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Business immigration fees after April 30, 2026: build a usable cost plan

For federal business-class permanent residence, IRCC’s current list shows $2,495 for a principal applicant including the right of permanent residence fee, $1,590 for an accompanying spouse or partner including that fee, and $270 per accompanying dependent child. Those are government application charges, not the total cost of a business immigration plan or evidence that a…

By Progressive Consultancy Team · Published October 27, 2026 · Updated October 27, 2026

Business owner organizing separate folders for Canadian immigration application charges, professional fees, evidence costs and family funds.

Sources checked October 21, 2026.

For federal business-class permanent residence, IRCC's current list shows $2,495 for a principal applicant including the right of permanent residence fee, $1,590 for an accompanying spouse or partner including that fee, and $270 per accompanying dependent child. Those are government application charges, not the total cost of a business immigration plan or evidence that a program is open.

The April 30, 2026 change is a reason to rebuild an old quote carefully. Identify the actual immigration route first, then separate government charges, professional services, evidence costs, business capital and household funds. The fee figures in this guide were checked October 21, 2026 and must be checked again when paying.

A cost map that keeps the payees separate

Confirm the route
Name the application and assess whether it is available and applicable.
Count the people and applications
Separate PR, temporary applications and family members.
Identify each payee
Government, professional, evidence provider, business and household are different lines.
Reconcile before payment
Check current amounts, written terms and receipt records.

This original planning diagram separates questions. It is not an eligibility result or a prediction.

Which fee category matches the actual application?

IRCC groups Quebec business immigration, self-employed people and Start-up Visa in its business fee category. Its ordinary economic immigration category is separate. Calling yourself a business owner does not decide which fee applies: an owner applying through another eligible route must use that route's instructions.

Write the official application category at the top of the budget. If it is not yet clear, mark the federal fee as provisional rather than selecting the highest or lowest amount. A cost comparison between two routes is meaningful only when each route has an assessed legal basis.

A published fee schedule also says nothing about remaining intake spaces, pauses or eligibility. Confirm the route separately before paying for supporting work that cannot be reused. The useful question is which necessary step this cost supports, not whether a fee page contains the program's name.

Read the source summary: IRCC current fee list.

What changed on April 30, and what does the combined amount include?

Current federal business PR fee components, checked October 21, 2026

Applicant or component	CAD
Principal processing fee	1,895
Right of permanent residence fee, applicable adult	600
Principal combined total	2,495
Accompanying spouse/partner combined total	1,590
Accompanying dependent child, per child	270

Read the official source summary and current link before using these dated figures.

IRCC's fee-change page records the business principal processing charge rising from $1,810 to $1,895 and the right of permanent residence fee rising from $575 to $600. The current combined principal amount is therefore $2,495. An accompanying spouse or partner has a $990 processing charge plus the $600 right fee, while the listed dependent-child charge is $270.

Keep processing and right fees on separate budget lines even when paid together. That lets you understand the payment instruction and any later refund question. Do not add the right fee again to a combined amount that already includes it.

Compare an old quote line by line. If it simply says government fees included, ask for the actual category, people covered, payment date and receipt. A revised professional quote and an IRCC fee change are separate events, so their explanations should also be separate.

Read the source summary: IRCC fee changes, IRCC current fee list.

How should you count family members and separate applications?

Make one person-level inventory before calculating. Record the principal applicant, accompanying partner and each child, along with any separate temporary-residence application you actually plan to make. Do not assume a PR payment also pays for a work permit, study permit or visitor document.

For each person, ask which charge applies and whether the selected category already includes a component. Keep a field for unresolved eligibility instead of making an unsupported discount or exemption assumption. If the family composition changes, revisit both the immigration forms and the budget.

Use a small reconciliation table with the applicant name, application type, charge, payee and receipt reference. This is an original administrative tool, not a government checklist. It helps a family notice duplicate charges or a missing dependant before submitting a combined payment.

Read the source summary: IRCC current fee list, IRCC payment instructions.

Which evidence costs belong outside the application fee?

Medical examinations, certificates, translations, photographs and document delivery may create costs separate from IRCC processing. The relevant instructions determine what is needed and when. Ask the actual provider or issuing authority for a current written quote instead of treating another applicant's invoice as a standard tariff.

For medical examinations, check the applicable IRCC instructions and whether a previous examination or an exemption affects what is required. Do not schedule an unnecessary examination simply because an old budget includes one. Ask what the quoted price covers and whether additional tests would be billed separately.

For police certificates, use the official country instructions and identify the issuing authority, accepted document and delivery method. Translation or courier charges should be labelled separately. Do not pay an intermediary for a certificate without understanding what document it will actually obtain.

Read the source summary: IRCC permanent-residence medical examinations, IRCC police certificates.

How do biometrics fit into a family budget?

Where biometrics are required, IRCC lists an $85 individual charge and a maximum $170 for eligible family members applying together. The family conditions matter; it is not simply a discount available whenever relatives happen to pay on the same day. Follow the current instruction for the actual applications.

After payment, the biometric instruction letter explains the collection step. Use the official collection-site route and keep the appointment and completion records with the file. A biometric payment or appointment is not evidence that a visa has been approved.

Record travel to the collection location as a separate personal expense if relevant. Keep estimated transport or accommodation distinct from a government fee, so nobody mistakes the budget's grand total for an amount payable to IRCC. Leave an estimate visibly estimated until a real cost is known.

Read the source summary: IRCC biometrics.

How should professional fees and government fees be separated?

Ask for a written description of professional work, exclusions, taxes and disbursements. Identify which amounts are paid to the adviser, which are paid directly to a public authority and which are paid to another provider. Do not rely on a single package price to explain all three.

A consultation, an application retainer and a later response to a government concern can have different scopes. Ask whether business-plan work, provincial steps or a related temporary application is included. This is a set of questions for the proposed agreement, not a statement that every file needs every service.

Keep invoices and receipts tied to the relevant scope. If a provider proposes an extra charge, ask what new work it covers and agree the change before treating it as part of the original budget. A clear cost record makes a later disagreement easier to describe factually.

Read the source summary: IRCC payment instructions.

Why are business capital and settlement funds different?

A government processing fee is money paid for an application. Business operating capital, an investment commitment and household living funds are different categories with different purposes. Do not subtract one from another on the assumption that a large business account automatically meets a personal financial requirement.

Build a cash-flow sheet with a column for who owns the money, when it is available and what obligation restricts its use. Identify any money already committed to premises, equipment, payroll or another purpose. The exercise exposes questions that require route-specific financial or accounting advice.

Keep commercial and immigration decisions connected but distinct. An immigration application cannot make an unaffordable business purchase financially sound, and a profitable-looking business does not establish an immigration entitlement. Ask qualified advisers about each problem using the same accurate records.

Read the source summary: IRCC current fee list.

What if you paid an old amount or cannot locate a receipt?

IRCC's fee-change instructions explain how to address an underpayment after a change. Follow the current procedure for the application method and the actual request rather than sending another full payment without reconciliation. Keep the old receipt and any top-up receipt together.

The official receipt page explains retrieval of an online payment receipt. Record the payer, payment date and reference before searching your email or account, and use the appropriate official channel. Avoid exposing a card number or private application information in an informal request for help.

A missing receipt is an evidence problem to resolve, not a reason to invent a receipt reference in the application. Tell the person reviewing the file exactly what was paid and what can be verified. Keep a note of any contact with IRCC about the payment.

Read the source summary: IRCC fee changes, IRCC payment receipts.

Which costs might be refundable?

IRCC's refund rules distinguish fee types and processing circumstances. Do not promise that withdrawing a file or receiving a refusal returns every government charge. A professional-service refund, school deposit or business-purchase cancellation is governed by a different arrangement and should not be described as an IRCC refund.

Before paying a large third-party amount, read its written cancellation terms and identify the event that triggers any return. Ask whether an immigration refusal, delayed decision or changed intake is actually addressed. If the answer is uncertain, record that uncertainty instead of budgeting the money as recoverable.

Create a receipt folder and a separate obligations list. The receipt proves payment; the terms explain what you purchased and whether a refund may be available. Both are needed for a useful review of a later cancellation question.

Read the source summary: IRCC refunds.

Your business immigration budget worksheet

This is an original blank worksheet, not a client account or a government checklist. Add truthful facts and mark unresolved points for advice.

Question	Record to bring	What still needs an answer
Federal application	Category, applicant and current fee components	Does the stated amount include the right fee?
Province or program	Official route and fee instruction, if applicable	Is this a different application and payee?
Evidence	Provider quote, required document and timing	Which tests, translation or delivery are extra?
Professional work	Written scope, taxes, invoice and receipt	Which later work is excluded?
Business and household funds	Owner, availability, commitments and intended use	Can the same money really meet the proposed obligations?

Stress-test an old all-in quote

Take an old quote and cover its total. For each line, identify the payee, the person or service covered and the date the amount was checked. Put any unexplained bundled item in a question column. Only then recalculate the sum using the current applicable fee instructions.

Repeat the exercise assuming the intake changes or a family member needs a separate temporary application. Record which costs could change, which may already be non-refundable and which financial commitments exist regardless of the immigration result. Bring that marked-up quote and the actual application route to a consultation rather than asking whether one grand total sounds reasonable.

Questions about business immigration fees after April 30, 2026

Does the business PR fee mean Start-up Visa is accepting new applications?

No. A fee listing and program availability answer different questions. Check current intake and eligibility separately before paying.

Is the right of permanent residence fee already included in $2,495?

Yes, the current business principal total includes the $1,895 processing fee and $600 right fee. Confirm the current list when paying.

Are professional fees and settlement funds part of IRCC processing fees?

No. Keep service charges, business capital, household funds and government payments as distinct budget categories.

General information only. Requirements can change and no outcome is guaranteed. IRCC, ESDC, the IRB, provincial authorities or the courts make decisions within their responsibilities.

Official-source summaries

These are original summaries for this guide, not government text. Read a summary here or open the original separately.

IRCC current fee list

The fee list separates business and other economic PR charges, family members, work permits and biometrics. Select the actual application category; a fee listing does not mean a program is accepting new applications.