How much does it cost to apply for permanent residence in Canada?

The IRCC fee is $1,590 for each adult, which is $990 of processing plus the $600 right of permanent residence fee. Each dependent child is $270. Biometrics add $85 a person, up to $170 for a family applying together.

Do I have to pay the $600 right of permanent residence fee up front?

No. You can pay it with your application or later, after your application is approved and before you become a permanent resident. The amount is the same either way. It is the one fee IRCC refunds if your application is withdrawn or refused.

How much money do I need to show for Express Entry in 2026?

You need $15,263 for one person, $19,001 for two, and $28,362 for a family of four. The table runs to $40,392 for seven people, and each person after that adds $4,112. IRCC last updated these amounts on 7 July 2025.

Do I need proof of funds if I have a job offer?

No, as long as you are authorized to work in Canada and your job offer is valid. That exemption works even under the Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades programs. You still upload a document explaining why you are exempt.

Can I borrow the settlement funds from my parents?

No. The money cannot be borrowed from another person. It must be yours, available to pay your family's living costs, and available both on the day you apply and on the day your visa is issued. A gift deed for money sitting in someone else's account does not satisfy IRCC.

Do children pay the right of permanent residence fee?

No. A dependent child of the main applicant pays the $270 processing fee and no right of permanent residence fee. That is why a family with two children costs far less than four adults applying separately.

What does IRCC not charge you for?

Your credential assessment, your language test, your medical exam, your police certificates, translations and courier are all paid to other organizations. IRCC sets none of those prices, so they change by country and by provider. This calculator makes each one an input you can overwrite with your own quote.

Do I hand the settlement funds to the government?

No. You prove the money exists with a letter from your bank, then keep it. You spend it yourself after you land, on rent, furniture, a car and food while you look for work.

Cost of Moving to Canada as a Permanent Resident (2026)

Add up what Express Entry really costs your family. You get the IRCC fees, the costs you pay other people such as the medical exam and the language test, and the settlement funds you must show in the bank. Settlement funds are money you prove you have, not money you hand over.

Cash you need before you land$3,285For 1 person, that is $1,675 of government fees plus about $1,610 of costs you pay other people, using the estimates you can change above. On top of it you must show $15,263 in the bank, which you keep.

Government fees, set by IRCC
Your application	$1,590
Biometrics	$85
Government fees	$1,675
Other costs, your own estimates
Educational credential assessment	$320
Language test (IELTS, CELPIP or TEF)	$340
Medical exam	$400
Police certificates	$100
Translation of documents	$300
Courier, photos and postage	$150
Your estimates	$1,610
Cash you spend	$3,285

Settlement funds: $15,263 for 1 person. This is money you show, not money you hand over. It must be your own, it cannot be borrowed from another person, and it has to be available both when you apply and when the visa is issued. Counting the funds, your family needs $18,548 in total.

Show the math

Government fees come from the IRCC fee list, the biometrics page and the proof-of-funds page, in Canadian dollars. Each adult pays one application fee, $1,590 with the right of permanent residence fee included or $990 without it. Each dependent child is $270 and never pays the right of permanent residence fee. Biometrics are $85 a person with a $170 maximum for a family applying at the same time, so any family of two or more pays $170. Settlement funds are read from the published table for your family size, which counts you, your partner and your dependent children, and each person past 7 adds $4,112. The other costs are multiplied by the number of people they apply to: credential assessment, language test and police certificates for each adult, the medical exam for each person, translation and courier once for the family. Those amounts are estimates you type in, not prices IRCC sets.

Biometrics are not given by everyone. If someone in your family is exempt, switch biometrics off and check the IRCC biometrics page for your own case.

What you need to know for 2026

The permanent residence application fee is $1,590 per adult. IRCC splits that into $990 of processing and the $600 right of permanent residence fee.
A dependent child costs $270, and biometrics are $85 each to a family maximum of $170.
Children under 14 and applicants over 79 do not give biometrics, so they are not charged that fee.
Settlement funds are money you must show you have, not money you pay: $15,263 for one person and $28,362 for a family of four, plus $4,112 for each person beyond seven.
The Canadian Experience Class does not ask for settlement funds, and neither does a valid job offer with authorisation to work in Canada.
Credential assessments, language tests and medical exams are charged by other organisations, not IRCC, so this tool treats them as estimates you can change.

Three kinds of money, and only two of them leave your account

The government fees are fixed. IRCC publishes them, every applicant pays the same, and this calculator reads them straight from that list.

The second kind is money you pay other people. Your credential assessment goes to an assessing body. Your language test goes to a test centre. Your medical exam goes to a panel physician. None of it reaches IRCC, and no official price list exists.

The third kind is the settlement funds. This is money you must show, not money you spend on the application. You prove it with a bank letter, and it stays yours. It is meant to keep your family fed and housed while you find work. So the headline number above separates the cash you spend from the balance you have to be able to show.

The costs nobody prints a price for

We give each of these a typical starting amount and let you change it, because a medical exam in Manila and a medical exam in Dubai are not the same price.

Credential assessment and language test are charged for each adult on the application.
The medical exam is charged for each person, including children.
Police certificates are charged for each adult, and one adult often needs several if they have lived in more than one country.
Translation and courier are counted once for the whole family, because you send one package.

Treat the defaults as a starting point. Get a real quote from your own test centre and clinic, then type it in.

Worked example: a couple with two children, Federal Skilled Worker

Both adults give biometrics, both pay the right of permanent residence fee with the application, and the other costs use our default estimates.

Line	Amount
Your application, including the right of permanent residence fee	$1,590
Your partner’s application, on the same terms	$1,590
Two dependent children at $270 each	$540
Biometrics, the family maximum for four people	$170
Government fees	$3,890
Credential assessment, two adults	$640
Language test, two adults	$680
Medical exam, four people	$1,600
Police certificates, two adults	$200
Translation of documents	$300
Courier, photos and postage	$150
Costs you pay other people, estimated	$3,570
Cash this family spends	$7,460
Settlement funds to show, family of four	$28,362
Money the family must have in total	$35,822

So this family spends $7,460 and shows $28,362, assuming the estimates above and no job offer. Swap the program to the Canadian Experience Class and the funds drop to zero, which cuts the money they need by $28,362.

Assumptions

Government fees, the biometrics fee and the settlement funds come from IRCC and are read from our data file, so a change in Ottawa changes this page.
Settlement funds are set by the size of your family, counting you, your partner and your dependent children. IRCC counts them even if they stay behind, so add them here even when only you are travelling.
The calculator assumes everyone in the family gives biometrics and stops at the $170 family maximum. Some people are exempt, so switch biometrics off if that is you.
The costs you pay other people are estimates, not quotes. They are the numbers most likely to be wrong for you, which is why every one of them is an input.
Provincial nominee, Quebec and family sponsorship applications use different fees and different rules. This page covers Express Entry only.
Nothing here covers your flight, your first month of rent or the cost of shipping your things. Those come out of the settlement funds.

Common questions

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to apply for permanent residence in Canada?: The IRCC fee is $1,590 for each adult, which is $990 of processing plus the $600 right of permanent residence fee. Each dependent child is $270. Biometrics add $85 a person, up to $170 for a family applying together.
Do I have to pay the $600 right of permanent residence fee up front?: No. You can pay it with your application or later, after your application is approved and before you become a permanent resident. The amount is the same either way. It is the one fee IRCC refunds if your application is withdrawn or refused.
How much money do I need to show for Express Entry in 2026?: You need $15,263 for one person, $19,001 for two, and $28,362 for a family of four. The table runs to $40,392 for seven people, and each person after that adds $4,112. IRCC last updated these amounts on 7 July 2025.
Do I need proof of funds if I have a job offer?: No, as long as you are authorized to work in Canada and your job offer is valid. That exemption works even under the Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades programs. You still upload a document explaining why you are exempt.
Can I borrow the settlement funds from my parents?: No. The money cannot be borrowed from another person. It must be yours, available to pay your family's living costs, and available both on the day you apply and on the day your visa is issued. A gift deed for money sitting in someone else's account does not satisfy IRCC.
Do children pay the right of permanent residence fee?: No. A dependent child of the main applicant pays the $270 processing fee and no right of permanent residence fee. That is why a family with two children costs far less than four adults applying separately.
What does IRCC not charge you for?: Your credential assessment, your language test, your medical exam, your police certificates, translations and courier are all paid to other organizations. IRCC sets none of those prices, so they change by country and by provider. This calculator makes each one an input you can overwrite with your own quote.
Do I hand the settlement funds to the government?: No. You prove the money exists with a letter from your bank, then keep it. You spend it yourself after you land, on rent, furniture, a car and food while you look for work.

Sources

Every figure on this page comes from one of these primary sources. Data last verified September 7, 2026.

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Data verified for tax year 2026: September 7, 2026 Updated September 12, 2026 By Nishant Malik, founder of GlassLayer