Express Entry Costs

Express Entry is not free, and you probably know that by now. But how much exactly does it cost?

Short answer is the same old boring one...: it depends.

It depends on:

• how many dependents you have;
• which country/city you are currently at;
• how many language exams you will go through;
• ...and the list goes on and on.

I wish it could be more straight forward. Something like "you will spend this amount!". But, unfortunately, that's not possible. So let's get as close to it as possible.

Diving right into the numbers, here are the items you will likely need to invest some money on.

1) IELTS: CA$ 300 for each test

To enter the Express Entry pool, you need to have a Language Test.

IELTS is the most common test accepted. There are other ones, but because this is the one that most people take, we'll use it as a reference here.

The main applicant definetly needs to do this test (or one of the other accepted ones). But the spouse (if any) is optional. Depending on what is your CSR score, it might be a good idea for the spouse to do it too, because it can earn you some extra points. More details about CRS score here.

Another thing to consider, is that you might want to try a second shot at IELTS to try to increase your score. In that case, you'd need to pay the whole thing again.

So, you might need to do this test once, twice, or even more. Each one will cost you around CA$ 300.

Depending on where you live, you might need to travel to a testing center, which would include travel + stay expenses, but we won't consider those here.

Sources:

• https://www.ieltscanada.ca/TestFee
• https://www.britishcouncil.org.br/en/exam/ielts/dates-fees-locations
• https://www.nacademy.ca/ielts-canada-fees/

2) ECA: CA$ 220 for each assessment

ECA stands for Educational Credential Assessment, and in a summary, you pay for a certified institution to validate your diplomas or certifications, to make sure they are valid in Canada.

Step 7 of our Express Entry Guide and Tracking System for FSW explains it a bit more in detail.

The main applicant needs to validates its diplomas to earn the CSR Score points for them. The spouse, if any, may or may not do it. If he/she does it however, it might earn you some extra points, which is always a good thing.

Each assessment costs $CA 220.

There are also courier (mail) costs, because you will have to mail your documents to them. But I'll go over those on the "Mail Costs" section below.

Source: https://www.wes.org/ca/evaluations-and-fees/eca/

3) Medical Exams: CA$ 250 for each family member

Every person migrating to Canada must go through a medical evaluation. In fact, every member of your family (spouse or children) must go through it, even if they are not traveling to Canada.

Some extra exams, like blood analysis, and x-ray might also be required, depending on your region.

These exams, of course, have a cost. However, there is no standard price, and each region / doctor is different. In fact, prices vary a lot! So you are incouraged to give the doctor's office a call.

But for now, you can consider that each exam (for each of your family member) will cost around $CA 250.

Source: https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/threads/medical-exam-fees.16878/
(A forum is not the best source, I know. But this information is not public anywhere. Again, if you really want to be more precise, your best shot is to call one of the authorized doctors and ask them.)

4) Translations: CA$ 150 for each person

Every single document you submit on your Express Entry profile or application must be either in English or French. So, if the original ones are not, you will need to translate them.

And is not like you can translate them yourself. It must be a certified translator.

Step 15 of our Guide and Tracking System for Express Entry has more information about it.

Each translator has their own fees, so take this as an estimation: Each document will cost around $CA 50.

These are documents that often need translation:

1. Diploma or Certificate
2. Police Certificate
3. Birth or Marriage Certificate

So, just for an estimate, assuming each person will translate these 3 documents, we are talking about $CAD 150 for each person.

5) Processing Fee: CA$ 825 for each person

This fee is paid directly to IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship of Canada).

It pretty much pays the costs that the government will have to process your application.

Both main applicant and spouse need to pay this value - CA$ 825 each. Children will add $CA 225 (each) to the value.

Source: https://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/fees/fees.asp#economic

6) Right of Permanent Residence Fee: CA$ 500 for each person

This is another fee paid directly to the IRCC, once your application is approved.

Also, both main applicant and spouse need to pay this. Value is CA$ 500 for each person.

Source: https://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/fees/fees.asp#economic

7) Biometrics: CA$ 85 for each person

If you are required to do your biometrics (fingerprint + photo), you need to pay a fee for it.

Price is $CA 85, and both applicant and spouse must pay for it.

Maximum value here is $CA 170, so children don't add to it.

Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/campaigns/biometrics/how-to-give-biometrics.html

8) Carriers: CA$ 150

All these back and forth of documents will eventually need some delivery/carriers services.

Usually, because we are talking about important documents, you will want to use some sort of tracking system, which will of course add to the price.

Because values change so much between vendors, origin place, and destiny, it's hard to have an accurate estimation. Also, one person might need to move more documents than another.

But still, so we can have an idea, let's say each envelope costs $CA50 to ship internationally with a tracking system, and you will need to move 3 of those. We are talking about $CA 150 then.

Wrap-up of Costs

Putting it all together, here are some estimations for a single person, a married couple without kids, and a married couple with one kids:

	Single	Couple (no children)	Couple (with 1 child)
IELTS	$300	$600	$600
ECA	$220	$440	$440
Medical Exams	$250	$500	$750
Translations	$150	$300	$350
Processing Fee	$825	$1650	$1875
Right of PR Fee	$500	$1000	$1000
Biometrics	$85	$170	$170
Carriers	$150	$150	$150
TOTAL	$2480	$4810	$5335

All values above are in Canadian Dollars. And, once again, are only estimations.