Canadian Visa Integrity Fee — What It Is, Who Pays, How Much
The Visa Integrity Fee is an IRCC charge layered on top of standard application fees to fund enhanced anti-fraud screening and identity-integrity checks. It is collected on application submission, is non-refundable, and applies across most temporary-resident and an expanding list of permanent-resident programs.
What is the Visa Integrity Fee?
The Visa Integrity Fee is a cost-recovery charge that the Government of Canada uses to fund the back-end systems that verify identity documents, cross-check biometric data, audit declarations against international databases, and detect application-misrepresentation patterns. In effect, it is a per-application surcharge that pays for the integrity layer behind every IRCC decision.
Unlike the program-specific processing fee (which pays for the officer's adjudication of your file) or the biometrics fee (which pays for fingerprint and photo capture at a VAC), the Visa Integrity Fee funds the cross-cutting fraud-detection infrastructure — document forensics, GCMS data integrity, and the algorithmic screening that flags files for additional review.
Who pays the Visa Integrity Fee?
The fee applies on application submission, before processing begins. It is collected per applicant on most streams. Practically, it appears on the IRCC payment confirmation alongside the program fee — most online application portals bundle them into a single charge so applicants may not see the line-item breakdown until they review the receipt.
What does it cost?
The Visa Integrity Fee is reviewed periodically by IRCC. To avoid quoting a number that goes stale within weeks of publication, we direct applicants to the authoritative source:
- IRCC Fee Schedule (canada.ca) — live, official, updated whenever fees change
- Halani's Fee Page — shows current IRCC government fees + our professional fee per service tier
- Free Fee Estimator — total cost across all fees for your specific application type
How it stacks with other IRCC fees
Most Canadian immigration applications have at least four cost components the applicant must budget for:
| Fee | What it pays for | Refundable on refusal? |
|---|---|---|
| Program processing fee | Officer adjudication of your application | No |
| Visa Integrity Fee | Anti-fraud and identity-integrity screening | No |
| Biometrics fee (most applicants) | Fingerprint and photo capture at VAC | No |
| Right of Permanent Residence fee (PR only) | PR landing — only payable if PR is granted | Yes — refunded if PR is refused before landing |
Some streams add further fees: provincial PNP application fees (BC PNP rose to CAD $1,750 in January 2026; Ontario's OINP is CAD $2,000+ for Express Entry-linked streams), Quebec QSWP fees, employer LMIA fees ($1,000+ paid by the employer), and Service Canada certification fees on certain employer-driven applications.
What this means for your application
- Budget upfront, not at submission. Total all four (or more) fee components before you start the file — surprises at the payment step delay submissions, and IRCC's processing clock does not start until payment is received.
- Plan for non-refundability. A refused application loses the program fee, the Visa Integrity Fee, and the biometrics fee. The Right of PR Fee is the only IRCC fee that is refunded if PR is refused before landing.
- Watch for fee revisions. IRCC reviews fees periodically — the Visa Integrity Fee, like other cost-recovery fees, is subject to indexation and policy revision. Confirm the live amount before you pay.
- RCIC professional fees are separate. Halani's representation fee is a separate engagement, billed under the CICC retainer-agreement framework. The IRCC fees flow through to the government; our professional fee covers the work we do on your file.
FAQ
What is the Visa Integrity Fee in Canada?
The Visa Integrity Fee is a recently introduced IRCC cost-recovery charge layered on top of standard application fees. It funds enhanced anti-fraud screening, document verification, and identity-integrity checks across the temporary-resident and permanent-resident application streams.
When does the Visa Integrity Fee apply?
It applies on application submission, before processing begins. Like the existing biometrics fee, it is collected per applicant (some streams charge per family) and is non-refundable even if the application is refused.
Is the Visa Integrity Fee refundable if my application is refused?
No. Like most IRCC processing fees, the Visa Integrity Fee is collected up front and is not refunded on refusal. The processing-cost portion of standard government fees is similarly non-refundable; only the right-of-PR fee is refunded if the PR application is refused before landing.
Does the Visa Integrity Fee apply to all programs?
It applies across most temporary-resident streams (visitor visa, study permit, work permit) and increasingly to PR streams (Express Entry, sponsorship). Check the current IRCC fee schedule for the program you are applying under — fees are reviewed periodically and the list of covered programs expands.
How does this affect my total Canadian visa budget?
Budget the Visa Integrity Fee in addition to the program processing fee, the biometrics fee (where required), the right-of-PR fee (PR streams only), and any province-specific PNP application fee. Halani's Fee Estimator helps you total all government and professional fees up front.
Where can I confirm the current Visa Integrity Fee amount?
The authoritative source is IRCC's fee schedule at canada.ca. Halani Immigration Services Inc. (RCIC-IRB R711322) confirms the current amount in writing as part of every retainer scoping — fees are reviewed periodically and our quoted total reflects the live IRCC schedule.
Confused about which fees you actually have to pay?
Halani Immigration Services Inc., led by Shoukat Halani, RCIC-IRB (CICC No. R711322), confirms every IRCC fee component in writing as part of your engagement scope. No surprises at submission. Free 15-minute fee-budget review.
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