Credit Canada has released a lot of content aimed at newcomers to Canada. This content covered many of the financial challenges/barriers that they face and provided some potential solutions.
While immigrating to Canada can be a great way to help provide a stable future for your family, the decision to change citizenship and become a permanent resident of a new country may require a lot of capital.
In a recent interview with immigration lawyer and founder of immigration.ca Colin Singer, Credit Canada CEO Bruce Sellery discussed the cost of immigrating to Canada.
Let’s talk about the costs associated with immigrating to Canada and answer some common questions newcomers may have.
How Much Should Prospective Newcomers to Canada Set Aside for Immigration Costs?
As an immigration lawyer, Colin Singer strongly recommends being financially prepared for the costs of immigrating to Canada. In total, he says that a family of four applying to become permanent residents of Canada should have about $6,000 Canadian.
Beyond that, immigrants need to demonstrate that they can absorb the financial challenges of the first six months of acclimating to Canada. A family of four would “need to show $25,000 liquid in a bank account with a six-month historical highway” to accomplish this according to Singer.
That places the total amount of money a family of four would need at around $31,000 CDN.
Examples of Immigration Costs
So, what are some of the specific immigration cost categories that Canadians need to prepare for? Examples of Immigration costs include:
Application Fees
There are numerous fees that can be part of an Express Entry or Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) application. Please note that fees can change depending on the type of immigration program you’re applying for.
Some examples of application fees found in the Express Entry program include:
- Application Fees:
- Business immigration application fee: $2,140 ($1,625 without permanent residence fee)
- Include spouse/partner: $1,365 ($850 without permanent residence fee)
- Include dependent child: $230/child
- Economic immigration (including Express Entry) fee: $1,365 ($850 without permanent residence fee)
- Include spouse/partner: $1,365 ($850 without permanent residence fee)
- Include dependent child: $230/child
- Business immigration application fee: $2,140 ($1,625 without permanent residence fee)
- Family sponsorship fees:
- Sponsoring a relative 22 years of age or older is $1,080 (includes a $75 sponsorship fee, a $490 principal applicant processing fee, and a $515 permanent residence fee)
- Sponsoring your spouse or partner when you’re in Canada is $1,080 (includes a $75 sponsorship fee, a $490 principal applicant processing fee, and a $515 permanent residence fee)
- Sponsoring a dependent, adopted child (or child to be adopted) is $150/child
- Sponsoring a relative under 22 that is not your dependent child is $665 (includes a $75 sponsorship fee, a $75 principal applicant processing fee, and a $515 right of permanent residence fee)
- Citizenship application fees:
- Adults 18 and over pay a $630 fee (includes a $530 processing fee and a $100 citizenship fee)
- Stateless adults born to a Canadian parent pay a $100 citizenship fee)
- Minors pay a $100 processing fee.
- Inadmissibility fees:
- Authorization to return to Canada: $459.55
- Rehabilitation fees: $229.77 for inadmissibility on grounds of criminality, $1,148.87 for inadmissibility on grounds of serious criminality
- Repayment of removal expenses: varies by country ($750 for U.S.A., St. Pierre, and Miquelon, $1500 elsewhere)
- Biometrics fees:
- Per person: $85
- Per family (2+ people): $170 (maximum fee for families of two or more applying at the same time and place—and children count under this limit)
- Per group (3+ performing artists): $255 (maximum fee for groups of performing artists applying at the same time and place)
- Passport fees: varies by country and duration (for example, a 5-year adult passport for a Canadian passport application mailed to the United States is $190)
- Employer compliance fees:
- Employer compliance fee: $230
- Employer compliance fee for groups of entertainers (3+ entertainers): $690
- Status verification or immigration document replacement: $30
Medical Exams
Part of the immigration process for permanent residence in Canada is the completion of a medical exam. Visitors who are staying less than six months don’t typically need a medical exam unless they plan to work in:
- The agricultural industry after having lived in certain countries for 6+ continuous months; or
- A job where they might come into regular close contact with people where public health needs to be protected.
If you plan to become a permanent resident, then a medical exam is a must-have part of the application process. The instructions for undergoing the exam will be provided after you send your application—this may take 30-90 days following the IRCC’s receipt of your application. They will inform you when to book your examination appointment and the type of exam you need to undergo.
You can find a panel physician approved by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada on the “Find a Panel Physician” web page.
Education Credentials
An important part of an Express Entry application is the verification of your education credentials and language skills.
For most applicants, an Educational Credential Evaluation (ECA) is $200 per person, plus any extra costs needed to have the ECA delivered. However, the cost of this ECA report can vary. For example, it’s noted that a family or specialist physician or a pharmacist will have a higher cost for their ECA.
Language Testing Expenses
Immigrants to Canada need to demonstrate proficiency in either English or French. To do so, you may need to undergo a language proficiency test. There are four tests that the Government of Canada accepts (two for English and two for French):
- CELPIP: The Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program
- IELTS: International English Language Testing System
- TEF Canada: Test d’ évaluation de français
- TCF Canada: Test de connaissance du français
The cost for these tests can vary depending on the test provider but frequently fall between $200 and $400 CDN—though there are outliers. To be considered valid, test results must be less than two years old when you complete your Express Entry profile and apply for permanent residence.
Police Clearance Certificates
When immigrating to Canada, a criminal record check is needed to confirm if there are any reasons that you might not be eligible to migrate to Canada. Certain criminal activities on your record can be grounds for immigration inadmissibility. Some prime examples include violent crimes, acts of terrorism, participation in organized crime, or being part of a government engaged in human rights violations.
A police clearance certificate is a document stating that you do not have a criminal record or, if you do have a record, a copy of that record. Anyone 18 or older immigrating to Canada needs to provide a police certificate as part of their immigration paperwork. The cost of a police certificate (or equivalent records for your country) may vary depending on your current nation. Typically, the cost of these documents is between $100 and $150 CDN—but outliers may exist.
If you cannot contact your national police agency or government to request these documents, the Government of Canada recommends that you contact your country or territory’s embassy or consulate in Canada to get these records. If you cannot get the certificate from your country/territory, then you need to explain why you were unable to acquire it and provide proof showing you attempted to obtain it from the correct authorities.
Travel Costs
To immigrate into Canada, you need to be able to get here! Travel costs can be an enormous variable depending on your method of travel, the distance involved, and the time of year that you choose to immigrate.
For example, a family living in a border state between Canada and the USA might pay significantly less on travel costs than a family moving to Canada from an overseas country.
In addition to yourself and your family, you may also need to consider arranging shipment for all of your personal belongings. While you can bring many items with you into Canada duty- and tax-free if you’re moving into the country, you still have to cover the cost of shipping and make those arrangements.
Examples of property that you can bring in duty- and tax-free include:
- Clothing and linen
- Furniture
- Appliances
- Antiques/Jewelry
- Books
- Personal computers
- Hobby tools and items
- Personal vehicles
- Mobile trailers
- Mobile homes
- Silverware
To import items tax and duty-free, you must have owned, possessed, and used them abroad prior to arriving in Canada. Some items may be subject to a limitation on their value.
Legal Fees
Navigating the immigration process can be complicated. To help smooth the process out, you may want to find professional help to make sure that every “i” is dotted and every “t” is crossed appropriately.
However, legal counsel (and various immigration court proceedings) costs money. How much money? The actual rates for immigration attorneys vary from firm to firm—and even from case to case. In the Moolala interview, Colin Singer states that the cost of retaining an immigration attorney like him for a family of four costs somewhere in the range of $3,000 to $3,500 Canadian.
This is an estimate of how much the kind of support a dedicated immigration attorney might cost. Some firms may charge more or less depending on the level of support you seek. For example, you could get a licensed consultant or a licensed attorney, and a more experienced immigration attorney or lawyer might charge more for their services.
Beware of Immigration Scams
When seeking help with immigration to Canada, it’s important to avoid scams that target newcomers. As Singer points out in the Moolala interview, “the volume of complaints against immigration consultants is in the many thousands.”
Part of the reason for the complaints is that there are unregulated and unlicensed immigration “consultants” offering services to unsuspecting clients. According to Singer:
“There’s this large pool of unlicensed consultants where they will offer someone an option to choose an immigration consultant or do it yourself unlicensed—and there’ll be a significant fee difference. There’s this large unregulated pool of ‘professionals’ so-called who don’t have the licensing and it’s a very Wild West market.”
In addition to unlicensed immigration services, there are also outright scams that target those who want to relocate into Canada to steal their personal information and their money. The first step in protecting yourself against fraud is knowing what kinds of scams are targeting you.
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