PR Fee Remission for Americas Pathway

Summary#

The Fee Paid or Payable for the Acquisition of Permanent Resident Status (Certain Colombian, Haitian and Venezuelan Nationals) Remission Order (SI/2025-123) officially cancels the right-of-permanent-residence fee for certain people approved under the family-based humanitarian program known as the Americas Pathway. The order was registered December 17, 2025 (P.C. dated December 5, 2025) and means the government will not collect those fees, at an estimated cost of $4,747,615.

What it does#

• Remits (cancels) the right-of-permanent-residence fee for eligible principal applicants and their accompanying spouses or common-law partners who were approved under:
  • the temporary public policy signed December 4, 2023, or
  • a subsequent public policy signed September 20, 2024.
• Explains that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada initially did not collect the fee because applicants were seen as financially vulnerable, but the Minister did not have the legal power to waive it by public policy. This order makes the non‑collection official by remission under the Financial Administration Act.
• Projected scope and cost:
  • Total people affected: 8,753 (approved applications).
  • Total foregone revenue: $4,747,615.
  • Breakdown:
    • Fee $515 — 4,756 people — $2,449,340.
    • Fee $575 — 3,581 people — $2,059,075.
    • Forecast after September 18, 2025: 416 people at $575 each — $239,200.
• The order notes the fee remained legally payable under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations until this remission was authorized.

Who's affected#

• Primary: principal applicants and their accompanying spouses or common‑law partners who are nationals of Colombia, Haiti or Venezuela and were approved under the Americas Pathway (the Family‑based humanitarian program for Colombians, Haitians and Venezuelans).
  • Eligibility in the program generally covered people living in Central or South America, Mexico, or the Caribbean who have qualifying family ties in Canada.
• Secondary: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, which will report these remissions in its fees reports, and the Government of Canada (lost fee revenue).
• If you are unsure whether you qualify, the order applies only to people approved under the two named public policies.

Why it matters#

• For migrants: it removes a potentially significant cost at the point of becoming a permanent resident, easing financial pressure for vulnerable families reuniting with relatives in Canada.
• For public finances: the federal government gives up about $4.75 million in fees related to this pathway.
• For administration and legality: it resolves a legal gap — it makes the practical waiver that IRCC used legally effective by remission, so affected people are protected from later fee collection.
• For transparency: the remissions will be reported in IRCC’s annual fee reports and public accounts.