Fee to be Paid by Foreign Nationals to Participate in an International Youth Exchange Program in Canada Remission Order: SI/2025-113
Canada Gazette, Part II, Volume 159, Number 26
Registration
SI/2025-113 December 17, 2025
FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATION ACT
Fee to be Paid by Foreign Nationals to Participate in an International Youth Exchange Program in Canada Remission Order
P.C. 2025-895 December 5, 2025
Her Excellency the Governor General in Council, considering that the collection of certain amounts is unreasonable, on the recommendation of the Treasury Board and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, under subsection 23(2.1)footnote a of the Financial Administration Act footnote b, remits the difference between the fee to be paid under section 2footnote c of the Order Prescribing the Fee to be Paid by Foreign Nationals to Participate in an International Youth Exchange Program in Canadafootnote d as adjusted in accordance with section 17footnote e of the Service Fees Act footnote f and the fee actually collected during the period beginning on December 1, 2019 and ending on November 30, 2024.
EXPLANATORY NOTE
(This note is not part of the Order.)
Proposal
The Governor in Council, considering that the collection of the debt is unreasonable, on the recommendation of the Treasury Board and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, has made the Fee to be Paid by Foreign Nationals to Participate in an International Youth Exchange Program in Canada Remission Order (Remission Order) pursuant to subsection 23(2.1) of the Financial Administration Act (FAA).
Objective
The objective of the Remission Order is to remit outstanding debts resulting from the non-collection of the full amount of the annual increases to the International Experience Canada (IEC) Fee from December 1, 2019, to November 30, 2024.
Background
The IEC program is based on bilateral youth mobility arrangements between Canada and other countries that provide youth aged 18 to 35 with work and travel authorizations for up to 24 months. The application fee associated with the program is set out in the Order Prescribing the Fee to be Paid by Foreign Nationals to Participate in an International Youth Exchange Program in Canada. At the time the IEC Fee was established, it was set at $150 to be paid at the time of application submission.
In 2017, the IEC Fee became subject to the Service Fees Act (SFA), along with the requirement to adjust the fee annually based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) beginning on December 1, 2019. However, between December 1, 2019, and November 30, 2024, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) did not collect the full amount of the increased fee.
The application intake system was initially unable to accept cents. As a result, IRCC rounded down the IEC fee for the 2020–2024 IEC seasons to the nearest dollar after adjusting for inflation based on the CPI, between December 1, 2019, and November 30, 2024, resulting in foregone revenue to the Government of Canada of up to $74,489.82 and corresponding debts to clients. Updates to the application intake system allowed IRCC to begin charging the adjusted amount in accordance with the SFA beginning on December 1, 2024.
Implications
The collection of the debt is considered unreasonable given the uncollected sums are small and the administrative burden and cost of pursuing them outweigh any potential recovery. Undertaking collection would be an inefficient use of resources.
| Season service provided | Uncollected fee increase | Volume | Foregone revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 season (December 1, 2019, to November 30, 2020) | $0.30 | 24 588 | $7,376.40 |
| 2021 season (December 1, 2020, to November 30, 2021) | $0.37 | 22 665 | $8,386.05 |
| 2022 season (December 1, 2021, to November 30, 2022) | $0.05 | 66 837 | $3,341.85 |
| 2023 season (December 1, 2022, to November 30, 2023) | $0.36 | 83 137 | $29,929.32 |
| 2024 season (December 1, 2023, to November 30, 2024) | $0.33 | 77 140 | $25,456.20 |
| TOTAL | N/A | N/A | $74,489.82 |
Accountability
All remissions associated with the Remission Order will be reported in the IRCC Fees Reports and IRCC Public Accounts.
Contact
Amy Arnold
Director
International Experience Canada
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
K1P 0B6