Right of Permanent Residence Fee (RPRF) Refund

This section contains policy, procedures and guidance used by IRCC staff. It is posted on the department’s website as a courtesy to stakeholders.

Refunds will be granted in all cases where the Right of Permanent Residence Fee has been paid and the applicant has not acquired permanent resident status. Should the application for permanent residence be refused or withdrawn, the Department is obligated to refund the RPRF.

Refunds are provided to the payer (usually the sponsor) in family class cases, and to the principal applicant for other cases. In non-family-class cases, the refund is also issued to the principal applicant.

The refund is not to be issued to any representative or third party.

Family-class sponsorship cases

Refunds in family-class sponsorship cases, where there are appeal rights, will be to the sponsor "on demand", after a negative appeal decision. A check to ensure that a visa has not been issued must be made with the applicable visa office abroad. The sponsor must be advised by letter that the RPRF will be refunded after appeals are exhausted and only upon written request. Withdrawal of sponsorships at any time during the process will result in the refund of the RPRF; however, the Case Processing Centre must advise the visa office abroad of the withdrawal of the sponsorship and wait for confirmation that a visa was not issued prior to processing the refund.

In sponsorship cases at CPC Mississauga that result in a negative sponsorship recommendation, the sponsor has the option of continuing with processing the case or having a refund of fees (less the $75 application fee) paid immediately by withdrawing their application.

Cases outside the family class

In cases outside the family class, the refund of the RPRF should be initiated as soon as the letter is sent to the applicant indicating refusal, withdrawal or receipt of an unused permanent resident visa at the visa office. In cases where the principal applicant is deceased, the refund should be made to the estate of the applicant after confirmation from the legal representative of the deceased.

For all cases

In all cases, prior to granting a refund, the "Right of Permanent Residence Fee" field of FOSS/CPS/CAIPS and CAIPS notes should be checked to ensure that the fee was, in fact, paid and not already refunded. In cases where a permanent resident visa has been issued but not utilized, return of the visa to the issuing office is required before a refund can be processed.

RPRF Refund

Depending on the circumstance, the process for refunds will differ. The below outlines the differences:

Family Class

Who may request the refund: Sponsor

Issuing Office:

  • CPC Mississauga
  • CPC Vegreville

Other permanent residence categories

Who may request the refund: Principal applicant

Issuing Office: Office processing the application (CPC or visa office)

In other circumstances, the following applies:

If the application is refused, then:

  • the refund will automatically be initiated by the CPC or visa office if an appeal is not filed; however
  • if an appeal is filed, the refund will not be made until a final decision is rendered.

If an applicant wishes to withdraw an application, then:

  • the withdrawal must be made in writing to the responsible office; and
  • upon reception of the withdrawal notice, the refund will be initiated

Note: Effective January 14, 2014, economic and business class applicants outside Canada can pay the RPRF online by using an accepted credit card (Visa, MasterCard and American Express only). For more information on processing refunds for online RPRF payments, refer to Payments abroad.

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