is $990 per adult, and IRCC’s fee schedule shows the combined total as $1,590 ($990 processing plus $600 RPRF). For spousal or partner sponsorship from abroad, the bundled total is $1,260, which covers the sponsorship fee, processing fee, and RPRF together.2Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Citizenship and Immigration Application Fees
The distinction matters at the end of your file. The processing fee is generally not refundable once IRCC begins reviewing your application; the RPRF is.
Who Owes the Fee
Every adult principal applicant for permanent residence owes the RPRF. If your spouse or common-law partner is included on your application, they owe a separate $600. This holds across the main streams:2Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Citizenship and Immigration Application Fees
- Economic immigration, including Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trades, Canadian Experience Class, the Provincial Nominee Program, the Atlantic Immigration Program, and rural or francophone community pilots.
- Family sponsorship of a spouse, partner, parent, or grandparent. The sponsored person pays the RPRF on top of the sponsorship and processing fees.
- Business immigration, including the federal and Quebec investor, entrepreneur, and self-employed programs.
Who Is Exempt
The exemptions are set out in Section 303 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations.3Justice Laws Website. Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations – Section 303 You owe no RPRF if you fall into one of these groups:
- Dependent children included on a principal applicant’s or sponsor’s application. A dependent child is someone under 22 who is not married or in a common-law relationship, or someone 22 or older who has depended financially on a parent since before age 22 because of a physical or mental health condition.
- Children being sponsored through an international adoption.4Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. What Is the Right of Permanent Residence Fee?
- Sponsored orphaned brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, or grandchildren who meet the dependent-child definition.
- Convention refugees and protected persons in Canada, along with their family members.
- Principal applicants approved on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.
If you believe you qualify, include documentation of the relationship or protected status with your application. Claiming an exemption you don’t qualify for will slow processing; paying a fee you didn’t owe means chasing a refund later.
When to Pay
You can pay the RPRF upfront with your processing fees, or wait until IRCC approves your application and asks for it. IRCC recommends paying upfront to avoid delays.4Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. What Is the Right of Permanent Residence Fee?
Whichever route you take, one rule is fixed: permanent resident status is not granted until the RPRF is paid. Your Confirmation of Permanent Residence won’t be issued, and your status won’t be finalized. Applicants who wait until after approval sometimes find their work permit or temporary status running out while they scramble to pay, which is why paying early is the safer choice.
How to Pay
Payment goes through IRCC’s online fee payment portal. You’ll need a credit card or a branded debit card that supports online transactions.5Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Citizenship and Immigration Application Fees: Pay Your Fees
On the portal, select “Permanent residence” as the application type, then pick the RPRF from the fee list. If you’re paying for yourself and a spouse, select the correct number of fees. IRCC emails a receipt once payment clears. Include a copy of that receipt with your application or upload it to your online account, and save a copy for yourself. Processing officers check the receipt against your file before issuing final approval.6Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Pay Your Application Fees Online
Refunds
The RPRF is refundable if your application is refused or you withdraw it, even after IRCC has begun processing.7Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Citizenship and Immigration Application Fees: Ask for a Refund
If you paid online, the refund is usually automatic after a refusal or withdrawal and takes two to eight weeks to reach your account. If eight weeks pass with no refund, you can request one manually through the IRCC web form using your receipt number. To withdraw an application after processing has started, submit a withdrawal request through the same web form; IRCC will follow up if it needs more information.8Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. If I Withdraw My Application, Will I Get a Refund?
If You Paid the Old Amount
If you paid $575 before April 30, 2026 and your file is still pending, your payment no longer covers the current fee. You can pay the $25 difference online, or ask IRCC to refund the original payment so you can start over at the current amount.9Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Pay Your Application Fees Online: FAQ For a refund request, email IRCC’s fee refunds address with your name, current address, receipt number, transaction date, amount paid, reason, and a copy of the receipt. If you don’t have the receipt number, give the first two and last four digits of the credit card you used along with its expiration date. Once the refund is processed, pay the full updated amount.
If You Can’t Afford the Fee
A federal loan program covers the RPRF for permanent residence applicants inside Canada who can show financial need and ability to repay. If you’re outside Canada, contact the Canadian embassy or consulate handling your case instead.10Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Application for the Right of Permanent Residence Fee Loan
Repayment begins one year after the loan is issued and runs in consecutive monthly installments. For loans of $1,200 or less, the maximum repayment period is 36 months, so a $600 RPRF loan on its own falls into that window.11Justice Laws Website. Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations – Section 291 The loan exists because the RPRF is the last thing standing between an approved applicant and permanent resident status, and paying it can’t be skipped.