Changes to Inadmissibility Fees

Ottawa, November 29, 2023 – On December 1, 2023, the following application fees for foreign nationals applying to regain their status or return to Canada after being inadmissible will be adjusted for inflation in accordance with the Service Fees Act (SFA):

These fees have been adjusted to account for the yearly rate of inflation since April 2018. They will continue to be adjusted annually for inflation every December 1.

Where service standards are not met, partial refunds, known as remissions, will be issued to applicants if IRCC receives their complete application on or after December 1, 2023. Our Departmental Remission Policy outlines all fees subject to the Service Fees Act, their service standards, and how and when refunds are issued when service standards are not met.

There is no need for a client to contact the department to request a remission. They will typically be issued by July 1 of the following fiscal year (April 1 to March 31) via the method of original payment, or by cheque for payments that are not made online.

Service Fees Act

In 2017, the Government of Canada replaced the User Fees Act with the SFA, which introduced the following requirements for a number of government services:

• fees are adjusted annually by the rate of inflation (Consumer Price Index) unless they are already subject to periodic adjustment with inflation
• all services have service standards
• partial refunds are issued to consumers/clients when service standards are not met

The SFA improves the transparency, accountability and predictability of government service fees, and will help ensure that fees remain current and reflect the costs of delivering services.

Associated links

• Fee list
• Departmental Remission Policy Pursuant to the Service Fee Act

Source: canada.ca