(Updated April 2020)
Welcome to the “How to immigrate to Canada” series, ten articles covering the basics—immigration categories, rights and duties as a permanent resident, first steps as a newcomer and more.
Browse these articles for more info on immigrating to Canada.
Did you find the right immigration category and check your eligibility? Are you getting ready to fill out your permanent residence application? Good job!
But wait—can you afford it?
You probably already know or suspect you will have to pay an application processing fee and the right of permanent residence fee. But did you budget for other associated expenses?
In this article, I will give you an overview of how much you should budget when applying for permanent residence in Canada. All amounts are in Canadian dollars.
The application processing fee
The fee depends on your immigration category.
- For business immigration (Quebec business immigration, Self-employed people, and Start-up visa), the processing fee is $1050.
- For economic immigration, including Express Entry (Atlantic immigration pilot, Canadian experience class, Live-in Caregiver Program, Home Child Care Provider Pilot [without the work permit fee], Home Support Worker Pilot [without the work permit fee], Federal skilled workers, Federal skilled trades, Provincial nominee, Rural and northern immigration pilot and Quebec-selected skilled workers), the processing fee is $550.
- For humanitarian and compassionate, the fee is $550.
- For spouse, partner or children sponsorship, the fee is $550.
For more details, check out the Fee list.
The Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ) fee
Applicants who plan to settle in Quebec must apply for a Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ). The fee is $812 for the principal applicant, $174 for a spouse, and $174 for each child.
The right of permanent residence fee
All landed immigrants in Canada must pay the right of permanent residence fee (RPRF), which is $490 per person.
Note that the RPRF can be refunded if your application is denied or if you withdraw it. This is the only refundable fee.
Other application-related fees
- If your supporting documents (i.e. diplomas, certifications, etc.) are not in French or English, you must hire an authorized translator and provide a translation.
- You must include several photographs and the rules are quite specific (yes, Canadians are weird with passport pictures!). Depending on where you live, it adds up. In Canada, it cost about $14 for two pics—not cheap if you immigrate as a family!
- You may need to have your foreign degrees recognized in Canada. This is called a credential evaluation only designated organizations such as World Education Services can perform the assessment. The recommended ECA evaluation is $220.
- If English or French isn’t the official language in your country of citizenship, you will have to have your language abilities tested. This is one of the six selection factors for skilled workers. The language proficiency test must be administered by an approved organization, for example, IELTS (around $320) and CELPIP ($265) for English, or the TEF for French ($440).
- A medical exam is mandatory for each applicant and their dependents (spouse, children) and it must be performed by a panel physician. Two fees must be paid—the exam fee and the X-ray fee. Fees vary greatly so ask around. In 2005, I paid $100 for the medical exam and $100 for the X-ray in an Ottawa clinic.
Miscellaneous fees to budget for
- Travelling expenses from your city to your local Canadian visa office, typically located in world capitals. You may have to show up in person if an interview is required. Similarly, you may have to travel to the nearest panel physician for your medical exam.
- Passport fees, since you will need a valid passport issued by your country of citizenship to travel to Canada.
Unnecessary expenses
Don’t splurge for an immigration consultant! As I explained in Two Immigration Myths, most applicants don’t need to hire an immigration lawyer or an immigration consultant—it’s money wasted.
Immigration representatives typically charge from $1000 to $5000 (but the sky is the limit!). Save money, learn to Google.
Don’t forget you need savings on top of all these fees and expenses
If you apply in the skilled worker category, you will have to prove that you have enough funds to support yourself and your family for the first few months following your arrival in Canada. For one person, it’s $12,960, and up to $27,315 for a family of five.
Good luck!
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Just wondering and I can’t seem to find an answer, my girlfriend (she’s american) always comes to Canada with her car, so she have the ”passport card”, do she needs to apply for the book version or it does the same?
I have no idea what a “passport card” is!
Hi Zhu,
I’m going through the paper work to apply for Canadian immigration. i and my wife. I will apply in the skilled category, but i do not yet have a job offer.
How much money I’m required to show and at what stage i need to provide proof of funds? Also, if i do not have sufficient money now, can i borrow from family to meet the requirements, but return it as soon as i’ve got the immigration approval? Many thanks. Amber
On top of my head, I don’t know. You’d better check official sources, like http://www.cic.gc.ca.
Hi zhu ..how are you.and thank you for all your support on here .i would like to ask you about the immigration to morden ..is there any chance to immigrate from lebanon ..and how mush it gonna cost me ..i qork in restaurant feeld as a manager international food and my wife had a phd in arabic language ..
You can find all the info online, on official Government of Canada websites.
I want to transfer to Canada in future. Now I m studying in high school. Should I first get my bachelor’s degree here and pursue my further studies in Canada or should migrate to Canada just after High School.
I doubt you can apply for immigration straight out of high school as you probably won’t qualify 🙂 However, depending on your field of study, you could qualify after gaining work experience.
am really interested in migrating to canada. am married with a 3yrs old daughter. i don’t want to go through the consultants because their fees are outrageous. am a graduate like wise my husband. Where do i start from?
Doing research online 🙂
You can check out CIC’s website, all the info you need is available.
Hi ZHU
I have been reading a lot about Campbell & Cohen Law firm. Do you know them? Any recommendation? I am a bit confused on where to start with the immigration process.
I am currently living in Dubai along with my wife.
Appreciate your feedback.
Thanks,
Hi,
I don’t know them at all. Generally, if your case is straightforward, I don’t recommend using a law firm. Most immigrant handle the paperwork themselves.
Hello, I live in Bangladesh , My husband lives in Canada with valid post graduation work permit, he is working in Calgery as a A grade skilled worker. For the second time I have applied for visit visa Canada and both of the time I got rejected. I am almost broken. Please suggest me something so that I can get the visa without getting rejected.
This is completely out of my realm, I am not qualified to give immigration advice and I don’t know your case at all. I would suggest asking a professional or trying to figure out the reasons for the denial, which should be stated.
I live in India. I am planning to immigrate to canada following my wife. But I want to get selected by a company before I apply for PR Visa. Same goes with my wife. What are the possible options and do I need to have settlement funds even after having a job there before I immigrate? Kindly suggest
Getting a job offer without having a valid work visa is very difficult. You should check your options online, at Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Good luck!
Hi,
Im having 7+ years of experience in Software industry, I have done post graduation degree in Computer Science,
i want to work in CANADA, can u please guide me.
Sunil
I’d advise you to do research online, Canada offers many free resources to check the various immigration programs.
i am a Nigerian and i am currently doing my msc in Malaysia and i want to migrate to Canada but do not the processes involved and beside i have a work experience but it is not in my field of specialization and i need to know what it requires of me
You need to see if you would be eligible. For this, Government of Canada’s website about immigration is your starting point.
Im michael maravilla, im 43 years old. Im graduate of associate marine transportation @ Philippine Maritime Institute colleges in sta crus manila Philippines. And my second course is bachelor of Science computer science @ collegeo de portavaga college @ imus cavite Philippines.
Im currently living here in Philippine (my country)
Im working as customer service representative in call center @ BPO company, and may second job is realty sales manager in 8years and 10months.
Im married with 2 children.
I want to know if im qualified to live or work in canada with my family. As of now,I dont have enough money. I woul like to know if you have a program like fly now pay later? Thank you so much.
Don’t ask me, take the eligibility test online and see if you qualify!
There is no “fly now pay later” program.
Hi ZHU.
I’m a irish citizen, and am a permanent resident of Australia. My wife a citizen of both New Zealand and Australia, and her brother is living as a permanent resident of Canada. We would like to move to Canada as well. I was wondering in your opinion would it be better to go for the family visa or skilled worker, I am a qualified carpenter with 12 years experience and my wife is studying accounting.
I can’t see how either of you would be eligible for a family visa. Sibling sponsorship can be done but I don’t think you’d meet the criteria: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/sponsor/relatives-apply-who.asp So your one option would be to try to qualify as a skilled worker.
Hello Zhu. How are you?
I’m Antarix from India and looking to migrate to Canada. I didn’t complete my graduation and did start to work due unwanted circumstances. I have a total work experience of more than 8 years. Will i be eligible to migrate to Canada and get a permanent residence card? I am married and have a son of 2 years.
My wife is a graduate and has work experience of more than 3 years.
May you guide me on which will be the most eligible way to apply for PR in Canada?
My best advice would be to check out the website of Citizenship and Immigration. All the various immigration programs are explained and you can see if you qualify in any of the categories. Good luck!
Hello Zhu,
Thanks for all the info. Please give me the authentic website which will not require any payments to immigration lawyers for migration to Canada. I am from Nigeria
http://www.cic.gc.ca
Hello, I was born in Canada and I’m married to a Ukrainian. We applied in-Canada for her PR status in early August 2016 through a reputable Vancouver law firm. Our case was fairly straight forward and my question is: in your experience, how long does “initial approval” so we get to the “in process” stage take? That is the stage where we can apply for a work visa, travel outside Canada, etc.
A year or two, from what I’ve heard around me. It’s a slow process.
Hello zhu; this is sarah from pakistan i am an undergraduate medical student and i will be graduated in 2 years of a complete 5 years degree program of Doctor of physical therapy.. Can you please guide me how can I apply for immigration and persuade my career there.. Thank you:)
You should check the official website to get an idea of the process. Look for Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
Hi Zhu, we are a married couple with a 6 year old son. We are trying to move to the Usa but doesn’t look like it’s happening. We are still trying our luck with the EB5 approach. We thinking of that doesn’t happen we might try our luck with Canada. We have 500k USD cash for this purpose. What would be our best bet? Would that be enough to move us to Canada? Please keep in mind that we do not qualify for any skilled worker visas. Please let us know what our options are? And how long would it take for us to move? We are Kuwaiti citizens.
Thanks
Zbug
You can look at your options on the website of Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Processing times depends on your application, visa category and visa office. At the very minimum, it takes a year, most often several years.
Your Comment
Hello ZHU, I am a Nigerian married with children 13,10 and 7 am a truck driver with over 18years of working experience.I want to migrate to Canada with my family .I also can provide enough funds to support myself and my farmily.where exactly can I get the PR immigrant form because I don’t want to go through an attorney.I have been to http://WWW.CIC.GC. but I can’t find the form because after filling the assessment form and opun submittion I will only be reffered to an attorney.please help me.
kind regards
John Tamuno E.
All the forms you need are online at http://www.cic.gc.ca. You don’t need an attorney to provide them to you, you can download them.
Hi Zhu,
Thanks for the great advise you’ve provided so far. I’m about to apply for the PR card for Canada and was contemplating using an agent as I messed up the application a year ago.
My wife and I have both recently completed the IELTS test and passed and I’ve had my degree in Computer engineering accredited by Toronto University.
What I would like to know are the following:-
1) Where I can have the photographs taken as the measurements are quite specific.
2) Did you use the new Express Entry system
3) If you did, what was the experience like?
4) Did you have your police checks and medicals done before applying?
I’m currently an IT service delivery manager on a two year MSC degree with two kids over 10.
Hi,
I can’t help you with the express entry process. It didn’t exist when I immigrated over ten years ago, so I’m not up-to-date with technicalities.
I had my medicals done before applying, that’s how it works in the sponsorship process (my immigration category back then). I had them done in Ottawa by an accredited doctor. I got my police certificate from France before applying to if I remember correctly.
For the photographs, your best bet is probably to take the requirements (i.e. measurements) with you and go see a photograph. Canada take these requirements VERY seriously (we have the same issue with passports!)
Okay thanks for getting back to me with regards to the above questions.
we’re a family of 3..new mom..met as expats in a middle eastern country..and now that baby is born we came back to my country Morocco..as we both are english speakers and I am a bit of a french speaker we thought it’d be better to move to canada where we can both work and provide and most of all have a decent lifestyle..
issue is as we’re starting from 0 we can’t seem to afford a lawyer or travel consultant..we have like a year or 2 to collect money for the fees and living cost for the couple first months..but meanwhile I’d like to educate myself on how to find a job and cheapest/easiest ways to get a family visa..
if You can assist with classifued websites where we can search for jobs..and if you can advise whether employers hold interviews through skype..
Do a search on the blog, in the category “working in Canada” 🙂
hi ZHU – are the fees for a skilled worker visa and a spousal sponsorship visa the same? i can’t work it out from the immigration site. my husband (australian) is trying to work out the cheapest visa :). we afre living in australia, have 2 kids, and are moving to canada later this year (i’m canadian). i think the spouse visa will be the easiest, do you agree?
I agree, sponsorship would probably be faster and easier. Fees are the same as far as I can remember.
I wanna go to Canada but I’m single, No family at all. Please; Assess me. Please?
You have to research your options online, I can’t “assess” you.
Hi,
I am 24 years old from India and I plan to settle in Canada. I have done B.Tech in Electronics and currently have 2.5 Years of experience in IT industry. Please can you guide as to first should i apply for PR Visa or Work Permit Visa?
Work permit are notoriously difficult to get so if you qualify, I’d go for the PR directly.
Hello, myself Rizwan currently working in Saudi Arabia one year left for my contract to end. How i can come Canada without appearing IELTs and work in Canada or get Permanent residency.How to plan for setting up goals to work in canada and how much total expenses i have to bear.
Thanks
You need to check the Government of Canada website on immigration.
Hello I’m currently working as a training doctor in Qatar, I want to do my training in Canada, I think the only way is to immigrate first then apply for training, I read online that jobs for doctors or training spots are less, is that true? and would that affect my application.
I can’t comment on this, I don’t know anything about the medical field.
thanks ZHU for raising my hope on been able to immigrate to Canada without Lawyer or Consultant cost, but can you talk more on it, i cannot find where you wrote on that. thanks
hi..im confused on filling the application detais on the “country ot territory of issue” and what will be the right thing to put on the application.. my passport is issued at our embassy in UAE Dubai but my passport is a Philippine passport… my passport on that time was renewed in the country of U.A.E. but if im gonna look on the other hand technically im a Philippine Passport holder…
I don’t know.
We vount go to Canada I and my partnerin don’t have any relevant experience we work in most places . We have three boys 18, 13,and 7 years.
Hi there, I’m currently staying in New Zealand on my work permit. I did study here level 5 and 6 in business and management advance. Now I’m planing to transfer to Canada. I want to apply for a student visa but in quite different stream, probably in photography degree. What do you reckon? Can I apply for it or the course should be relevant to my previous study.
Cheers
Shouldn’t you be accepted by a university in a specific program first? I don’t know much about student visas.
What is the minimum ielts score you need to have for skilled workers
6.0 in each Module !!!