Canada Work Visa Cost: Fees, Biometrics, and Employer Costs

The Canada work visa cost starts at a $155 CAD government processing fee, but a realistic out-of-pocket total for a single applicant runs from about $247 CAD to $440 CAD once entry authorization, biometrics, and any open-permit surcharge are added. Medical exams and your employer’s fees sit on top of that. Every amount below is set by federal regulation and paid in Canadian dollars, regardless of where you apply from.

The Base Processing Fee

Any work permit application, including an extension, costs $155 CAD per person.¹ That covers an employer-specific permit, where your authorization is tied to a single employer and a single job.

If you’re eligible for an open work permit, which lets you work for almost any employer in Canada, there’s an added $100 CAD open work permit holder fee, bringing your total to $255 CAD.¹ Open permits are available in specific situations, such as for spouses of skilled workers or post-graduation work permit holders.

Entry Authorization: TRV or eTA

Before the work permit itself, you may need separate authorization just to enter Canada. Which one you need depends on your nationality.

Citizens of visa-required countries pay $100 CAD for a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV), with a family cap of $500 CAD for five or more people applying together.¹ Single-entry and multiple-entry visas cost the same; IRCC decides which to issue.

Citizens of visa-exempt countries flying to Canada need an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) instead, at $7 CAD and non-refundable.² U.S. citizens don’t need either document.

Biometrics

Most work permit applicants have to give fingerprints and a photo. The fee is $85 CAD per person, capped at $170 CAD for a family applying together.³ U.S. nationals applying for work or study permits are exempt.⁴

Outside Canada, biometrics are usually collected at a Visa Application Centre run by a third-party contractor. Those centres often add their own service charge on top of the $85 government fee. The amount is set by the contractor and varies by country, so check your local VAC before booking.

Medical Exam

Not everyone needs a medical exam, but many work permit applicants do. It’s required if you plan to stay more than six months and have lived in or traveled to certain designated countries in the past year, or if your job involves close contact with people, such as health care, childcare, or teaching.⁵

The exam must be done by an IRCC-designated panel physician, and you pay the physician directly for the exam, any tests, and any specialist referrals. Costs generally run from $150 to $500 CAD or the local equivalent, depending on the country and clinic. You don’t get this money back if your permit is later refused.⁵

What Your Employer Pays

Two significant fees belong to your employer, not you, but they matter for your budget planning because a missed payment on their end means your application is refused.

Most employer-specific permits require the employer to first obtain a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from Employment and Social Development Canada, showing no qualified Canadian is available for the job. The processing fee is $1,000 CAD per position and is non-refundable even if the LMIA is denied.⁶ Intra-company transferees and workers covered by international trade agreements are among the categories exempt from the LMIA requirement.

When a job is LMIA-exempt, the employer instead pays a $230 CAD employer compliance fee through the IRCC Employer Portal before you can file your work permit application.¹ If the offer of employment and this fee aren’t submitted first, your application will be refused.⁷

If Your Permit Has Expired

If your work permit expired while you were in Canada, you’ve also lost your temporary resident status, and you need to restore it before you can get a new permit. The combined cost is $401.25 CAD: a $246.25 restoration of status fee plus the standard $155 work permit processing fee.¹ Each family member who has also lost status has to apply and pay separately; there is no family rate for restoration.⁸

The online system may prompt you only for the restoration fee. IRCC advises paying the $155 work permit fee separately through the online payment service and uploading the receipt to your document checklist to avoid delays.⁸

Total Cost by Scenario

Adding it all up, here’s what a single applicant typically pays out of pocket:

Employer-specific permit, visa-required country: $155 processing + $100 TRV + $85 biometrics = $340 CAD, plus medical exam if required.
Open work permit, visa-required country: $155 processing + $100 open permit holder fee + $100 TRV + $85 biometrics = $440 CAD, plus medical exam if required.
Employer-specific permit, visa-exempt country: $155 processing + $7 eTA + $85 biometrics = $247 CAD.
Restoration of expired status: $401.25 CAD per person.

These totals cover only government fees you pay yourself. They don’t include your employer’s LMIA ($1,000 per position) or compliance fee ($230), the panel physician’s charges, translation of non-English or non-French documents, or Visa Application Centre service fees.

Refunds and Payment

Withdraw your application before IRCC starts processing it and you get a full refund. Once processing begins, most fees are gone even if you’re refused. The $155 base fee, biometrics fee, and restoration fee are not refundable at that point. The open work permit holder fee (for LMIA-exempt workers), the employer compliance fee, and International Experience Canada fees each have their own refund paths.⁹ Refunds for mistaken or unsubmitted payments take two to eight weeks.

Online work permit applications collect the fees inside the application itself. IRCC accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, JCB, and UnionPay credit and prepaid cards, plus Debit MasterCard and Visa Debit.¹⁰ The card doesn’t have to be in your name, so a family member or employer can pay. After any online payment, IRCC emails you a receipt to include with your application.¹¹

1
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Citizenship and Immigration Application Fees – Fee List
2
Government of Canada. Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) – How to Apply
3
Government of Canada. Biometrics
4
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Biometrics – Who Needs to Give Their Fingerprints and Photo
5
Government of Canada. Medical Exams for Visitors, Students and Workers
6
Government of Canada. Hire a Skilled Worker to Support Their Permanent Residency
7
Canada.ca. Employer Portal User Guide
8
Government of Canada. Restore Your Status and Get a Work Permit
9
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Citizenship and Immigration Application Fees – Ask for a Refund
10
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Citizenship and Immigration Application Fees – Pay Your Fees Online
11
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. How Do I Pay Online