CIMM - Citizenship Fees

Key Messages

• Becoming a citizen allows new immigrants to fully participate in Canadian society and contribute to its prosperity, which presents benefits to the applicant and to Canada.
• As committed in my mandate letter, I will be bringing forward a plan to eliminate citizenship fees for those who have fulfilled the requirements, with timing still to be determined.

Supplementary Messages

• The Department currently collects several fees for the purpose of delivering citizenship services, as well as a Right of Citizenship fee.
• Fees for citizenship are established in the Citizenship Regulations.
• As stated in my mandate letter, I am also committed to improving the department’s service delivery and client services to make them timelier and less complicated, and enhancing system efficiency. This includes within the citizenship program and we are working to consider how to manage any impact of fee elimination on our operations.

Supporting Facts And Figures

• The Citizenship Act provides legal authority for the Governor in Council to make regulations respecting fees for services provided in the administration of the Act. The Right of Citizenship fee was established pursuant to the Financial Administration Act. Fees for citizenship are outlined in the Citizenship Regulations.
• Citizenship adult application fees were last amended in 2015: the application fee for adult grant applicants went from $300 to $530. The application fee for minors is $100. The $100 Right of Citizenship for fee for adults has remained unchanged since being established in 1995.
• Citizenship application fees are non-refundable; however, the $100 Right of Citizenship fee is remitted if citizenship is not granted.
• Fees charged to acquire Canadian citizenship remain internationally competitive. For example, among our Migration 5 partners, the adult naturalization fees range from the equivalent of $255 CAD (Australia) to $2300 CAD (UK).
• Overall, Canada’s naturalization rate remains high (85.8% Census 2016).

Background