Fees: Right of permanent residence fee (RPRF) - R303
This section contains policy, procedures and guidance used by IRCC staff. It is posted on the department’s website as a courtesy to stakeholders.
The fee is $600.
Background
It is generally recognized that permanent residence has attached to it a value, both tangible and intangible. There is an economic or market value which arises out of an enhanced opportunity to improve one’s economic condition and there is also the value to having access to a wide range of programs and services provided by the state at no or minimal cost. There is, as well, an intangible value to having permanent resident status in Canada. The fee is partial compensation for benefits which accrue to the person who acquires permanent resident status and helps to defray various costs incurred in delivering the permanent immigration program.
The announcement of the fee was included in the 1995 Federal Budget, and the Immigrant Loans Program was expanded to include provisions for a federal loan to assist immigrants in the payment of this new fee. While the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR) indicate broad eligibility for a loan, the criteria established focus on the need and ability to repay the loan. Initially, refugees were the primary recipients of right of landing fee loans.
Since March 2000, applicants for permanent residence who have been determined to be refugees or members of the humanitarian-protected persons abroad classes do not have to pay the Right of Permanent Residence Fee (RPRF). The demand for loans has dramatically decreased since this change.
Legislative authority
The Right of Permanent Residence Fee (RPRF)comes under the authority of section 19.1 of the Financial Administration Act (FAA). This section allows for the charging of fees for the rights or privileges that may be granted to a person.
The Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations describe the fee and remission provisions. The RPRF remission comes under the authority of section 23(2.1) of the Financial Administration Act.
Fee exemptions
The following persons are not required to pay the Right of Permanent Residence Fee:
- A person who is a family member and is a "dependent child" of a principal applicant as defined in R1(3).
Note: This can include applicants who are 22 years of age or more and who may be spouses or common law partners while still maintaining status as a dependent child. Refer to "dependent child" [R2(b)(ii)].
- A principal applicant who is a foreign national and who is referred to in R117(1), namely:
- a dependent child of the sponsor;
- an orphaned brother, sister, niece, nephew or grandchild;
- a child to be adopted.
- A principal applicant in Canada who has made an application in accordance with R66 (H&C) and who is a "dependent child" of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
- A member of the permit holder class who is a "dependent child" of a member of the permit holder class who has made an application to remain in Canada as a permanent resident or who is the "dependent child" of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
- A person who is a member of the protected temporary residents class and is described in R151.1(2) and the family members included in their application.
- A protected person within the meaning of A95(2) who has applied to remain in Canada as a permanent resident and their family members.
- A person who is a member of the Convention Refugees Abroad Class and the family members included in their application.
- A person who is a member of the Humanitarian Protected Persons Abroad classes and the family members included in their application.
Every person, with the exceptions noted above, who submits an application for permanent residence must pay this fee.
Please refer to the Coding Handbook.
Timing of payment
Payment of the RPRF will be required before issuance of the permanent resident visa for applications processed at visa offices or the Confirmation of Permanent Residence (CoPR) for applicants in Canada. Each contact with the applicant should include a reminder that the RPRF is required, and that the PR visa will not be issued or the client will not become a permanent resident, as the case may be, until payment is received. It should also be emphasized that early payment of the RPRF will avoid delays in finalizing the processing of the application.
Although concerted efforts will be made to solicit payment at the early stages of processing, IRCC must accept payment of the RPRF whenever it is submitted. This is a requirement of the Financial Administration Act. To note, the RPRF fee amount is based on when the payment is made, contrary to most other fee amounts which are based on the application received date. IRCC also has no authority to refuse to refund the RPRF upon request of a client who has paid up front or at any time before the RPRF is due for visa issuance/permanent residence status.
Should a client complete all other documentary and regulatory requirements for acquiring permanent resident status but fail to pay the RPRF and complete the acquisition of permanent residence process, there is no legal basis for closing the file or regarding it as abandoned.
Inability or refusal to pay the RPRF
Where the application approved and payment of the RPRF remains outstanding, applicants will be advised that the application cannot be finalized until the RPRF has been paid.
Procedures for back-end collection of RPRF
The visa office will advise the client that processing of the application has been completed and that visa(s) will be issued if the applicant submits the correct RPRF. The visa officer shall not proceed to issue the permanent resident visa(s) until the RPRF fees have been paid. Timing of payment will be left up to the particular office and will vary according to local circumstances.
Current, valid RPRF codes
Listed below are all current RPRF operational codes with corresponding descriptions of when the code should be used.
| RPRF operational codes | Description of use |
|---|---|
| LFA | RPRF fee paid abroad |
| LFC | RPRF fee paid in Canada |
| LFD | RPRF fee payment deferred (Use amended to include applications received after April 17, 1997 which do not have the Right of Permanent Residence Fee included with the application) |
| LFN | RPRF fee not applicable |
| LFQ | RPRF fee deferred pending Province of Quebec immigration decision |
| LXR | Exempt refugees (For Convention Refugees and Protected Persons) |
| LFX | RPRF fee excluded (For use in sponsorship cases where "LFD" had been used for a member of a sponsored family and that member has now been determined not eligible) |
The alpha codes are intended to record the latest transaction relating to the RPRF. Consequently, it is possible that three or four codes could be entered during the course of processing.
Appeals and the RPRF
When an applicant for permanent resident status has a right of appeal against a negative decision and fails to file the appeal within the required time frame, the RPRF must be refunded.
If the applicant fails to win their appeal, the RPRF must be refunded after the appeal decision has been rendered. If an applicant is granted another appeal mechanism, or if another level of appeal is available to the applicant, they will be required to repay the RPRF upon being notified that the appeal has been granted, and prior to acquisition of permanent residence.
For more information on refunds for the RPRF, refer to RPRF Refund page.
Refused cases with a temporary resident permit
An applicant who is determined to be inadmissible, but allowed to proceed to Canada with a temporary resident permit, would be considered as refused, and therefore, an RPRF refund would be approved.
As an exception to the normal procedure, namely, that refunds be actioned by the office refusing an application, this particular refund would be processed in Canadian dollars by the IRCC office in Canada that receives the file. Generally, visa offices abroad will transfer their case file to the IRCC office nearest the destination of the person concerned.
The RPRF will be collected if and when the permit holder seeks permanent residence under A38(1) (medically inadmissible cases) or applies for permanent residence after having been deemed rehabilitated or received a pardon (criminally inadmissible cases).
Offices should ensure that form letters are amended accordingly to cover the need for a refund.
The one exception to granting a refund upon identification of an inadmissibility would be situations where the person concerned would acquire permanent residence within a short period (6 months to a year). In these cases, the RPRF should be retained and applied to the subsequent application.
Early admission cases
An applicant, issued a temporary resident permit to allow early admission, would be expected to acquire permanent resident status within a reasonable time frame after completion of processing in Canada, and would not be eligible for a refund.