Canada work permit fees are lower than most people expect: $155 for the permit itself, plus $85 if you have to give biometrics. A worker with an employer-specific permit who needs biometrics pays $240 in government fees. The confusion comes from the other fees in the process, which are real but are not yours to pay.
Here is every fee on IRCC’s official list that touches a worker, what it covers and who is allowed to pay it. All figures are in Canadian dollars and were checked on October 16, 2026.
$155 per person, including extensions. It is the same processing fee whether you apply for a new permit or to extend one.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Work permit, per person (extensions included) | $155.00 |
| Open work permit holder fee (added to the $155) | $100.00 |
| Biometrics, per person | $85.00 |
| Biometrics, family of 2 or more (maximum) | $170.00 |
| Restoring your status as a worker (new permit included) | $401.25 |
You pay at the end of the online application, with a credit or debit card. The processing fee generally covers you and the people you include on the same application.
You pay two fees together: the $155 processing fee and the $100 open work permit holder fee. IRCC says open work permit applicants usually pay both at the same time. That is $255, or $340 if you also need biometrics.
Some applicants are exempt from all or part of the fees. IRCC has a separate page to check that.
$240 for an employer-specific permit with biometrics, and $340 for an open work permit with biometrics. These totals simply add the lines of IRCC’s list:
- Employer-specific permit: $155, or $240 with biometrics.
- Open work permit: $155 + $100 = $255, or $340 with biometrics.
Whether the $85 applies depends on whether IRCC requires biometrics from you. Check what the online application asks you to pay before you submit it.
When you apply, if you are required to give them. The fee is $85 per person, or up to $170 for a family of two or more who are eligible. You do not choose to skip it: if IRCC asks for biometrics, the fee is part of the application.
$401.25 if your permit has already expired and you apply to restore your status as a worker. That figure includes a $246.25 restoration fee and the $155 for the new permit. Extending before the permit expires costs $155. Our guide to extending a work permit explains how to avoid the gap.
Your employer cannot make you pay to get or keep your job, or pay back their recruitment costs. The Government of Canada states that the only things you pay for are your work permit, your medical exam and your biometrics, if required.
The employer has its own fees, and they stay with the employer:
- $1,000 per position for the LMIA processing fee. It cannot be paid by the worker or recovered from the worker.
- $230 employer compliance fee, when no LMIA is needed. The employer pays it through the Employer Portal. If an LMIA is required, this fee does not apply.
If someone asks you to cover any of these, stop and check. Service Canada runs a confidential tip line at 1-866-602-9448.
Yes. Quebec charges $233 for the temporary selection application that leads to the CAQ, for applications reviewed on or after January 1, 2026. Quebec says you or your employer may pay it. It is a provincial fee, paid on top of the federal ones, and Quebec adjusts its fees every January 1.
The medical exam, if you need one, and police certificates. The Government of Canada says you pay for the medical exam yourself, but the pages we reviewed give no amount for it or for police certificates. If you hire a representative, their fees are separate from every figure above.
IRCC’s fee-changes page, updated September 21, 2026, lists increases for permanent residence, citizenship, removal, inadmissibility and International Experience Canada. It lists no change to the work permit fee. We review this post in February 2027.
Immigration Pros checks which fees apply to your type of permit before you file, so you do not pay the wrong one or pay twice. Our page on Canadian work permits covers the permit types.
If you are not sure which permit, or which fees, apply to you, start with a free assessment and we will tell you what to expect before you pay anything.
