A Family Pays $3,890 in IRCC Fees: Every Charge Itemized for Four People
Ask most families what immigrating to Canada costs and you’ll get a guess pulled from a forum post, not a number built line by line. The 3890 ircc fee family of four figure is different — it’s the actual federal government total for two adults and two children applying through Express Entry, and it holds up to scrutiny because every line comes straight from IRCC’s own fee schedule.
The bill, line by line
Total federal fees for a family of four express entry breaks down like this, at rates confirmed against IRCC’s schedule:
| Line | Amount (CAD) |
|---|---|
| Principal applicant (processing + Right of Permanent Residence Fee) | $1,590.00 |
| Spouse (processing + Right of Permanent Residence Fee) | $1,590.00 |
| Two dependent children, $270 each | $540.00 |
| Biometrics, family cap of two or more | $170.00 |
| Total federal fees | $3,890.00 |
That’s the whole federal picture for a family of exactly this shape, applying together, at the fees in force as government sources describe them.
RPRF, biometrics and processing fees added up
RPRF biometrics and processing fees added up is worth unpacking, because the RPRF — the Right of Permanent Residence Fee — is the one line families most often misunderstand. It’s $600 per adult, payable once an application is approved and before permanent residence is actually granted, and it’s the only IRCC fee that can be refunded after processing has already started, if the application is withdrawn or refused. It doesn’t apply to dependent children of a principal applicant, which is why the two children on this bill are charged the flat $270 processing fee only, with no RPRF attached. Biometrics, meanwhile, are capped per family: two dollars-per-person costs would otherwise run higher, but a family of two or more applying together pays a flat $170 total rather than $85 per adult.
What this itemised IRCC fee bill worked example deliberately leaves out
An itemised IRCC fee bill worked example like this one covers federal government fees only — and that’s a smaller share of the real cost of a move than most families expect. Not included anywhere in the $3,890: language testing for however many family members need it, Educational Credential Assessment fees, medical exams, police certificates, document translation, courier costs between South Africa and Canada, and any professional fees if the family works with a licensed immigration consultant or lawyer. Each of those is a genuine cost with its own separate price tag, and none of them show up on IRCC’s own fee page because they’re paid to different organisations entirely.
Using this figure responsibly
Treat $3,890 as the floor for the federal government portion of a family of four’s application, not the ceiling for the move as a whole — and remember that IRCC fees do change, so it’s worth confirming the current schedule directly on the government’s own fee page before building a final household budget around this number. Once the fee itself is settled, the more useful planning question becomes everything sitting around it: language tests, credential assessments, and the settlement funds a family needs to show alongside the application, none of which show up in a bill this narrow.