Fee Paid or Payable for the Acquisition of Permanent Resident Status (Afghanistan) Remission Order: SI/2026-7

Canada Gazette, Part II, Volume 160, Number 7

Registration
SI/2026-7 April 8, 2026

FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATION ACT

Fee Paid or Payable for the Acquisition of Permanent Resident Status (Afghanistan) Remission Order

P.C. 2026-295 March 30, 2026

Her Excellency the Governor General in Council, considering that it is in the public interest to do so, on the recommendation of the Treasury Board and the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, under subsection 23(2.1)footnote a of the Financial Administration Actfootnote b, remits the fee paid or payable for the acquisition of permanent resident status under subsection 303(1)footnote c of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulationsfootnote d by certain Afghan nationals whose application for permanent residence was approved under

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order.)

Proposal

The Governor in Council, considering that it is in the public interest to do so, on the recommendation of the Treasury Board and the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, pursuant to subsection 23(2.1) of the Financial Administration Act, has made the Fee Paid or Payable for the Acquisition of Permanent Resident Status (Afghanistan) Remission Order (the Remission Order).

Objective

The objective of the Remission Order is to remit the fee for the acquisition of permanent resident status (the right of permanent residence fee) that was not collected for certain Afghan nationals whose application for permanent residency was or will be approved under the following public policies:

Background

The Government of Canada deemed it was in the public interest to relocate Afghan nationals and their families at risk of being targeted by the Taliban following the fall of Kabul in August 2021. As part of the Government of Canada’s commitment to welcome at least 40 000 vulnerable Afghans to Canada by the end of 2023, the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration introduced numerous special measures and programs to assist at-risk Afghans.

As part of these measures, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) did not collect the right of permanent residence fee from Afghan nationals whose applications for permanent residence were or will be approved under the temporary public policies signed by the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration on October 28, 2023, September 11, 2023, and March 3, 2025. Given the situation in Afghanistan, these measures were determined to be in the public interest given that these costs would have imposed an additional financial burden on these individuals. Although not collecting the right of permanent residence fee is consistent with other similar measures put in place for Afghan nationals, the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration does not have the legal authority to remit this fee in emergency or crisis situations, and the fee was still or will be legally payable under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations. An Order in Council is needed to allow for the remission of these fees.

Implications

The remission of fees incurred from not collecting the right of permanent residence fee for eligible Afghan nationals whose applications were or are yet to be approved under the temporary public policies results in foregone revenues to the Government of Canada, as these fees were not or will not be collected. The total cost of foregone revenue from remitting fees is up to $73,175.

Table 1: Uncollected right of permanent residence fee for Afghan nationals approved for permanent residence under the Temporary public policy for the issuance of permanent resident visas for families of Afghan nationals who came to Canada under previous public policies – Additional intake cap increase
Fee waived / Service provided Fee Volume Foregone revenue
Right of permanent residence fee (fiscal year [FY] 2025–2026) $575 2 $1,150
Right of permanent residence fee (FY 2026–2027) $600 65 $39,000
TOTAL $40,150
Table 2: Uncollected right of permanent residence fee for Afghan nationals approved for permanent residence under the Temporary public policy for extended families of former language and cultural advisors – Extension
Fee waived / Service provided Fee Volume Foregone revenue
Right of permanent residence fee (FY 2025–2026) $575 47 $27,025
Table 3: Uncollected right of permanent residence fee for Afghan nationals approved for permanent residence under the temporary public policy signed by the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration on March 3, 2025
Fee waived / Service provided Fee Volume Foregone revenue
Right of permanent residence fee (FY 2026–2027) $600 10 $6,000

Accountability implications

All remissions associated with the Remission Order will be reported in the annual IRCC Fees Reports and IRCC Public Accounts.

Contact

Bruce Scoffield
Director General
International Crisis Response Branch
International Affairs and Crisis Response Sector
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Email: Bruce.Scoffield@cic.gc.ca