The last two days have seen several immigration measures come into effect in Canada.
This includes increased Canadian citizenship and passport fees and flexible income requirements for those thinking of sponsoring parents and grandparents for the super visa.
Here’s a look at what’s been implemented on March 31 or April 1, and who these changes affect.
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1. Increased fee for Canadian passport
Who this impacts: Those applying for a Canadian passport/travel document for the first time, or for a renewal.
Starting March 31, 2026, Canadians will face higher passport fees for the first time since 2013.
This price increase will impact all passports and travel documents, and related service fees, charged inside Canada and abroad.
Adults applying for a regular 10-year passport from within Canada will pay $163.50, up from $160 (before the change). Meanwhile, fees for a regular five-year adult passport from within Canada are rising from $120 to $122.50.
The fee hike has been attributed to inflation and the rising cost of producing secure travel documents.
You can find the full breakdown of the old and the new fees here.
2. New 30-day passport processing guarantee takes effect
Who this impacts: Those applying for a Canadian passport for the first time, or for a renewal.
As of April 1, Canadian citizens can also expect their Canadian passport applications to be processed within 30 business days—or receive their passport for free.
Under the new “30 days of free” initiative, applicants will automatically receive a full refund of their passport or travel document fee if processing takes longer than 30 business days.
Processing time begins when a complete application is received and ends when the passport or travel document is printed and verified. This does not include mailing time.
A complete application includes a filled-out form, all required documents (including a passport photo), and payment of the applicable fees.
Refunds will be issued automatically if processing exceeds 30 business days.
You can find the full breakdown of the new refund policy here.
3. Right of citizenship fee increases
Who this impacts: Those applying for Canadian citizenship.
As of March 31, 2026, the federal government is increasing the fees for all citizenship applications through the right of citizenship fee.
The right of citizenship fee will increase by $3.25 from $119.75 to $123. The adult citizenship grant application processing fee remains unchanged at $530.
The right of citizenship fee is adjusted each year in line with this requirement to help maintain sustainable and consistent service over time.
It’s also worth noting that the cost of applying for Canadian permanent residence (PR) is increasing later in the month (April 30).
For more details, visit our dedicated article on the topic.
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4. Income requirements ease for the super visa program
Who this impacts: Those thinking about applying to sponsor their parents or grandparents for the super visa, but don’t meet the minimum income requirement.
Starting March 31, 2026, Canada has added more options to meet the income requirement for the super visa.
A super visa is a long-term, multi-entry visa allowing parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens or permanent residents to visit for up to five consecutive years per visit and is valid for up to 10 years.
Under the new rules, the hosts are given two more ways to meet the minimum income threshold required to sponsor their parents or grandparents.
- Extended income assessment
The host, and co-signer if applicable, may qualify by meeting the income threshold in either of the two taxation years preceding the date of the application. - Supplementing the host’s income
If the host and co-signer meet part of the required threshold, the visiting parent’s or grandparent’s income can be added to make up the shortfall.
This is a temporary pathway for extended family visits, not a permanent residence program. It can, however, serve as an alternative for families unable to use the Parents and Grandparents Program.
For more details, visit our dedicated article on the topic.
5. Provinces get more power over assessing candidates
Who this impacts: Those applying for provincial nominations
As of March 30, 2026, provinces and territories in Canada have greater power when it comes to assessing candidates on two factors:
- Whether the candidate intends to reside in the nominating province or territory; and
- Whether the candidate can become economically established in Canada.
Thanks to a regulatory change transferring responsibility from the federal government to the provinces and territories, IRCC officers will no longer independently assess a provincial or territorial candidate’s eligibility on these factors.
If an IRCC officer discovers information that raises concern, they must consult with the nomination province or territory, which will then have a set amount of time to review the concerns and decide on maintaining or revoking the nomination.
The changes shift more of the eligibility assessment to the provincial stage. This means applicants could expect provinces to look more closely at their intent to reside and economic prospects before issuing a nomination.
For more details, visit our dedicated article on the topic.
6. Changes to settlement service eligibility
Who this impacts: Economic class permanent residents, their accompanying spouses; temporary residents and protected persons eligible for settlement services.
As of April 1, economic immigrants can access federally funded settlement services for up to six years after obtaining permanent resident status.
This marks a change from the previous policy, under which economic immigrants could access these services at any time after becoming permanent residents and before obtaining Canadian citizenship.
The new time limit applies to both current and new economic class permanent residents.
Beginning April 1, 2027, eligibility will tighten further, with access limited to up to five years after obtaining permanent resident status.
This change was made to support the government’s commitment to Budget 2025.
7. Access to work permits in rural areas expands
Who this impacts: Foreign nationals in rural areas looking for jobs under the low-wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
As per the new measures, from April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027, rural employers will be able to hire additional temporary foreign workers.
This is due to new measures that allow these employers to:
- Maintain their current number of low-wage temporary foreign workers, and
- Employ low-wage temporary foreign workers for up to 15% of their workforce, up from the previous limit of 10%.
The measure will apply only to rural employers in provinces and territories that choose to participate.
The announcement, made by Employment and Social Development Canada, was made to help employers in these areas meet labour market needs.
For more details, visit our dedicated article on the topic.
8. Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) increases application fee
Who this impacts: Applicants under Saskatchewan’s worker immigration streams
Effective April 1, 2026, Saskatchewan is extending the SINP’s $500 application fee and $250 second review fee to all worker applicants in all categories.
Applications submitted before April 1 will not be subject to the new fees.
Note: A second review is a process that can be requested if an application is deemed ineligible by the SINP and the candidate believes an error was made during the application processing or the assessment of the application, based on the criteria at the time.
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