Remission of Five IRCC Inadmissibility Fees

Summary#

The government made the Certain Fees Under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations Remission Order: SI/2025-126 to cancel small unpaid fee increases that were not collected for certain inadmissibility services. It remits debts for the period December 1, 2019 to November 30, 2023, covering missed Consumer Price Index increases totalling $2,285,355.31.

What it does#

• Cancels (remits) the unpaid portion of annual fee increases that should have been charged under the Service Fees Act for a set period: December 1, 2019 to November 30, 2023.
• Applies to five inadmissibility fees in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations:
  • Authorization to return to Canada fee
  • Determination of rehabilitation – criminality fee
  • Determination of rehabilitation – serious criminality fee
  • Restoration of temporary resident status fee
  • Temporary resident permit fee
• Notes that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) did not apply the required annual CPI adjustments until December 1, 2023, creating the unpaid amounts.
• Says the unpaid increases add up to $2,285,355.31, and that remissions will be reported in IRCC’s fee reports and public accounts.

Who's affected#

• People who, between December 1, 2019 and November 30, 2023, applied for any of the five inadmissibility-related services listed above (for example, restoration of status, temporary resident permits, or authorizations to return to Canada).
• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), because it is the department that under‑charged and will record the remissions.
• The public purse in that the government chose not to collect $2,285,355.31 in additional revenue.

Why it matters#

• Individuals who used these IRCC services during the period will not be pursued for small unpaid CPI-related fee increases. That avoids surprising bills and administrative hassle for many people.
• The order clears up a bookkeeping and fairness issue created when annual fee increases were not applied for several years.
• For taxpayers and public finances, it means the government accepted a $2,285,355.31 shortfall rather than trying to recover small amounts from thousands of clients.