The aspiring Punjabi’s dream of permanent residency in Canada is about to get more expensive as Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced an increase in fees for some categories of applicants starting April 30. The Canadian government, in a report issued on March 30, has announced a nearly 12% hike in permanent residence fees effective from the end of this month.
As per the announcement, the permanent residence application fee will increase from CAD 515 to CAD 575, while application costs for federal skilled workers and Quebec skilled workers will increase from CAD 850 to CAD 950. The fee for accompanying a dependent child has also been raised from CAD 230 to CAD 260.
Similarly, the fees for the Live-in Caregiver Program, caregivers pilots (Home Child Provider Pilot and Home Support Worker Pilot), and their spouses or common-law partners have been hiked from CAD 570 to CAD 635, while the fee for accompanying a dependent child has risen from CAD 155 to CAD 175, the report further added.
The increase is based on the country's Immigrant and Refugee Protection Regulation (IRPR), which is calculated by taking into account Canada's Consumer Price Index. According to the report, this fee will be applicable between April 2024 and March 2026.
According to the report, more than 118,000 Indians settled in Canada under the permanent residency program in 2022, which is about 27 percent of the total new residents. China is behind India with only 31,841 permanent residents. As per recent reports, it is being said that the souring of diplomatic relations between India and Canada following Nijjar’s assassination could affect the number of applications in 2023.