Foreign students, workers, and immigrants at large are set to start paying more as Canada has increased immigration fees effective December 1, 2025.
The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced the new round of fees, meaning Canadian immigration applicants face higher costs for several key services.
According to IRCC, Canada increased immigration fees due to global inflation.
This was contained in an official notice posted on the official website of the IRCC.
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports Canada increased immigration fees across all ranges of applications.
The increment affected the International Experience Canada (IEC) work permit processing fees. The fee for the IEC program, which includes Working Holiday, Young Professionals, and International Co-op (Internship) streams, has risen from $179.75 CAD to $184.75 CAD.
While this might seem marginal, the cumulative cost of immigration processes, including biometrics and other necessary documentation, means that Canadian immigration applicants face higher costs in their total financial outlay.
The rising administrative cost is also evident in the Restoration of Status applications, a category for students and workers who have let their temporary permits expire.
The fee for authorization to return to Canada was increased from $479.75 to $492.50. The temporary resident permit fee was increased from $239.75 to $246.25.
Also, the criminal rehabilitation–inadmissibility due to criminality fee was increased from $239.75 to $246.25
Criminal rehabilitation — inadmissibility due to serious criminality fee was increased from $1,199.00 to $1,231.00.
The restoration of visitor status fee was increased from $239.75 to $246.25; the restoration of worker status fee, without a new work permit, was hiked from $239.75 to $246.25.
Similarly, restoration of worker status – with a new work permit fee was adjusted from $394.75 to $401.25; restoration of student status – without a new study permit fee was increased from $239.75 to $246.25; while restoration of student status – with a new study permit was increased from $389.75 to $396.25.
The notice reads in part: “Authorization to return to Canada: Those wanting to return to Canada after being asked to leave, must apply for an Authorization to Return to Canada to do so legally. These applications are typically submitted along with another application (such as a work or study permit application).
“Temporary resident permit: This document grants temporary entry into Canada for those who are inadmissible if they have a compelling reason to enter Canada and their need to do so outweighs their risk to Canadian society.
“Criminal rehabilitation: You must be admissible to Canada to enter. But if at least five years have passed since you’ve completed the sentence for which you were deemed inadmissible, you may be able to apply to have your past criminal history permanently wiped. The fee to do so depends on the nature of your offence(s), specifically if they fall under criminality or serious criminality.
“Restoration of visitor, student, or worker status: If your temporary resident status expires and you did not apply for an extension, you must either leave Canada or apply for restoration of status within 90 days of losing it.
“International Experience Canada fees
Under the IEC program, foreign nationals from select countries can get a Canadian work permit valid for up to two years through one of three categories:
Working Holiday.
Young Professionals.
International Co-op (Internship).
Regardless of category, all participants are required to pay the work permit processing fee to receive an IEC work permit. See how the IEC work permit fee has changed as of December 1:
Old fee New fee
$179.75 $184.75
To get an IEC work permit, eligible foreign nationals must submit a candidate profile to IRRC, enter one or more IEC candidate pools, and then receive an invitation to apply in the next invitation round.
“You cannot apply for an IEC work permit without an invitation. The IEC pools for the 2025 season are closed; to be considered for an IEC work permit, you can submit a profile when the pools open for the 2026 season.”
Meanwhile, IRCC announced that applicants who submitted an online application and paid the old fees before midnight on December 1 will not be affected by this change.
“Individuals who submitted a paper application before this date may have to pay the difference, due to the delay between the application being sent and received,” the notice added.
