Canada's immigration department has increased the price of various visa types as of 1 December 2024. The price of the Canada eTA will remain unchanged. The increase of the fees mainly affects travellers who want to work or study in Canada or whose nationality makes them ineligible for the eTA.
Several visa types concerned
The Canadian government has decided to increase the price of several visa types, such as the Work Permit the Study Permit, or the Visitor Visa for Canada. This visa is intended for travellers who want to visit the country for a short period of time (for a holiday, a business trip or a visit to friends or family), but do not comply with the requirements for the Canada eTA. The fees for the temporary resident status (Temporary Resident Status) for Canada will also be raised, and it will also be more expensive to regain temporary resident status for those who already had it in the past.
Raise in price per visa
The cost of most visas for Canada will be increased by about 10 CAD. This will bring the cost of a temporary residence permit for Canada to 239.75 CAD by 1 December 2024. Those who need a specific visa due to serious crimes committed in the past will see the biggest increase. The price of this visa will rise to 1199 CAD, an increase of about 50 Canadian dollars.
Payment of the price difference
In some cases, travellers who have recently applied for a Canada visa and paid the old fee will have to pay the difference in price. This mainly applies to those who submitted their visa application by email. The reason for this is that visa applications submitted through the Canadian Immigration Agency's website are processed immediately, while email applications are usually processed a few days later by the inmigration services.
People who submitted their visa application by e-mail when the old fees still applied will receive instructions from the Canadian authorities on how to pay the extra fees. They must calculate the difference between the two amounts themselves and pay this amount online, via a Canadian government page.
The price of eTA remains unchanged
The price increase will not affect British and Irish citizens who travel to Canada with an eTA, since both the cost and the application procedure o the Canada eTA remain unchanged. Most British and Irish citizens, as well as travellers with a European passport can use the eTA. The eTA can be used for tourist and business trips to Canada of up to six months. An eTA also allow to study in Canada for a maximum of six months, or make a stop-over in the country.
The eTA is a digital travel authorisation allowing to travel to Canada without a visa. You can apply for the eTA entirely online through an online application form. This takes just a few minutes. There is no need to upload any document, photograph, or biometric data to apply for the eTA. Once you have completed the application form, your eTA for Canada will normally be granted within 3 days on average. If you meet the requirement for the eTA, you are advised to apply for the eTA and not for a visa, as the eTA application process is a lot easier and the costs are significantly lower.